COML 4773

Narrative and Moral Crisis

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2014-2015 Catalog.

It is often said that literature encourages ethical reflection, and even that it somehow fortifies our disposition to behave in ethical ways. This class will consider a different possibility, that literature, or narrative more generally, often represents or provokes circumstances of extreme moral uncertainty. Such uncertainty, sometimes focused in a moment of decision and sometimes arising from a clash of perspectives, can gather around characters, narrators, authors, and even readers. We will be focusing intensively on a few works of literary and cinematic art, ranging from the Book of Genesis to Ian McEwan's Atonement, in which moral issues emerge with particular urgency and complexity.

Distribution Category (LA-AS)

When Offered Fall.

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