**Full syllabus to be distributed in first class**
English 200 D: Narrative and Empire
Dr. Matt Poland (mjpoland@uw.edu)
MW 12:30-2:20pm, Loew Hall (LOW) 105
This course has two purposes: to develop your analytical sensitivity to the formal and discursive features of texts, and to do so by exploring significant literary responses to imperialism. The British Empire was a world-spanning system, and its long history of invasion, subjugation, and resource extraction continues to structure the global economy, climate, and social relations. We will see this in two novels, Sea of Poppies and The Yield, written in the 21st century by descendants of imperial subjects in India and Australia. These novels illustrate that wherever there was imperial subjection of people based on race, gender, or class, there was also resistance to oppression. We will further contextualize these contemporary novels with short texts from the nineteenth century that articulate and critique colonial attitudes toward race, gender, and the environment. These ideologies rooted in imperialism underwrite current conflicts about structural inequality and climate change. All together, these texts illustrate how, in order to address these critical social issues, we must look to the past as well as the present and future. Through class discussions and written assignments, we will explore how literature registers the influence of empire and how narrative form and genre conventions shape how we understand social and environmental relations in the world.
Textbooks
- Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies (Picador, ISBN 9780312428594, $16.50 used)
- Tara June Winch, The Yield (HarperCollins, ISBN 9780063003477, $12.75 used)
- All supplemental readings will be posted on Canvas
Note: I recommend that you buy/borrow these particular editions (new or used) to help class discussions run smoothly. If buying online, search by the ISBN number. If this requirement constitutes a financial hardship or presents accessibility issues, let me know and we’ll figure out a solution together.