GERST 4100 - Senior Seminar

(LA-AS) Satisfies Option 1.

When and why does “the family” become an object of literature? What can we find out about sibling relationships, concepts of parenthood and questions of ancestry and genealogy when they are part of a plot in novellas, novels or short stories? In this course we shall trace the history of “family” as a literary topic and investigate the various forms of family literary imagination has presented to us throughout three centuries. Topics of discussion will include: when did the “mother” take on the central role of education? When did the “father” take on the roles of protector or antagonist? When did literature decide to portray ancestors as ghosts? How does literature portray sibling rivalry and family crimes? The course shall feature literary works and texts from anthropology, psychoanalysis, history and law. Authors include: Goethe, Schiller, Hoffmann, Keller, Stifter, Kleist, Brothers Grimm, Brothers Mann, Kafka, Bernhard, Freud and others.