|
Instructors: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rainer Emig
Event type:
Lecture
Displayed in timetable as:
05.874.124
Hours per week:
2
Credits:
2,0
Language of instruction:
Englisch
Min. | Max. participants:
- | -
Requirements / organisational issues:
This lecture will cover the long tradition of utopian and dystopian writing in Britain. It will begin by defining its terms and outlining the Classical sources of utopian writing before focussing on the Renaissance founder of the term, Thomas More, and his Utopia (1516). Francis Bacon's enlightened New Atlantis (1627) will then be contrasted with Henry Neville's lascivious The Isle of Pines (1668) before looking at an early feminine "Science Fiction" text, Margaret Cavendish's The Blazing World (1666/1668). Jonathan Swift's classic Gulliver's Travels (1726) will represent the 18th century, while Mary Shelley's The Last Man (1826) will show the Romantic view of dystopias.
The later 19th century is a period that rediscovers the genres - in texts such as Samuel Butler's Erewhon (1872), William Morris's News from Nowhere (1890) and H.G. Wells's The Time Machine (1895) and A Modern Utopia (1905).
The 20th century then provides classic modern dystopias in the shape of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932) and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).
The course will conclude with a look at some television series that have taken up the challenge of leading the genres into the 21st century: Monkey Dust (2003-2005), Utopia (2013-2014), and Black Mirror (since 2011).
Compulsory attendance:
There is no compulsory attendance, but regular participation and/or consultation of the course materials is highly recommended - especially for students doing the exam at the end of the lecture series.
Contents:
The long tradition of utopian and dystopian writing in Britain
Recommended reading list:
Howard P. Segal. Utopias: A Brief History from Ancient Writings to Virtual Communities. Chichester et al.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012.
Digital teaching:
The lecture slides and audio recordings of the lecture will be available on Moodle.
|
