Spring 2019  |  ENGL 1011 Section 001: Laughter and Literature Through the Ages (67720)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
01/22/2019 - 05/06/2019
Mon, Wed 11:15AM - 12:30PM
UMTC, East Bank
Science Teaching Student Svcs 512B
Enrollment Status:
Open (29 of 30 seats filled)
Course Catalog Description:
Explaining how comedy differs from tragedy, Aristotle observed that "Man is the only animal who laughs and cries." Like our other emotions, laughter and grief are not rational (a purely reasonable animal would not be swayed by feelings), and that's why any attempt to rationalize either of these paradoxical emotions is likely to fail. Traditionally, grief is separated from laughter by using the twin categories of comic and tragic. But even in drama or literature, grief is not utterly desperate and laughter is not always funny. This last paradox -that laughter need not be comic- serves as a basic axiom for our course, which will study not just the laughter presented in literature but historical (e.g., classical and medieval) examples. Instead of focusing on contradictory generic theories, this course examines laughter in specific dramatic, narrative and historical works from ancient Greece and Rome down through the medieval and modern eras. This course will show students how to bring a historical perspective to bear on the philosophical question, "What is laughter?" As modern readers, they will learn that the best way for us to study a past culture is to start with critical thinking about our own.
Class Notes:
Explaining how comedy differs from tragedy, Aristotle observed that Man is the only animal who laughs and cries. Like our other emotions, laughter and grief are not rational (a purely reasonable animal would not be swayed by feelings), and that's why any attempt to explain these paradoxical emotions is likely to fail. Literature customarily separates grief from laughter under the twin categories of tragic and comic. But even in dramatic literature, grief is not utterly desperate and laughter is not always funny. This paradox, that laughter need not be comic, serves as a basic axiom for our course, which will study not just the laughter presented in literature but historical (e.g., classical and medieval) examples. LTA will show students how to bring a historical perspective to bear on the philosophical question, What is laughter? As modern readers, they will learn that the best way for us to study a past culture is to start with critical thinking about our own. For example, why do we admire the figure of a successful rogue or trickster? This immoral character breaks all the rules that constrain ordinary citizens, readers like us who are tied by our loyalties to family and friends. These clever rogues defy our ethics by scoffing at the basic notions of marriage (they commit adultery) and property (they steal). Why do we root for these selfishly narcissistic individuals even as we hear them laughing at our own civic responsibility and moral uprightness? ENGL 1011 will address these moral issues by examining plays and comic narratives from classical to modern times. Your instructor will provide study questions to guide your reading of the texts. Quizzes and class discussion will be based on the study questions. Instead of exams, you'll write five short papers and a term paper.
Class Description:
Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/67720/1193

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