Proseminar Narrative Identity and the Contemporary Young Adult Fantasy Novel

In this seminar, we will read four recent YA fantasy novels through the lens of narrative theory in order to ascertain how these texts, their narrators and protagonists construct identities through telling stories. Furthermore, special attention will be paid to the role that fantastic elements play in this process. The metaphorical conception of life as a path or story is found in both identity theory as well as in fantasy literature; utterances such as -I feel like I am living inside a story” are commonplace in heroic fantasy in particular. This is not surprising, given that the sources of modern fantasy literature such as myths, epics and fairy tales are themselves often concerned with story-telling. In this sense, we will look at how the novels draw upon these older genres and combine them with modern modes and strategies of telling stories, which extends to the question of identity as well: Given that these source texts preferentially feature stable identities established through heredity or societal prescription, it seems prudent to find out whether this is the case for these modern texts as well, or whether the identities mediated there are less stable and more self-fashioned. Finally, we will also raise a question that is by no means as clear-cut as it seems: What or who does the term -young adult” in YA literature actually refer to? Texts can be obtained at Uni-Buch, your preferred local bookseller or online shop. Warning : This is a very reading-intensive seminar; the Rothfuss text alone is over 600 pages long, and you will have to read theory in addition to the primary texts. Therefore, I urge you to think twice about taking this seminar if you are not familiar with or interested in fantasy literature. It is likely also helpful if you research the texts listed below in advance in order to find out whether or not they interest you. Le Guin, Ursula K. Gifts. (2004) Pratchett, Terry. Nation. (2008) Rothfuss, Patrick. The Name of the Wind. (2007) Walton, Jo. Among Others. (2011) Additional reading material will be provided on a Moodle course. Voraussetzungen Completion of the Orientierungskurs Introduction to British and American Literature. You need to have finished reading Ursula Le Guin’s Gifts prior to our first session. If there are more than 25 students, there will be a test to check on this. It is mandatory that you turn up for our first meeting, no exceptions. Leistungsnachweis Regular and active participation as well as an oral report or similar (depending on the number of participants) are required for obtaining credits in this class. Research papers should be 10-15 pages in length, depending on your Modulprüfungsordnung. FB 02 Institut für Anglistik / Amerikanistik Completion of the Orientierungskurs Introduction to British and American Literature. You need to have finished reading Ursula Le Guin’s Gifts prior to our first session. If there are more than 25 students, there will be a test to check on this. It is mandatory that you turn up for our first meeting, no exceptions. Regular and active participation as well as an oral report or similar (depending on the number of participants) are required for obtaining credits in this class. Research papers should be 10-15 pages in length, depending on your Modulprüfungsordnung. Uni Kassel WiSe 2014/15 Anglistik/Englisch Sezi Murat