Welcome to our class blog for EQ2, which I have given the subtitle "Gods, Heroes, and Devils." Here's a blurb about the course via your syllabus:
The 19th century poet Rudyard Kipling once wrote that “East is
East and West is West and never the twain shall meet.” So what makes the
“non-Western” world so different than the West? Is it geographic location, a
system of belief, a language, or something else? In this class, we’ll approach
this question by examining the most universal stories of all: tales of gods and
heroes, myths and legends, saints and devils. Every culture tells stories of
heroes who have to take on supernatural battles to save the world, and the Eastern
world is no different. But how do those stories compare to “ours”? What values
and ideals do they express? Do they offer an ideal bridge between cultures…or
are they the great wall which separates Eastern and Western thought? Stay tuned!
Make sure to get the books for class as soon as possible--we start reading next week!
Required
Texts:
- The Epic of Gilgamesh, trnsl. Andrew George (Penguin Classics)
- Narayan, The
Ramayana (Penguin Classics)
- Akutagawa, Rashomon
and Seventeen Other Stories. trsn. Jay Rubin (Penguin Classics)
- Yang, Boxers and
Saints (two books in one series)
- Naipaul, The
Mystic Masseur
See you in class!
No comments:
Post a Comment