SCHC 450 H01 21254

EngLit, Humanities, AIU

Notes:

This seminar will explore the theme of uncertain identity in modern and contemporary U.S. novels. Why do so many famous literary characters--from the Great Gatsby to the suspected androids in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?--doubt who they are or pretend to be someone else? The phrase “imposter syndrome” captures the anxiety, the competition, and the fear of being found out that many of us feel when we’re asked to perform a particular role that we’re not sure that we’re suited for. Characters with uncertain identities blur social categories that many think of as concrete, such as class, race, ethnicity, nationality, even humanity, so they make us ask questions about what these categories mean and how they relate to one another. Novels will include Quicksand, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Bitter in the Mouth, and The Nickel Boys. We will also look at film adaptations of some of these works to think about the theme of performance on the page and on the screen. Assignments will include personal reflections on imposture and identity as well as analytical essays interpreting the novels and their use of shady characters to ask us just who we think we are.