SF-H1163 Spellbound Witches, Wizards and Spirits, In American Literature
Since the beginning of time and across cultures, people have been interested in the supernatural, the paranormal, and the otherworldly. Often, these phenomena have appeared in the form of, witches, wizards, and spirits, whether good or, bad, wicked or wonderful. Women who have not, fulfilled traditional gender roles have, historically been cast as witches or, to use, Shakespeare's phrase, as "weird sisters", or, in Donald Trump'S recent election parlance, as "nasty women." Men in turn appear as, wizards, usually more positively than female, witches. Men and women alike also can take the, form of spirits or ghosts; even houses can be, possessed. What lies beneath the great, fascination with the supernatural and the, paranormal, with the haunted, the possessed, and, the spellbinding? What accounts for the different, manifestations of spirits? This course takes, students on a tour of witches, wizards, and, otherworldly spirits throughout American literary, history. Tropes of the witch and the wizard have, appeared in literature from the time of, Shakespeare (see Macbeth) to the contemporary, best-selling Harry Potter series, and hits every, century in between, such as in Anne, Hutchinson's Puritan accounts form the 1600s, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe's in, the 1800s, The Wizard of Oz in 1900, and John, Updike's The Witches of Eastwick in the 20th, century. The course offers readings across genre, lines-poetry, fiction, non-fiction, young adult, fantasy, and drama-and includes excerpts from, film and television shows based upon wizards and, witches (such as Bewitched, Buffy the Vampire, Slayer, and The Vampire Diaries). The course may, include a field trip to Salem, MA, as well as, possibly the opportunity to see Wicked at the, Boston Opera House (if it is renewed through the, fall season, 2017).
Prerequisite
CAS Honors Students Only