Tales Of The City

LTA2061 Tales of the City: Exploring Urban Literature
Intermediate Liberal ArtsThis course will focus on the changing and diverse portrayals of cities and urban life in western literature from the earliest days of industrialization to the present. Inspired by Plato's observation, _this City is what it is because our citizens are what they are. We will explore the mutually-constructed relationship between a city and its citizens, asking such questions as: What does it mean to be an urban dweller? How does a city shape its residents' identity, and how do its residents influence a city's development? What are the delights and dangers of urban life? Where does one's sense of community/neighborhood overlap with - and diverge from - living in a particular city? We will read novels, short stories, poems, and essays, focusing primarily on London, but also likely including Dublin and New York City. To what extent can the concerns of a community within a city diverge from the concerns of the city as a whole?

Prerequisites: RHT & Foundation A&H and H&S