Life at the Limit: Narratives of Transformation

This course is conducted in English.. This course is conducted in English. This course will consider texts that follow the path of a person making a journey from alienation, loss, or hardship through a turning point. We will read stories of people who, caught in a major life crisis, still manage to keep a deep connection with themselves and the world, people who ultimately survive to share their experience with others in writing. Students will read correspondence between Theo and Vincent Van Gogh, a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky, excerpts from Les Misérables, a memoir by Primo Levi, and various texts by Albert Camus and several other authors. Satisfies Core Requirement for: Literature