« previous Comp. Lit. 160 Aestheticism Fall 1988 Mon. 2:00-4:00 Eric Downing 408 Boylston Office hrs: Mon. 4-5 Wed. 1-3 COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is organized around the idea of aestheticism as a major facet of modernism in both literature and literary theory. The primary focus will be on attitudes toward both art and life; on the dilineation of stylistic tendencies; and esp. on the problems and predilections that arise out of the collusion and confusion of the spheres of life and art in the aestheticist world view. READING LIST: Kierkegaard, Either/Or, vol. 1 Baudelaire, The Painter of Modern Life Huysmans, Against Nature Nietzsche, The Gay Science Wilde, The Artist as Critic, ed. R. Ellmann -----, The Picture of Dorian Gray Gasset, The Dehumanization of Art Mann, Confessions of Felix Krull ----, Death in Venice Rilke, Selected Poems Nabokov, Lolita Dinesen, Seven Gothic Tales Barthes, The Pleasure of the Text -------, Roland Barthes Sontag, "Writing Itself: On Roland Barthes" (xerox) ------, "Notes on Camp" (xerox) SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: Sept. 19 Intro   26 Kierkegaard, "Diary of the Seducer," "The Rotation Method," etc. (all in Either/Or, vol. 1) Oct. 3 Baudelarie, "The Painter of Modern Life" Wilde, "The Decay of Lying"   10 HOLIDAY   17 Nietzsche, The Gay Science   24 Huysmans, Against Nature   31 Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray Nov. 7 Mann, Confessions of Felix Krull   14 Gasset, "The Dehumanization of Art" Rilke, Selected Poems   21 Nabokov, Lolita   28 Dinesen, "The Deluge at Norderney," "the Dreamers," "The Poet" (all in Seven Gothic Tales) Dec. 5 Sontag, "Notes on Camp," "On Writing Itself"   12 Barthes, Roland Barthes For Reading Period:   Mann, Death in Venice Barthes, The Pleasure of the Text « previous THE EMPTY MIRROR is now available on DVD and VHS. Click here to purchase.