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This seminar gives an introduction into the relatively new field of The Blue Humanities, which seeks to investigate the many ways humans have engaged with water, both in a material and symbolic way. Critics speak of a "hydrological turn" in literary and cultural studies which we will trace by reading several texts on the subject but also by looking at documentaries and art projects. We will then zoom in on the literary period of American Romanticism and look at two classics which, respectively, deal with the sea and with fresh water, Herman Melville's Moby Dick and Henry David Thoreau's A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. We will only discuss excerpts from those texts and deal with them in sections as indicated in the Moodle classroom, but it is recommended to read the whole texts. The books need to be bought, the excerpts will not be uploaded on moodle. Students will gain an insight into the theoretical approach of The Blue Humanities as well as into the literary period of American Romanticism and the movement of Transcendentalism. In addition, there will be an introduction to Hermann Melville's and Thoreau's lives and works as well as a close reading of selected passages of their books. |
