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The literature we most commonly discuss in seminars is rather like the tip of an iceberg, while submerged in the depth a wide range of texts remains comparatively invisible to academic scrutiny. Moreover, even in the genres previously considered too trivial for serious discussion we can distinguish between more accepted works (Dick and Lem in science fiction, Hammett and Chandler in crime fiction) and the lower strata of literature. In this seminar we will wallow in the mud: pulp fictions, terrible comics, Harlequin romances, space and horse operas and maybe some Christian fundamentalist novel. We may also watch one or two movies, e.g. the allegedly worst film of all times, Ed Wood’s Plan Nine From Outer Space, one of the early Russ Meyer or Roger Corman products, or The Return of the Killer Tomatoes. But don’t be deceived, analyzing trivial works is in itself not a trivial endeavour. We will discuss the syllabus in the first week. Suggestions are welcome. |
