LACS 30.13 The Tropical Fantastic: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror in Brazilian Literature and Film
Magic transformations. Hauntings. Mystical worlds. Brazilian authors have been writing about the fantastic and unreal for centuries, a tradition that extends far beyond what has been characterized as “magical realism.” This course will explore this rich literature, both on its own and in a comparative perspective. In particular, we will examine the political, psychological, ecological, and historical questions that these works raise. How, for example, does fantastic literature shed light on psychoanalytic concepts such as the uncanny? How did Brazilian writers in the late 1960s use science fiction, horror, and fantasy to address the repression of the military dictatorship? What kinds of broad theoretical issues arise when looking at this genre? We will read works from “canonical” authors such as Machado de Assis, Lygia Fagundes Telles, Mário de Andrade, and Guimarães Rosa as well as those by lesser-known and up-and-coming writers, comic artists, and filmmakers.
Cross Listed Courses
COLT 52.04