OSPFLOR 71F: Metamorphosis: A Short History of a Long-standing Literary Idea

Instructor: Gardini, Nicola

This course will explore the idea of metamorphosis in a selection of both ancient and modern texts. While such texts seem to focus on physical change, they in fact aim to explore change from psychological, moral and political perspectives, both on an individual and social level. Some of the pivotal questions that will arise are: What is form? What is identity? What is otherness? Why and how do individuals change? What’s the purpose of change? Is change positive or negative? Who or what makes change happen? The selected texts, however varied in language and contents, create a corpus of interrelated representations, constituting an actual literary lineage. All authors are major personalities of Western literature.

Units: 3 | Grading Basis: Letter grade | Component: Seminar
Category: Elective