EN 595: Models, Copies, Simulacra

Models, Copies, Simulacra EN 595: Special Topics (offered Winter 2014)

The problem of the simulacrum—the copy that resists the authority of its model— is a fundamental one for poetry and the other arts. It goes back at least to Plato, who regarded poetry’s potential to distort or degrade eternal truths as so dangerous that he banished from his Republic all poets but those content to write innocuous poems in praise of the state. This course will consider issues surrounding Plato’s negative critique of poetic representation from theoretical and historical perspectives, and in contemporary contexts. Special emphasis will be placed on literature, in addition to visual arts, film and music, and we will also consider problems of representation as they emerge in areas of human activity such as science (eg. mimesis, genetics and cloning), technology (eg. digital), law (eg. copyright), popular media and culture (eg. social media, fashion, “reality” TV). This interdisciplinary course is designed to bring together students from both the MA and MFA programs who will be asked to determine, at the beginning of the semester, the relative emphasis they wish to place on three possible course assignments (a critical paper, a research- based presentation, and/or a creative or experimental work) based on their own needs and goals. If you have questions about the course contact Russ Prather at [email protected].

Course texts may include the following (final list to be determined): Literature: Peter Carey, American Dreams, My Life as a Fake; Angela Carter, The Bloody Chamber; Mary Shelley, Frankenstein,; William Burroughs, The Western Lands; Jorge Luis Borges, Fictions; Vladimir Nabokov, Transparent Things; Max Frisch, I’m Not Stiller; Michel Houellebecq, The Map and the Territory. Film: Luis Bunuel, That Obscure Object of Desire; Ridley Scott, Blade Runner; Brian Forbes, The Stepford Wives (original); David Cronenberg, The Fly or Dead Ringers; Werner Maria Fassbinder, Despair; Phillip Kaufman, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (remake); Lana and Andy Wachowski, The Matrix; Abbas Kiarostami, Certified Copy. Visual Artists: Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol, Richard Estes, Chuck Close, Sherry Levine. Musicians: Negativland, Copyright Infringement is Your Best Entertainment Value; Danger Mouse, The Grey Album; Max Richter, Recomposed; Plunderphonic and Copyright Violation Squad. Critical theory—short readings from: Plato, Ion and Republic; Aristotle, Poetics; Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Production; Jean Baudrillard, Simulations and Simulacra; W.J.T. Mitchell, Representation, Iconology; Giles Deleuze, Plato and the Simulacrum; Brian Massumi, Parables of the Virtual; Michel Foucault, The Order of Things.