Whenever we pick up a novel, or a play, or a book of poetry from another culture, whether in the original language or in translation, issues arise which are not present when we deal with texts from our own culture. Having only a limited knowledge of the cultural context from which the work comes, we are likely to approach it with expectations based in our own culture and our own personal and literary experience. What strategies can the reader adopt to avoid gross misunderstandings of foreign texts? What sorts of contextual study help with this process? Are there some works, which, like certain wines, don't travel well? What relation does a translated text bear to the original? Are some literary forms, themes, or motifs universally found, in all cultures? Are there similarities between works written by women in different cultures? What kinds of influence and interaction occur between the literatures of different countries and cultures. These and many other questions are discussed in this course as texts written in many languages and from different historical periods are studied in English translation, in the light of a range of contemporary approaches to literature.

This website contains profiles of authors whose works are studied for this course and links to websites offering further information about them.

Select an author from the list on the left