Topics in Literary Theory and History: Literary Studies? A Disciplinary Investigation

Is there a future to the study of literature? Just as the concept of literature has changed markedly over time, so too have approaches to literature at universities and in the world of media. Yet courses on the history of the study of literature are rare. John Guillory’s 2022 Professing Criticism will serve as the starting point for this seminar in disciplinary self-reflection on the history and present state of literary study. The practice of literary studies in the USA will be compared to other institutional models such as media literacy, Cultural Studies and Literaturwissenschaft in Germany.