Topics in Germanic Literatures: Happy Endings and the Politics of Affirmation. From Homer to Hollywood

Happy endings are better than their literary reputation might suggest. This course will challenge the widespread misconception that happy endings are simply trite, conventional, and reactionary. By looking at diverse examples from entertainment to high art, from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” to Milton’s “Paradise Lost”, from Goethe and Schiller to Jordan Peele, we will examine the political dimension of the happy ending as an intriguing cultural phenomenon. Affirmative art can make valuable contributions to social cohesion and democracy. And, happy endings are joyful.