English 220 @ SDSU, Fall 2013
Naked Mirrors //
Damaged Psyches

An Introduction to Literature, [Film, Art, & Photography]

Tuesdays & Thursdays 11 to 12:15 | GMCS 333 (aka, the Imagination Lab)
Professor William Nericcio

his is not just an "introduction to literature" class--that I can guarantee. Our Fall 2013 experimental literary/ cinematic festival will focus on the metaphor of "naked mirrors" as we explore the deliciously and outrageously damaged psyches, minds, and art of women and men in some of the tastiest, most exotic and eye-opening literature, film, art, photography, and poetry this side of the planet.

But we have to be careful! Eyes wide open, so to speak: these naked mirrors, concealing nothing, revealing all, are not without their tricks, not without their surprises, and the fractured souls they flaunt before our eyes will test our intellect, imagination, and, most deeply, our emotions.

The various works we encounter this term will teach us to rethink, rewrite, and reimagine what it is we call to mind when we picture the contours of the human mind--in the process, we will learn again just how instrumental the seductive mirror of literature can be in exposing the riches of these minds. Take BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS by Kurt Vonnegut, where an on-the-surface social satire evolves into a meditation on the disintegration of the American psyche, or
...Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN by Alfonso Cuarón, where an erotic wanderlusting love triangle morphs before our eyes into an allegory on the psychological consequences of desire. Or, look here, in the art of Joao Ruas (left, click to enlarge or go here to access it via your class tumblr site), in 'Nymphs III,' where the painting mimics (and complicates) a story of a woman confronting her image (her self-image?) in a mirror (of sorts)--the fragmentation and disfigurement in Ruas's canvas underscores something analagous going down in the mind of the featured protagonist.

Or consider the dreamscape of this remixed/re-visioned version of Disney's ALICE IN WONDERLAND, where a familiar enchanting story of fantasy and discover is restored to its origins--an uncanny tale of altered subjectivity via narcotics:

This course is open to ALL undergraduates without regard to your selected major or minor and assumes no expertise in literature, film, or fine art. If you are breathing, have an imagination, and are not easily offended by adult issues, themes and images then you should seriously consider coming along for the ride.

Upper division undergraduates and graduate students interested in taking this class for credit, should see me in office hours or write me at memo@sdsu.edu



Working List of Required Works
FILMS {Screened FREE in Class}

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
craig gillespie, director | nancy oliver, screenwriter

...Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN

alfonso cuarón, director | alfonso & carlos cuarón, screenwriter

TOUCH OF EVIL
orson welles, screenwriter & director

BOOKS {...in no meaningful order}

(REQ) PAQUET --MAGRITTE

(REQ) BERGER et al --WAYS OF SEEING

(REQ) MURAKAMI --AFTER DARK


(REQ) APPIGNANESI --FREUD FOR BEGINNERS

(REQ) GREEN --FAULT IN OUR STARS

(REQ) KETTENMANN --FRIDA KAHLO: PAIN & PASSION

(REQ) NERICCIO --TEX(T) - MEX

(REQ) PALAHNIUK --INVISIBLE MONSTERS

(REQ) VONNEGUT --BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

(REQ) YUKNAVITCH --DORA, A HEADCASE

(REQ) CLOWES --GHOST WORLD

AZTEC SHOP BOOKLIST


{A note about purchasing books in our special, outrageous, and experimental introduction to literature class... You might be asking yourself, should I go ebook or old school paper-book?  For the purposes of this section of English 220, I say 'go old school,' 'old gangster,' and buy or rent the real thing--and, though i don't care WHERE you purchase/rent this paper artifact, make sure it is the edition they carry in the campus bookstore! Why? So that we will all be on the same page during discussions, in-class writing assignments, quizzes, etc.  You may have heard we are living through the age of the 'Death of the Book.' Don't buy the hype. Just as a Biology 101 professor might scoff at you if you walked into an anatomy lab wanting to use your 'scalpel app', or an archeology prof on a dig would faint if you wanted to use your 'shovel app,' it's the same thing here. Literature is about books,  paper, ink, paste, etc.  As to whether you should rent or buy--keep in mind that literature books are NOT textbooks. They actually look good on your shelves and tell the world a lot about yourself--basically, they are an intellectual mirror of your tastes, range, and depth. That said, it is YOUR call.}
COURSE RESOURCES
SOCIAL MEDIA

TUMBLR


FACEBOOK