Gender, Genre, and History
In this seminar, we will examine the relationship between gender, literary genre, and history. We will consider how different genres across different time periods have helped to define, enforce, or question the logic of binary gender. We will explore the relationship between romance and femininity, consider gender in sci-fi and fantasy, and wonder whether experimental forms enable gender play. Texts may include Octavia Butler’s Bloodchild, Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Ridley Scott’s Alien, Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues, and various poetry, theory, and film.