Philosophy and literature
Literary theory and poetics
Diasporic literary traditions
Environmental humanities
World Literature

Areas of Study

Mar

21

PHOTO ESSAY

PHOTO ESSAY

CONGRATULATIONS

David Damrosch gives the acceptance speech for the 2023 Balzan Prize

November 17, 2023

Beginning with jokes like this one, this course will examine the question of Jewish humor, exploring the concept of therapeutic joking, the politics of self-deprecation, and strategies of masking social critique behind a well-timed joke. Rather than reach some essential definition, we will instead investigate literature, stand-up comedy, film, and television of the twentieth and twenty-first century in order to 1) think together about the theory, mechanics, and techniques of comedy and humor and 2) ask how and when a text or performance gets labeled Jewish, by whom and for what purposes.

In this course, students will read English translations of novels that have won major prizes. In addition to exploring themes of contemporary literature from around the world, special attention will be paid to the role of translation in shaping the work and its reception, and to the question of what makes for a prize-winning translation. Each week students will read a prize-winning translation alongside reports from the prize committee, reviews of the translation, and what the translators say about their work.

This course will explore contemporary literature and cinema across Southeast Asia, focusing on regional developments after the Asian financial crisis of 1997 through the present. Themes discussed include literature’s relationship to economic turmoil and political change; questions of class and social mobility; anti-authoritarian writing and issues of censorship; literature, youth culture, and new media landscapes; and literary explorations of gender and sexuality. Readings will include a selection of critical essays to foreground these central themes of the course, along with poetry, short fiction, and films from: Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. Readings will be taught in English translation and films will be screened with English subtitles.

A message from the chair \ Jeffrey Schnapp

Reflecting the ongoing paradigm shift of comparative studies from an almost exclusive focus on Western European traditions to a newly global awareness, our faculty ranks have expanded in recent years to encompass a world-wide range of languages and cultures.

Interested in Concentrating in Comparative Literature?

Check out our Prospective Concentrators and Peer Advisors
pages for more information.

Contact our Director of Undergraduate Studies,
Dr. Sandra Naddaff.

Currently the Ernest Bernbaum Professor of Literature and Chair of the Department of Comparative Literature at Harvard University, David Damrosch began his career in the study of a much earlier…

Positions open

Title

Two ladder faculty searches are currently underway and one post-doc.

School

Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Department

Comparative Literature

Position Description

The Department of Comparative Literature is currently carrying out two tenure-track searches during the academic year 2023-2024: one in Translation Studies, the other in Media History and Archeology. The department is also now accepting applications for a College Fellow in Translation Studies position in 2024-2025.

Areas of Study