Topic for Spring 2025: Narrating the Nation: Medieval and Modern. This class examines the intersection of literature and history, and especially how narratives about national histories and identities have shaped and continue to shape the political and cultural makeup of the world. We will take Benedict Anderson’s 1983 book Imagined Communities (revised in 1991 and 2006) as a starting point, and from there examine the competing claims of current theories of national identity and nationalism. Through our readings, this class will ask: What is at stake in the definition of nations and of states? Why is national identity so effective in mobilizing large groups of people? How does national identity stack up against other, competing (or coordinate) modes of identity, such as those based on religion, ethnicity, geography, legal systems, and language? Why is there such competition to control the definitions of key terms in nationalist discourses? Why has the nation-state become such a powerful paradigm? What other paradigms are possible, and what are their benefits and drawbacks? Our primary source readings will focus on medieval and early modern Britain as a test case for shifting national or proto-national narratives; readings will include Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur, Beowulf, and more. (Where possible, we will read in the original language, well glossed.) While primary source readings will be medieval, students will write their papers on the time periods and places of their choice. Past projects have ranged from the late 10th century Persian narrative The Shahnameh or Book of Kings, to the 18th century Vietnamese epic Kiều, to Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate, to the 2008 Indian film Jodhaa Akbar.
Course Number
OE026
Level
High School
Semester
Spring
Credit Hours
2.50
Subject
Prerequisites
Successful completion of AP English Language and Composition (OE020) at Stanford OHS, Critical Theory course (OE020A-E), concurrent enrollment in Advanced Literature & Criticism (OE021A-B), or placement assessment