Travel Fictions Syllabus
Travel Fictions
Gallatin School, NYU
Fall 2010
K10.0043
TR 2:00-3:15
715 Broadway, Room 401
Steve Hutkins
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The American novelist John Gardner once said there were only two plots to all of the stories ever told: a stranger comes to town, and someone goes on a journey. There may be other plots, but the encounter between those who are settled and those who are on the move is one of the most intriguing and compelling of literary themes. This course focuses on novels and short stories and asks what happens when travelers and tourists come into contact with the locals and native-born. It examines the way travelers preconceive and apprehend foreign places, the problematic search for the "authentic" and "essential," and the view of tourism as a form of neo-colonialism, involving issues of power and possession, race and class, exoticism and Otherness. Supplemental readings explore the history, sociology, politics, and economics of travel and tourism.
REQUIRED TEXTS
1. James, Henry. Daisy Miller (1878). Penguin

2. Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises (1926). Simon & Schuster
3. Bowles, Paul. The Sheltering Sky (1949). Harper Collins

4. Kerouac, Jack. On the Road (1957). Penguin
5. Mann, Thomas. Death in Venice (1912). Harper Collins

6. McEwan, Ian. The Comfort of Strangers (1981). Random House
7. Theroux, Paul. The Elephanta Suite (2007). Mariner
8. Guo, Xiaolu. A Concise Chinese English Dictionary for Lovers (2007). Anchor
9. Murakami, Haruki. Sputnik Sweetheart (2002). Vintage
SCHEDULE OF READINGS
| Tuesday | Assignment | Thursday | Assignment |
| Week 1: INTRODUCTION | |||
| Sept. 7 | Questions of Travel | Sept. 9 | Huxley & Iyer essays; Travel stories |
| Week 2 – 3: INNOCENTS ABROAD | |||
| Sept. 14 | Daisy Miller | Sept. 16 | Daisy Miller |
| Sept. 21 | The Sun Also Rises | Sept. 23 | The Sun Also Rises |
| Week 4 – 8: ENCOUNTERING THE OTHER | |||
| Sept. 28 | Sheltering Sky | Sept. 30 | Sheltering Sky |
| Oct. 5 | Sheltering Sky | Oct. 7 | Articles on travel |
| Oct. 12 | On the Road | Oct. 14 | On the Road |
| Oct. 19 | On the Road | Oct. 21 | Articles on travel |
| Oct. 26 | Paper due | Oct. 28 | TBA |
| Week 9 – 10: TOURIST TRAPS | |||
| Nov. 2 | Death in Venice | Nov. 4 | Death in Venice |
| Nov. 9 | The Comfort of Strangers | Nov. 11 | The Comfort of Strangers |
| Week 11 – 15: THE ROMANCE OF TRAVEL | |||
| Nov. 16 | Elephanta Suite, parts 2 & 3 | Nov. 18 | Elephanta Suite, parts 2 & 3 |
| Nov. 23 |
|
Nov. 25 | Thanksgiving |
| Nov. 30 | Concise Chinese English Dictionary | Dec. 1 | Concise Chinese English Dictionary |
| Dec. 7 | Sputnik Sweetheart | Dec. 9 | Sputnik Sweetheart |
| Dec. 14 | Final paper due | ||
REQUIREMENTS
1. In class: attendance, quizzes, participation, etc. (20% of final grade)
2. Thirteen blog posts (one a week) (40%)
3. Thirteen comments on other posts (one on each blog post, approx. 100 words each) (10%)
4. Two longer papers (1200 words): midterm due Oct. 26 and final due Dec. 14 (30%)
CONTACT
Office: 715 Broadway, room 608
Phone: 998-7361
E-mail: ssh1@nyu.edu
Course website: www.placestudies.com
Office Hours: Tues. and Thurs., 9:30 – 11, 3:30 – 5:00; also, 12:30 - 2 and 5 - 6, by appointment only.
POLICIES
Deadlines
The blog posts are usually due on Monday night so there's time to read them over before class on Tuesday. The comments on other people's posts are due Wednesday night so there's time to read them over before class on Thursday. (These are important deadlines, and the website makes it easy to track them.)
Plagiarism
In writing your posts, you are encouraged to copy and paste quotations from scholarly articles and other websites, but it is extremely important that you cite your source (author or title) and provide a link to it. The blog posts are a form of academic writing, and plagiarism is a serious violation of the rules of academic integrity.
Attendance
The class is a discussion seminar, so attendance is very important. One or two absences are fine, but more than that will affect the final grade (with the exception of illness). It is not necessary to notify the instructor about your absences, unless you are having issues.
