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Fall 2008 In this course we will spend lots of time looking closely at a few things: paintings by Vermeer, sculpture by Degas, films by Hitchcock, a novel by Dashiell Hammett (The Glass Key). Our goal will be a detail-oriented attention in which thinking and feeling combine, and in which meaning and thesis, instead of clamping down on the work of art, shimmer at its edges. We will also be concerned with the strange fascination visual experience holds for language: much of the "literature" part of the course will consist of writing about art, by poets and fiction writers as well as critics. The course, accordingly, will encourage various experiments in descriptive writing: there will be several short class-to-class assignments as well as two or three longer papers (but no midterm or final). No prior background in either art or film is required or needed for this course: all I would ask is that you be unafraid in your responses. Note: regular attendance is crucial for the success of this course, and will be counted as part of your grade. |
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