Exchange: W15 Stroebel - COMPLIT 122 - Books as Bombs: The Power of the Word in Shaping our World. Art and censorship

W15 Stroebel - COMPLIT 122 - Books as Bombs: The Power of the Word in Shaping our World. Art and censorship

Comparative Literatures (CompLit) 122 Books as Bombs: The Power of the Word in Shaping our World WIlliam Stroebel From notes left on our fridge to notes sprayed on a wall, from novels smuggled into prisons to films smuggled out of countries, the human word has always been a tool, a weapon, and above all a space of social contestation, controversy, and argumentation. It is through our words and their mediums (printed pages, cellphone texts, tweets, mp3, AMV) that we make and break and rebuild the world around us. To explore the powerful, tangible roles of words in our life, this course examines works of “metafiction”: novels that write about writing, films that film about filming — as well as editing, censorship, confiscation, destruction, translation and adaptation across media. Situating language within its broader social, sexual, intellectual, material and political context, these works help us begin to interrogate the power and potential of words as collective tools. Using these books and films, as well as a range of secondary articles, we will develop our critical reading strategies, refine our modes of thought and expression, and, through regular writing assignments, put these skills into practice.

Kara Walker
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"
aquatint and etching on light cream Somerset Satin wove paper
34 7/8 x 23 3/8 in. (88.5 x 59.3 cm);40 x 28 x 1 in. (101.6 x 71.12 x 2.54 cm)
Museum purchase made possible by the Jean Paul Slusser Memorial Fund

Kara Walker
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"
aquatint and etching on light cream Somerset Satin wove paper
34 13/16 x 23 3/8 in. (88.4 x 59.3 cm);40 x 27 1/2 x 1 in. (101.6 x 69.85 x 2.54 cm)
Museum purchase made possible by the Jean Paul Slusser Memorial Fund

Kara Walker
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"
aquatint and etching on light cream Somerset Satin wove paper
34 11/16 x 23 1/4 in. (88 x 59 cm)
Museum purchase made possible by the Jean Paul Slusser Memorial Fund

Kara Walker
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"
aquatint and etching on light cream Somerset Satin wove paper
34 3/4 x 23 5/16 in. (88.2 x 59.2 cm)
Museum purchase made possible by the Jean Paul Slusser Memorial Fund

Kara Walker
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"
aquatint and etching on light cream Somerset Satin wove paper
34 11/16 x 23 5/16 in. (88.1 x 59.1 cm)
Museum purchase made possible by the Jean Paul Slusser Memorial Fund

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
You will not escape
etching and burnished aquatint on paper
12 in x 8 in (30.48 cm x 20.32 cm);8 1/8 in x 5 5/16 in (20.64 cm x 13.49 cm);8 3/8 in x 5 13/16 in (21.27 cm x 14.76 cm)
Gift of Kurt Delbanco in honor of Nicholas Delbanco, and partial purchase with the funds from the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
All will fall. (Todos caerán)
etching and burnished aquatint on paper
12 in x 8 in (30.48 cm x 20.32 cm);8 7/16 in x 5 5/8 in (21.43 cm x 14.29 cm);8 in x 5 1/16 in (20.32 cm x 12.86 cm)
Gift of Kurt Delbanco in honor of Nicholas Delbanco, and partial purchase with the funds from the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
Neither more nor less ( Ni mas ni menos)
etching, burnished aquatint, drypoint and burin on paper
12 in x 8 in (30.48 cm x 20.32 cm);7 3/4 in x 5 7/8 in (19.68 cm x 14.92 cm);7 5/8 in x 5 1/8 in (19.37 cm x 13.02 cm)
Gift of Kurt Delbanco in honor of Nicholas Delbanco, and partial purchase with the funds from the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
There they go plucked (i.e. fleeced) (Ya van desplumados)
etching, burnished aquatint and drypoint on paper
12 in x 8 in (30.48 cm x 20.32 cm);8 1/4 in x 5 1/8 in (20.96 cm x 13.02 cm);8 1/2 in x 5 15/16 in (21.59 cm x 15.08 cm)
Gift of Kurt Delbanco in honor of Nicholas Delbanco, and partial purchase with the funds from the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
To the Count Palatine or Count of the Palate (Al Conde Palatino)
etching, aquatint, drypoint and burin on paper
12 in x 8 in (30.48 cm x 20.32 cm);8 7/16 in x 5 7/8 in (21.43 cm x 14.92 cm);7 13/16 in x 4 3/4 in (19.84 cm x 12.07 cm)
Gift of Kurt Delbanco in honor of Nicholas Delbanco, and partial purchase with the funds from the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
Devout profession (Devota profesion)
etching, aquatint and drypoint on paper
12 in x 8 in (30.48 cm x 20.32 cm);7 7/8 in x 4 15/16 in (20 cm x 12.54 cm);8 1/8 in x 5 11/16 in (20.64 cm x 14.45 cm)
Gift of Kurt Delbanco in honor of Nicholas Delbanco, and partial purchase with the funds from the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund

Waist and legs of a reclining nude seen from the back.

Minor White
Nude Foot
gelatin silver print on paper
11 in x 14 in (27.94 cm x 35.56 cm);19 3/8 in x 14 5/16 in (49.21 cm x 36.35 cm);8 7/16 in x 10 11/16 in (21.43 cm x 27.15 cm);18 1/8 in x 22 1/8 in (46.04 cm x 56.2 cm)
Museum Purchase

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