Some scholars of modern Arabic literature would argue that autobiographical writing heralded the emergence of the modern Arabic novel as a literary genre. Against a backdrop of literary theory, we will conduct a close reading, in English translation, of selected autobiographical texts that are either novels disguised as autobiographies, or autobiographies disguised as novels, or just plain memoirs and life-stories written in the first or third person singular. We will read some of the most famous autobiographies, along with some of the most neglected ones: Fadwa Tuqan, Assia Djebar, Jurji Zeidan, Jubran Khalil Jubran, Taha Hussein, Hanna Mina, Mohamed Choukri and others. Our main focus will be the emergence of Arab subjectivity through the act of writing the self.

Course Requirements:

Class Participation (25%); One Short Essay (25%); Seminar Paper (50%)

Intended Audience:

Advanced students with a background in modern Arabic literature

Class Format:

One 3-hour meeting (seminar) weekly. As a DC (Distance due to COVID) course, all aspects of this course will be fully compatible with remote online learning. Students must be available for virtual class meetings on Wednesdays 4:00-7:00pm.