READING AND COMPOSITION - India in the Writer's Eye

Romance in South Asian Literature and Cinema

In this course, we will explore the experience and meaning of romance in modern South Asian literature (in translation) and cinema. We will specifically explore a variety of genres in Bengali, Hindi/Urdu, and Tamil romance: pulp fiction, women’s literature, transgender fiction, and gangster cinema. These stories provide vital clues to representations of cultural and social norms, sexuality, and resistance in modern and globalizing societies in South Asia. They also signal the possibility of a better future in the everyday chaos of South Asian experience. The course satisfies the second half of the reading and composition requirement.