F0911 The Representation of Desire in Western Literature and Music
The aim of this course is to understand how and perhaps why the representation of desire has been so central and problematic to Western culture through an examination of two media: literature, and more concretely the short story, and music, and more specifically, opera. No knowledge of music or literature is required but willingness to look, listen and read carefully is essential.
Three important preliminary statements have to be made. First, the word “desire” is an umbrella term used to cover a wide range of manifestations. It is preferred to sexuality, love or romance because it hopefully includes all three terms and more. Second, we are focussing on the representation of desire. That is to say, happy love might have no history in art, but that doesn’t mean that our lives are consequently miserable. We are simply looking at how desire is to be found culturally. Third, our subject is located in the Western world, that of Greek and Judaeo-Christian origins, so perhaps students will consider how it is similar to and/or different from other cultures.
The course has a simple structure. “Happy love has no history” is the basis of de Rougemont’s study Love in the Western World, first published in 1940. We will study – in an abbreviated form – what he means and then see how desire is present in our culture. De Rougemont’s simple hypothesis is that happy love has no history, as passion always leads to suffering and death. Clearly, if we think of great love stories, Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, for example, this would seem to be true. In order to understand how de Rougemont can propose such a radical hypothesis, we must look at a few precedents. Desire has been present in human history since Genesis, as evident in a series of arguments about whether sexual activity occurred in Eden before the apple was eaten. The first of the three modules will therefore look at various accounts of desire: Genesis, Pauline doctrine, de Rougemont’s hypothesis, Freud’s theory of Eros and Thanatos, and de Botton’s account of how our materialist world approaches human relationships. Although Freud is often thought of as a difficult writer by students, I hope that will not turn out to be the case. His theory is perhaps one of the most articulate descriptions of the twentieth- and twenty-first century mind.
It is therefore of particular interest to note that culture has, since the Romantic period, tried to conflate marriage and happiness as the ideal representation of desire. The second module looks at literature that engages with this. The short stories chosen are selected for their literary qualities, interest to the general reader, and depth. We will be reading some of the great European writers, such as Chekhov and Maupassant, whose stories ironically depict our obsession with love and idealism while suggesting that idealism lives alongside more mundane and often monetary concerns. As representative of more contemporary culture, we will see to what extent our idealism has remained in tact or been modified.
The third module will be dedicated to the musical genre which most explicitly exposes the major object of desire: the female body. Opera is one genre which simultaneously allows greater presence of female artistes than anywhere else while describing grave doubts about marriage and desire, thus returning us again to the validity of de Rougemont. We will therefore listen to two of the most accessible and popular operas: Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, and Puccini’s Tosca.
Methodology
As this is a highly interdisciplinary course covering the history of ideas, literature and music, careful preparation of selected discussion texts and classroom debate form the basis of the learning process. Reading tasks will fall within the VIU requirements as set out in the 2008 guidelines. They will take the form of extracts from books itemised in the bibliography that students will also be encouraged to consult in the reading room. The thread which holds the course together is relevance: in other words, to what extent are these ideas present in our contemporary world? This is particularly important in the case of opera, which initially seems the most distant genre from everyday student experience. In short, a reading pack will be made available before the beginning of term.
Three important preliminary statements have to be made. First, the word “desire” is an umbrella term used to cover a wide range of manifestations. It is preferred to sexuality, love or romance because it hopefully includes all three terms and more. Second, we are focussing on the representation of desire. That is to say, happy love might have no history in art, but that doesn’t mean that our lives are consequently miserable. We are simply looking at how desire is to be found culturally. Third, our subject is located in the Western world, that of Greek and Judaeo-Christian origins, so perhaps students will consider how it is similar to and/or different from other cultures.
The course has a simple structure. “Happy love has no history” is the basis of de Rougemont’s study Love in the Western World, first published in 1940. We will study – in an abbreviated form – what he means and then see how desire is present in our culture. De Rougemont’s simple hypothesis is that happy love has no history, as passion always leads to suffering and death. Clearly, if we think of great love stories, Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, for example, this would seem to be true. In order to understand how de Rougemont can propose such a radical hypothesis, we must look at a few precedents. Desire has been present in human history since Genesis, as evident in a series of arguments about whether sexual activity occurred in Eden before the apple was eaten. The first of the three modules will therefore look at various accounts of desire: Genesis, Pauline doctrine, de Rougemont’s hypothesis, Freud’s theory of Eros and Thanatos, and de Botton’s account of how our materialist world approaches human relationships. Although Freud is often thought of as a difficult writer by students, I hope that will not turn out to be the case. His theory is perhaps one of the most articulate descriptions of the twentieth- and twenty-first century mind.
It is therefore of particular interest to note that culture has, since the Romantic period, tried to conflate marriage and happiness as the ideal representation of desire. The second module looks at literature that engages with this. The short stories chosen are selected for their literary qualities, interest to the general reader, and depth. We will be reading some of the great European writers, such as Chekhov and Maupassant, whose stories ironically depict our obsession with love and idealism while suggesting that idealism lives alongside more mundane and often monetary concerns. As representative of more contemporary culture, we will see to what extent our idealism has remained in tact or been modified.
The third module will be dedicated to the musical genre which most explicitly exposes the major object of desire: the female body. Opera is one genre which simultaneously allows greater presence of female artistes than anywhere else while describing grave doubts about marriage and desire, thus returning us again to the validity of de Rougemont. We will therefore listen to two of the most accessible and popular operas: Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, and Puccini’s Tosca.
Methodology
As this is a highly interdisciplinary course covering the history of ideas, literature and music, careful preparation of selected discussion texts and classroom debate form the basis of the learning process. Reading tasks will fall within the VIU requirements as set out in the 2008 guidelines. They will take the form of extracts from books itemised in the bibliography that students will also be encouraged to consult in the reading room. The thread which holds the course together is relevance: in other words, to what extent are these ideas present in our contemporary world? This is particularly important in the case of opera, which initially seems the most distant genre from everyday student experience. In short, a reading pack will be made available before the beginning of term.
Syllabus
Evaluation
Readings
Evaluation
Readings