ROMS 1107: Nightmare and Fantasy in Borges and Kafka (Spring 2009)  Tags: linguistics_language_literature romance_studies borges kafka  

"Labyrinth, other self, eternity, dreams: in this course we will examine the nightmarish realities that Borges and Kafka depict in their fiction. Although the two authors never met, it was Borges who first began to promote Kafka's work in the Spanish-speaking world. We will focus on Borges' metaphysical speculation on the nature of time, the universe, and reality, as well as on Kafka's use of fiction as a vehicle to come to terms with his childhood. Readings (all in English, of course) may include excerpts from Ficciones, The Aleph and Other Stories, and Kafka's The Complete Stories, plus The Trial and The Metamorphosis in their entirety. Students will write brief essays on aspects of their choosing from the readings, culminating in a research paper at the semester's end."