World Literature

World literature provides an opportunity to explore human experiences, cultural values, and social issues through literary works from different countries and historical periods. Literature reflects the diversity of human life while addressing universal themes such as identity, love, death, spirituality, trauma, memory, gender, and race. Understanding literary works requires more than simply following their stories; it involves examining how authors construct meaning through literary elements, narrative perspectives, and creative strategies. This course introduces analytical approaches and contemporary literary theories to help participants understand literary texts in relation to their historical, cultural, social, and ideological contexts. Through the study of selected novels and short stories from different literary traditions, participants will develop critical reading skills and gain broader perspectives on literature and human experiences.

This course introduces the fundamental concepts, theories, and methods of analytical close reading of world literary works. Participants will learn to examine the intrinsic elements of literary texts, including point of view, characters and characterization, plot, theme, setting, and symbolism, as well as the literary techniques and narrative strategies employed by authors. Through guided textual analysis and the application of relevant literary theories, participants will develop the ability to interpret literary works critically and understand how different literary elements contribute to meaning.

The course also explores the relationship between literary texts and their broader contexts, including historical backgrounds, authors’ biographies, ideologies, and cultural traditions. Depending on the relevance of each literary work, discussions will address various human and social issues, such as gender, race, sexuality, spirituality, identity, love, death, trauma, and memory. The learning materials include selected literary works by Hermann Hesse, Yasunari Kawabata, Toni Morrison, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Alice Munro. Through these works, participants will gain a deeper appreciation of world literature and develop the skills to analyze literary expressions across different cultures and perspectives.