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The subjects listed below are arranged in three graduated categories or tiers:
1) Introductory subjects (21L.000-21L.024) all carry HASS Distribution and Communications Intensive (CI-H or CI-HW) credit.
2) Samplings (21L.310-21L.338, 21L.345-21L.355) are 6-unit subjects that provide both an alternative route into literary study and a less intensive means for students to sustain a commitment to reading and textual interpretation. Their focus is on critical exploration, comprehension, and group discussion, with less sustained attention to analytic writing skills. Students can combine two 6-unit Samplings subjects to count as a HASS subject in the Humanities category and the equivalent of a subject in the Intermediate tier. See the HASS Requirement website or contact Literature Headquarters for details.
3) Intermediate subjects (21L.430-21L.639) explore literary and visual forms in greater depth and center on historical periods, literary themes, or genres; others focus on media studies, comparative cultural studies, or national literatures.
4) Seminars (21L.640-21L.715) are more advanced and are often communication intensive.
A supplement to this catalog, available online and from the Literature Section offices, offers more detailed descriptions of all literature subjects and includes specific information about required texts, writing assignments, and examinations.
Introductory Subjects
21L.000[J] Writing About Literature
  ( ,  )  
(Same subject as 21W.041[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-000j-writing-about-literature/
 Lecture: TR1-2.30 (4-251)
Intensive focus on the reading and writing skills used to analyze literary texts such as poems by Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare or Langston Hughes; short stories by Chekhov, Joyce, or Alice Walker; and a short novel by Melville or Toni Morrison. Designed not only to prepare students for further work in writing and literary and media study, but also to provide increased confidence and pleasure in their reading, writing, and analytical skills. Students write or revise essays weekly. Enrollment limited.
Fall: C. Doyle
Spring: N. Jackson
Textbooks (Spring 2025)
21L.001 Foundations of Western Literature: Homer to Dante
() 
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Studies a broad range of texts essential to understanding the two great sources of Western conceptions of the world and humanity's place within it: the ancient world of Greece and Rome and the Judeo-Christian world that challenged and absorbed it. Readings vary but usually include works by Homer, Sophocles, Aristotle, Plato, Virgil, St. Augustine, and Dante. Enrollment limited.
James Buzard
21L.002 Foundations of Western Literature: From Shakespeare to the Present
 ()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
A broad survey of texts, literary, philosophical, and sociological, studied to trace the growth of secular humanism, the loss of a supernatural perspective upon human events, and changing conceptions of individual, social, and communal purpose. Stresses appreciation and analysis of texts that came to represent the common cultural possession of our time. Enrollment limited.
Staff
21L.003 Reading Fiction
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-003-reading-fiction/
Lecture: TR3.30-5 (14N-112)
Samples prose narrative from different traditions, examining texts that feature distinctive styles and formal rhythms in their social and historical contexts. May include European and US classics, alongside global and contemporary authors. Considers writing and reading as forms of social engagement, with special attention to the ways that authors borrow from and innovate on the past. Enrollment limited.
J. Buzard
Textbooks (Spring 2025)
21L.004 Reading Poetry
(, )
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-004-reading-poetry/
Lecture: MW EVE (7-8.30 PM) (14N-112) or M2-5 (5-231)
Concentrates on close analysis of poems written in English in various forms (lyric, epic, dramatic). Syllabus varies from term to term but typically includes Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Blake, Keats, Whitman, Dickinson, Frost, Eliot, Langston Hughes, Lowell, and Plath. Enrollment limited.
Fall: N. Jackson, A. Bahr
Spring: S. Tapscott, J. Bennett
Textbooks (Spring 2025)
21L.005[J] Introduction to Drama
() 
(Same subject as 21T.141[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
A study of the history of theater art and practice from its origins to the modern period, including its roles in non-Western cultures. Special attention to the relationship between the literary and performative dimensions of drama, and the relationship between drama and its cultural context. Enrollment limited.
Sandy Alexandre
21L.008[J] Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies
() 
(Same subject as 24.912[J], 21H.106[J], 21W.741[J], CMS.150[J], WGS.190[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: T2-5 (E15-335)
Interdisciplinary survey of people of African descent that draws on the overlapping approaches of history, literature, anthropology, legal studies, media studies, performance, linguistics, and creative writing. Connects the experiences of African-Americans and of other American minorities, focusing on social, political, and cultural histories, and on linguistic patterns. Includes lectures, discussions, workshops, and required field trips that involve minimal cost to students.
M. DeGraff, D. Fox Harrell, D. Wood
No textbook information available
21L.009 Shakespeare
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-009-shakespeare/
Lecture: TR9.30-11 (1-379)
Focuses on the close reading of six to eight of Shakespeare plays, as well as their adaptation for stage and/or film. Selected texts cover the range of genres in which Shakespeare wrote (i.e., history, comedy, tragedy, and romance). Special emphasis in some terms on performances and adaptions of Shakespearean drama around the world. Plays studied vary across sections and from term to term, and have recently included Henry IV Part 1, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear, Othello, and The Tempest. Enrollment limited.
S. Raman
No textbook information available
21L.010[J] Writing with Shakespeare
()
(Same subject as 21W.042[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Focuses on writing and speaking using Shakespeare as a model and means for mastery of English language skills. Emphasizes the development of students' ability to write clearly and effectively in a range of genres with an awareness of audience. Designed to increase students' confidence and pleasure in verbal communication and analysis of language. Students write frequently, give and receive feedback, improve their work through revision, and participate actively in class discussions and presentations. Enrollment limited.
D. Henderson
21L.011 Introduction to Film Studies
(, )
Prereq: None
Units: 3-3-6
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-011-the-film-experience/
Lecture: T3.30-5 (3-270) Lab: M EVE (7-10 PM) (3-270) Recitation: R3 (1-273) or R4 (1-273)
Concentrates on close analysis and criticism of a wide range of films, including works from the early silent period, documentary and avant-garde films, European art cinema, and contemporary Hollywood fare. Through comparative reading of films from different eras and countries, students develop the skills to turn their in-depth analyses into interpretations and explore theoretical issues related to spectatorship. Syllabus varies from term to term, but usually includes such directors as Eisenstein, Fellini, Godard, Griffith, Hawks, Hitchcock, Kubrick, Kurosawa, Tarantino, Welles, and Wiseman.
Fall: J. Ruffin
Spring: E. Brinkema
Textbooks (Spring 2025)
21L.012 Forms of Western Narrative
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines a wide assortment of narrative forms, from Homer to the present, and considers why and how stories are told. Focuses on the close reading of literary and cultural issues, the emergence of different narrative genres, and how different media affect the construction and interpretation of narratives. Syllabus varies by term, but usually includes materials such as epics, novels, tales, short stories, films, television programs, graphic novels, and interactive games. Enrollment limited.
Jessica Ruffin
21L.013[J] The Supernatural in Music, Literature and Culture
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
(Same subject as 21M.013[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Explores the relationship between music and the supernatural, focusing on the social history and context of supernatural beliefs as reflected in key literary and musical works from 1600 to the present. Provides an understanding of the place of ambiguity and the role of interpretation in culture, science and art. Explores great works of art by Shakespeare, Verdi, Goethe (in translation), Gounod, Henry James and Benjamin Britten. Readings also include selections from the most recent scholarship on magic and the supernatural. Writing assignments range from web-based projects to analytic essays. No previous experience in music is necessary. Projected guest lectures, musical performances, field trips. Limited to 36.
Staff
21L.014[J] Introduction to Ancient and Medieval Studies
()
(Same subject as 21H.007[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: M1-2.30 (66-160) Recitation: W1-2.30 (66-160)
Explores the fascinating history, culture, and society of the ancient and medieval worlds and the different methodologies scholars use to interpret them. Wrestles with big questions about the diversity of life and thought in pre-modern societies, the best ways to study the distant past, and the nature (and limitations) of knowledge about long-ago eras. Considers a wide range of scholarly subjects such as the rise and fall of the Roman empire, the triumph of Christianity and Islam, barbarian invasions and holy wars, courts and castles, philosophy and religion, and the diversity of art, literature, and politics. Ponders different types of evidence, reads across a variety of disciplines, and develops skills to identify continuities and changes in ancient and medieval societies.
E. Driscoll & S. Frampton
No textbook information available
21L.015 Children's Literature
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Analyzes children's literature from a variety of eras and genres, taking even the most playful texts seriously as works of art and powerful cultural influences. Considers the types of stories adults consider appropriate for children, and why; how opinions about this subject have changed over time and across cultures; and the complex interplay of words and images in children's books. Enrollment limited.
Staff
21L.016 Gods and Mortals
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Introduces students to moral and philosophical questions that emerge from the study of pre-modern literature, such as how humans have grappled with life on earth and negotiated their relationships with the known and unknown, nature and the cosmos, past and future, the physical and the metaphysical, life and death, one another, and the divine. Focuses on careful reading of major works and authors, including selections from Sappho's lyric poems, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid, Augustine's Confessions, and Dante's Inferno. Develops skills in close reading and in persuasive and personal analytical writing. Students have the opportunity to present on their readings and research in a variety of forms.
Staff
21L.017 The Art of the Probable
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines literary texts and/or films in relation to the history of the idea of probability. Traces the growing importance of probability as a basic property of things and the world, as well as a measure of the reliability of our ideas and beliefs. Connects the development and use of probabilistic reasoning (e.g., in the lottery and in statistics) with literary and cultural concerns regarding the rationality of belief, risk and uncertainty, free will and determinism, chance and fate. Discussion of the work of scientific and philosophical pioneers of probabilistic thought (e.g., Pascal, Leibniz, Bernoulli, Laplace) in conjunction with works by Shakespeare, Voltaire, H. G. Wells, Pynchon and Stoppard, among others. Enrollment limited.
S. Raman
21L.018 Introduction to English Literature
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines the rich heritage of English literature across genre and historical period. Designed for students who want to know more about English literature or about English culture and history. Studies the relationships between literary themes, forms, and conventions and the times in which they were produced. Explores (for instance) Renaissance lyrics and drama, Enlightenment satires in word image, the 19th-century novel, and modern and contemporary stories, poems and film.
Staff
21L.019 Introduction to European and Latin American Fiction
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-019-introduction-to-european-and-latin-american-fiction/
Studies great works of European and Latin American fiction. Attention to a variety of forms including: the picaresque, epistolary, realist, naturalist, and magical realist fiction. Emphasizes ways in which the unique history of each country shaped the imaginative responses of its writers. Authors include Cervantes, Laclos, Goethe, Mann, Dostoevsky, Flaubert, Zola, Unamuno, Wolf, García Márquez, and Allende. Taught in English.
J. Terrones
21L.021 Comedy
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Surveys a range of comic texts in different media, the cultures that produced them, and various theories of comedy. Authors and directors studied may include Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Moliere, Austen, Wilde and Chaplin.
Ben Mangrum
21L.024 Literature and Existentialism
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Studies major literary works associated with the 19th- and 20-century philosophical movement known as existentialism. Through close reading of these works, students explore how existentialist writers grappled with the question of death; the nature of free will; emotions like boredom, disgust, and radical doubt; and the fate of the individual in a modernity marked by war, illogic, and absurdity. Includes novels, short stories, and aphorisms by Sartre, Camus, Dostoevsky, Kafka, Hesse, Chopin, and Nietzsche; plays by Beckett and Stoppard; and films by Bergman, Tarkovsky, and others. Enrollment limited.
E. Brinkema
21L.025 A History of the Book from Papyrus to Pixel
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Studies a broad range of texts and artifacts related to the history of writing and reading across cultures. Introduces students to the history and theory of media, to literary topics such as metafiction and narratology, and to the study of rare books and distinctive collections. Readings vary but may include literary works by authors such as Miguel Cervantes, Emily Dickinson, and Italo Calvino and theoretical writing by scholars including Marshall McLuhan and Roland Barthes. Regular sessions in MIT Libraries lead to capstone research projects on objects in MIT Archives and Special Collections. Students present on their readings and research in a variety of forms.
S. Frampton
21L.032[J] Afrofuturism, Magical Realism, and Other Otherwise Worlds
()
(Same subject as WGS.130[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines Afrofuturism, magical realism, and other forms of the fantastic in literary texts, film, and other media. Through close reading and attention to historical, cultural, and sociopolitical context, students consider how these works reinterpret the past, diagnose modernity, and posit alternative futures. Particular attention given to the roles race, gender, class, and sexuality play within these radically imaginative worlds. Topics vary from term to term but might include work by Octavia Butler, Gabriel García Márquez, Samuel Delany, Toni Morrison, N.K. Jemisin, José María Arguedas, and Janelle Monáe. Limited to 18.
J. Terrones
21L.040[J] Foundations of East Asian Literature and Culture: From Confucius to the Beats
()
(Same subject as 21G.041[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Studies foundational works from East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam) with a focus on their cultural context and contemporary relevance and asks how "Literature" looks different when conceived through some of the world's oldest literatures beyond the West. Explores philosophical texts, history writing, poetry, stories and diaries, tales, and novels. Hones skills of reading, writing, and speaking with a sense of cultural sensitivity, historical depth, and comparative contemplation. Students who have taken this topic under 21L.007 cannot also receive credit for 21L.040.
W. Denecke
Samplings
21L.310 Bestsellers
() 
Prereq: None
Units: 2-0-4
Focuses on works that caught the popular imagination in the past or present. Emphasizes texts that are related by genre, theme or style. Books studied vary from term to term. May be repeated once for credit if content differs. Confirm start and end dates on Literature website. Enrollment limited.
L. Finch
21L.315 Prizewinners and Laureates
()
Prereq: None
Units: 2-0-4
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-315-prizewinners/
Lecture: M2.30-4 (4-144)
Examines particular texts and authors as having special merit and significance. Considers modern authors and filmmakers who have received such accolades as a Nobel Prize, a Pulitzer Prize, or an Oscar, as well as older authors who have been named as poets laureate, or honored by traditions of commentary, interpretation, and translation. Specific topics vary from term to term. May be repeated once for credit if the specific works studied differ. Confirm start and end dates on Literature website. Enrollment limited.
Mary Fuller
No textbook information available
21L.320 Big Books
(, )
Prereq: None
Units: 2-0-4
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-320-big-books/
Begins Mar 31. Lecture: TR3-4.30 (4-253)
Intensive study of a single major literary work or a very small set of related literary works. Emphasizes texts that encourage close analysis in a way that cannot easily be integrated into the regular literature curriculum. The Big Books taught in previous terms include Moby-Dick, Canterbury Tales, and the Faerie Queene. May be repeated once for credit if the works studied differ. Confirm start and end dates on Literature website. Enrollment limited.
Fall: M. Fuller
Spring: N. Jackson
Textbooks (Spring 2025)
21L.321[J] Childhood and Youth in French and Francophone Cultures
(New)
()
(Same subject as 21G.321[J])
Prereq: One intermediate subject in French
Units: 3-0-9
Studies the transformation of childhood and youth since the 18th century in France, as well as the development of sentimentality within the family in a francophone context. Examines the personification of children, both as a source of inspiration for artistic creation and a political ideal aimed at protecting future generations. Considers various representations of childhood and youth in literature (e.g., Pagnol, Proust, Sarraute, Laye, Morgiévre), movies (e.g., Truffaut), and songs (e.g., Brel, Barbara). Taught in French.
B. Perreau
21L.323[J] French Literature and the Goncourt Prize
(New)
()
(Same subject as 21G.323[J])
Prereq: One intermediate level subject or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
A study of contemporary French literature and classics through the participation in the US Goncourt Prize jury. "Le Goncourt" is the most prestigious literary prize in France. Students study and rank books from the Goncourt shortlist. Prepares students to serve as representatives of MIT on a prize jury at Villa Albertine in New York and choose the winner along with students from Princeton, Duke, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Virginia. Students write a press article to present their experience as a jury. Special attention is devoted to the improvement of French language skills, oral and written. Taught in French. Limited to 18 for pedagogical reasons.
Staff
21L.324[J] New Culture of Gender: Queer France
(New)
()
(Same subject as 21G.325[J], WGS.233[J])
Prereq: One intermediate subject in French
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: R EVE (7-10 PM) (14N-313)
Addresses the place of contemporary queer identities in French discourse. Discusses the new generation of queer authors and their principal concerns. Introduces students to the main classical references of queer subcultures, from Proust and Vivien to Hocquenghem and Wittig. Examines current debates on post-colonial and globalized queer identities through essays, songs, movies, and novels. Authors include Didier Eribon, Anne Garréta, Abdellah Taïa, Anne Scott, and Nina Bouraoui. Taught in French.
B. Perreau
No textbook information available
21L.325 Small Wonders
(, ) ; first half of term
Prereq: None
Units: 2-0-4
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-325-small-wonders/
Begins Mar 31. Lecture: T EVE (7-10 PM) (56-167)
Close examination of a coherent set of short texts and/or visual works. The selections may be the shorter works of one or more authors (poems, short stories or novellas), or short films and other visual media. Content varies from term to term. May be repeated once for credit if the works studied differ. Confirm start and end dates on Literature website.
Fall: S. Tapscott
Spring: S. Tapscott
No textbook information available
21L.338 Reading in the Original
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 2-0-4
Close examination of literary texts in their original languages. Language and texts studied vary from term to term. May be repeated once for credit if content differs. Confirm start and end dates on Literature website.
Staff
21L.340 Pleasures of Poetry
( )
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-3
Strengthens writing and reading comprehension skills. Students attend all public sessions of the Pleasures of Poetry readings and discussions as well as several additional classes. The poems chosen by the various moderators range across the history of literature, from ancient Chinese lyrics to contemporary texts. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor. Confirm start and end dates on Literature website
J. Bennett
21L.345 On the Screen
() ; first half of term
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 2-0-4
Examines works of film, television or other screen-based media, with emphasis on texts that are related by genre, time period, style, or director. Works studied vary from term to term. May be repeated for credit once with permission of instructor. Confirm start and end dates on Literature website.
Staff
21L.350 Science and Literature
()
Prereq: None
Units: 2-0-4
Examines intersections and channels of influence between the sciences and forms of imaginative literature. Addresses topics such as depictions of scientific experimentation in imaginative works, the history of scientific experimentation, and experimentation in literary works; the emergence of science fiction; and depictions of scientific practice in literature. May be repeated once for credit if content differs. Confirm start and end date on Literature website.
L. Finch
21L.355 Literature in the Digital Age
() ; second half of term
Prereq: None
Units: 2-0-4
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-355-literature-in-the-digital-age/
Examines how emerging computational methods and tools are transforming practices of reading and writing in the present. Topics may include the exploration of experimental literary forms and digital media practices (hypertext, Twitter fiction, etc.) or focus on the use of digital tools for analyzing literature (GIS mapping, data mining, etc.). May be repeated once for credit if content differs. Confirm start and end dates on Literature website.
Staff
Intermediate Subjects
Genres and Themes
21L.400 Medical Narratives: Compelling Accounts from Antiquity to Grey's Anatomy
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: None
Units: 3-3-6
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-400-medical-narratives-compelling-accounts-from-antiquity-to-greys-anatomy/
Explores fundamental questions about the experience of illness from the points of view of the patient, the physician, and the caretaker. Examines the ways in which these narratives have changed across centuries and across cultures. Asks about the physician's role in determining treatment; whether storytelling leads to more ethical life and death decisions; what special insights patient narratives provide; and what new awareness physicians derive from narrating illness. Materials include essays, fiction, poetry, memoir, blogs, film and television. As a capstone project, students develop their own medical narratives that emerge in interaction with a mentor from the greater-Boston medical community.
Staff
21L.429[J] Narrative and Identity: Writing and Film by Contemporary Women of Color
(New)
()
(Same subject as WGS.142[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Explores the diverse voices and experiences reflected in writing and film by and about women of color. Examines the roles that culture, community, and kinship play in the development of the writer's individual voice, and compares the similarities and differences of the writer experience across texts and genres. Discussion and assignments, including an independent research presentation, consider the social and political contexts that inform each work, with an emphasis on gender, race, and economic status. Includes works by a variety of novelists, poets, and filmmakers.
Staff
21L.430 Popular Culture and Narrative
()
(Subject meets with CMS.920)
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-430-popular-culture-and-narrative/
Lecture: MW2.30-4 (56-167)
Examines relationships between popular culture and art, focusing on problems of evaluation and audience, and the uses of different media within a broader social context. Typically treats a range of narrative and dramatic works as well as films. Previously taught topics include Elements of Style; Gender, Sexuality and Popular Narrative. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
C. Doyle
No required or recommended textbooks
21L.431 Shakespeare on Film and Media
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-431-shakespeare-on-film-and-media/
Examines the adaptation, performance and interpretation of Shakespearean plays on film and video. Focus varies from term to term, to include films such as the Olivier and Almereyda versions of Hamlet and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet; "spin-offs" such as Kurosawa's Throne of Blood and Shakespeare in Love; or theatrical videos of English language and international productions.
Staff
21L.432[J] Understanding Television
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
(Same subject as CMS.315[J])
(Subject meets with CMS.915)
Prereq: One subject in Literature or Comparative Media Studies
Units: 3-0-9
A cultural approach to television's evolution as a technology and system of representation. Considers television as a system of storytelling and mythmaking, and as a cultural practice studied from anthropological, literary, and cinematic perspectives. Focuses on prime-time commercial broadcasting, the medium's technological and economic history, and theoretical perspectives. Considerable television viewing and readings in media theory and cultural interpretation are required. Previously taught topics include American Television: A Cultural History. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.
Staff
21L.433 Film Styles and Genres
()
Prereq: 21L.011 or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Close study of one or more directors, genres, periods, artistic movements, or national cinemas which have been of major significance in the history of film. Previously taught topics include Hollywood and Hong Kong, and Movie Realists: Chaplin, Renoir, Neorealism, Truffaut. May be repeated for credit by permission of instructor.
C. Doyle
21L.434 Science Fiction and Fantasy
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Traces the history of science fiction as a generic tradition in literature, media, and popular culture. Considers formal ideological and cultural approaches to the analysis and interpretation of science fiction and fantasy texts. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs.
B. Mangrum
21L.435 Literature and Film
()
(Subject meets with CMS.840)
Prereq: One subject in Literature or Comparative Media Studies
Units: 3-3-6
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-435-literature-and-film/
Lecture: MW11-12.30 (4-253)
Investigates relationships between the two media, including film adaptations as well as works linked by genre, topic, and style. Explores how artworks challenge and cross cultural, political, and aesthetic boundaries. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs.
C. Doyle
Textbooks (Spring 2025)
21L.438[J] Intersectional Feminist Memoir
(New)
(, )
(Same subject as 21W.738[J], WGS.238[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: TR9.30-11 (4-146)
Explores the memoir genre through a feminist intersectional lens, looking at the ways in which feminist writers ground personal experience within a complex understanding of race, gender, sexuality, class, ethnicity, immigration status/nationality, and dis/ablity. Gives particular attention to the relationships between the personal and the political; form and content; fact, truth, and imagination; self and community; trauma and healing; coming to voice and breaking silence. Readings include books by Audre Lorde, Janet Mock, Daisy Hernandez, Jessica Valenti, and Ariel Gore, and shorter pieces by Meena Alexander and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. Drawing on lessons taken from these works, students write a short memoir of their own.
Fall: Brianna Williams
Spring: Brianna Williams
No textbook information available
21L.449 The Wilds of Literature
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Immerses students in literature that represents the interaction between humans and nature as joyous, sublime, revelatory, and mutually sustaining. Without denying the damage humans have wreaked on the environment, explores the role that pleasure, resilience, wonder, and hope might play in helping us to envision new modes of engagement with one another in an ever-changing environment. Students are enjoined to follow the example of authors — such as Henry David Thoreau, Annie Dillard, and Lauret Savoy — by selecting and visiting a local natural site, and writing about the experience. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs.
Staff
21L.451 Literary Theory
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-451-literary-theory/
Lecture: TR11.30-1 (5-232)
Examines how we read texts and the questions that we, as readers, ask of them. Introduces different critical approaches to literature by examining the relationship between readers and text, between different texts, and between text and context. Topics vary but usually include reader-response theory, structuralism and semiotics, post-structuralism and post-modernism, historicism, psychoanalysis, intertextuality, cultural criticism, and media theory.
S. Raman
No textbook information available
21L.452[J] Literature and Philosophy
()
(Same subject as 24.240[J])
Prereq: One philosophy subject
Units: 3-0-9
Highlights interactions between literary and philosophical texts, asking how philosophical themes can be explored in fiction, poetry, and drama. Exposes students to diverse modes of humanistic thought, interpretation, and argument, putting the tools and ideas of philosophy into conversation with those of the literary humanities. Students engage closely with selected literary and philosophical texts, explore selected topics in philosophy - such as ethics, epistemology, and aesthetics - through a literary lens, and participate in class discussion with peers and professors. Enrollment limited.
M. Gubar, K. Setiya
Periods of World Literature
21L.455 Ancient Authors
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-455-ancient-authors/
Close examination of major works of classical Greek and Roman literature in translation. Topics may include epic, history, lyric poetry, or drama and the works of authors such as Thucydides, Homer, Virgil, and Cicero. Texts vary from term to term. May be repeated once for credit if content differs. Enrollment limited.
Staff
21L.456 The Bible: Old Testament
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Introduces students to the three divisions of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, Prophets, Writings. Particular attention to literary techniques, the historical periods that produced and are reflected in the various books, issues resulting from translation, and the difference between Old Testament and Hebrew Bible. Students cannot also receive credit for 21L.458.
E. Driscoll
21L.457 The Bible: New Testament
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-457-the-bible-new-testament/
Introduces students to the genres that comprise the New Testament: gospels, history, letters, apocalypse. Particular attention to historical context, canonicity, translation, and the transformation of Hebrew Bible into Old Testament. Students cannot also receive credit for 21L.458.
Staff
21L.458 The Bible
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-458-the-bible/
An introduction to major books from both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Particular attention given to literary techniques, issues resulting from translation from the original Hebrew and Greek, and the different historical periods that produced and are reflected in the Bible. Students cannot also receive credit for 21L.456 or 21L.457.
Staff
21L.460 Arthurian Literature
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Tracing the evolution of King Arthur (and principal knights), students consider what underlies the appeal of this figure whose consistent reappearance in western culture has performed the medieval prophecy that he would be rex quondam et futurus: the once and future king. Examines how Arthur's persona has been reinvented and rewritten throughout history, including portrayals as Christian hero and war-leader, ineffective king and pathetic cuckold, and as a tragic figure of noble but doomed intentions. Enrollment limited.
Staff
21L.471 Major Novels
()
Prereq: One subject in Literature
Units: 3-0-9
Studies important examples of the literary form that, from the beginning of the 18th century to the present day, has become an indispensable instrument for representing modern life, in the hands of such writers as Cervantes, Defoe, Richardson, Sterne, Burney, Austen, Scott, Dickens, the Brontes, Eliot, Balzac, Stendhal, Flaubert, Hardy, Conrad, Woolf, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Proust, and others. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
W. Denecke
21L.473[J] Jane Austen
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
(Same subject as WGS.240[J])
Prereq: One subject in Literature
Units: 3-0-9
An examination of Jane Austen's satire in her seven complete novels, several fragments, and juvenilia. Students read these texts in relation to her letters and other biographical and historical information.
R. Perry
21L.475 Enlightenment and Modernity
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: One subject in Literature
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-475-enlightenment-and-modernity/
Examines selected topics in 18th- and 19th-century English/European literature and culture from the restoration of the English monarchy in 1660 to the end of Queen Victoria's reign in 1901. Topics vary by term; authors may include Jonathan Swift, Laurence Sterne, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Lewis Carroll, Oscar Wilde, and Arthur Conan Doyle, among others. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
Staff
21L.480[J] Identities and Intersections: Queer Literatures
()
(Same subject as WGS.245[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Focuses on LGBT literature from the mid-19 century to the present, with an emphasis on fiction and poetry. In particular, analyzes how LGBT identities and their literary representations have changed over time. Covers authors such as Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Cherrie Moraga, Melvin Dixon, Leslie Feinberg, and Luis Negron.
J. Terrones
21L.481[J] HIV/AIDS in American Culture
()
(Same subject as WGS.250[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines cultural responses to HIV/AIDS in the US during the first fifteen years of the epidemic, prior to the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Students consider how sexuality, race, gender, class, and geography shaped the experience of HIV/AIDS and the cultural production surrounding it, as well as the legacy of this cultural production as it pertains to the communities most at risk today. Materials include mainstream press coverage, film, theater, television, popular music, comic books, literature, and visual art.
J. Terrones
21L.482[J] Topics in Queer Studies
(New)
()
(Same subject as WGS.260[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: TR1-2.30 (56-167)
Develops critical understanding of queer theory through foundational and contemporary texts and other media forms. Examines relationships between queer theory and other social and cultural theories that probe and critique power, privilege, and normativity including critical race theory, transgender studies, feminist theory, and disability theory. Topics may include social movements, queer of color critiques, transnational activisms, and transgender politics.
Arain, Hafsa
No textbook information available
21L.485 Modern Fiction
()
Prereq: One subject in Literature
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-485-modern-fiction/
Tradition and innovation in representative fiction of the early modern period. Recurring themes include the role of the artist in the modern period; the representation of psychological and sexual experience; and the virtues (and defects) of the aggressively experimental character. Works by Conrad, Kipling, Babel, Kafka, James, Lawrence, Mann, Ford Madox Ford, Joyce, Woolf, Faulkner, and Nabokov. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs.
Staff
21L.486[J] Modern Drama
()
(Same subject as 21T.244[J], WGS.285[J])
Prereq: One subject in Literature
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-486-modern-drama/
Explores major modern plays with special attention to performance, sociopolitical and aesthetic contexts, and the role of theater in the contemporary multimedial landscape. Includes analysis of class, gender, and race as modes of performance. Typically features Beckett and Brecht, as well as some of the following playwrights: Chekov, Churchill, Deavere Smith, Ibsen, Fornes, Friel, Kushner, O'Neill, Shaw, Stoppard, Soyinka, Williams, Wilson. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs.
D. Henderson
21L.487 Modern Poetry
()
Prereq: One subject in Literature
Units: 3-0-9
Study of major poems and manifestos from the late 19th century through the early 21st century. Examines works written in English, with some attention to Modernist texts from other cultures and other languages as well. Poems by T. S. Eliot, W. C. Williams, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Pablo Neruda, Hilda Doolittle, Charles Baudelaire, Anna Akhmatova, Bertolt Brecht, Rabindranath Tagore, and others. Comprised primarily of discussions, short papers, and a final project. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs.
S. Tapscott
21L.488 Contemporary Literature
()
Prereq: One subject in Literature
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-488-contemporary-literature/
Study of key themes and techniques in prose, poetry, and drama since the 1970s. Recent topics include postmodernism, globalization, new British and Irish writing, and literature and development. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs.
Staff
21L.489[J] Interactive Narrative
()
(Same subject as 21W.765[J], CMS.618[J])
(Subject meets with CMS.845)
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Provides a workshop environment for understanding interactive narrative (print and digital) through critical writing, narrative theory, and creative practice. Covers important multisequential books, hypertexts, and interactive fictions. Students write critically, and give presentations, about specific works; write a short multisequential fiction; and develop a digital narrative system, which involves significant writing and either programming or the structuring of text. Programming ability helpful.
N. Montfort
21L.490[J] Introduction to the Classics of Russian Literature
()
(Same subject as 21G.077[J])
(Subject meets with 21G.618)
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: MW EVE (7-8.30 PM) (16-644)
Explores the works of classical Russian writers of the 19th and 20th centuries, including stories and novels by Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Bunin, Nabokov, Platonov, and others. Focuses on their approaches to portraying self and society, and on literary responses to fundamental ethical and philosophical questions about justice, freedom, free will, fate, love, loyalty, betrayal, and forgiveness. Taught in English; students interested in completing some readings and a short writing project in Russian should register for 21G.618.
M. Khotimsky
No textbook information available
21L.491[J] Gateway to Korean Literature and Culture
()
(Same subject as 21G.066[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-491j-gateway-to-korean-literature-and-culture/
Lecture: TR1-2.30 (66-154)
Introduction to two millennia of Korean literature and culture. Discusses texts, artifacts, and films in their cultural context and from a comparative global perspective. Explores poetry; historiography, story-telling, drama and fiction; philosophical and religious texts and practices; and visual materials. Includes creative exercises to help students develop their own Korean wave and K-drama passions with a critically informed eye.
Y. Noh
No textbook information available
21L.492[J] Three Kingdoms: From History to Fiction, Comic, Film, and Game
()
(Same subject as 21G.042[J], 21H.352[J], CMS.359[J])
(Subject meets with 21G.133)
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: TR1-2.30 (14E-310)
Analyzing core chapters of the great Chinese epic novel, Three Kingdoms, and its adaptations across diverse media, considers what underlies the appeal of this classic narrative over the centuries. Through focus on historical events in the period 206 BC to AD 280, examines the representation of power, diplomacy, war, and strategy, and explores the tension among competing models of political authority and legitimacy. Covers basic elements of classical Chinese political and philosophical thought, and literary and cultural history. Final group project involves digital humanities tools. Readings in translation. Films and video in Chinese with English subtitles.
E. Teng
No required or recommended textbooks
21L.493[J] Gateway to Japanese Literature and Culture
()
(Same subject as 21G.062[J])
(Subject meets with 21G.562)
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-493j-gateway-to-japanese-literature-and-culture/
Lecture: MW9.30-11 (1-135)
Surveys the nature, history, and distinctive features of Japanese literature and cultural history from the beginnings through the threshold of modernity. Examines various genres of poetry, historiography and mythological lore, prose tales and fiction, diaries, essays, Noh and puppet plays, short stories and novels; and helps students appreciate the texts' relevance in the historical and cultural context in which authors wrote them, in the broader context of literary traditions from around the world, and for the humanistic and aesthetic powers that make them poignant to us today. Showcases how authors increasingly enjoyed adapting, redoing, and satirizing earlier models, while constantly developing new expressive forms suited to the urgent needs of their time. Includes an eco-literature lab, a creative writing lab, and a history-writing lab for collaborative experimentation.
W. Denecke
Textbooks (Spring 2025)
21L.494[J] Classics of Chinese Literature in Translation
()
(Same subject as 21G.044[J], WGS.235[J])
(Subject meets with 21G.195)
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Introduction to some of the major genres of traditional Chinese poetry, fiction, and drama. Intended to give students a basic understanding of the central features of traditional Chinese literary genres, as well as to introduce students to the classic works of the Chinese literary tradition. Works read include Journey to the West, Outlaws of the Margin, Dream of the Red Chamber, and the poetry of the major Tang dynasty poets. Literature read in translation. Taught in English.
W. Denecke
American Literature
21L.006 American Literature
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-006-american-literature/
Lecture: MW11-12.30 (56-169)
Studies the national literature of the United States since the early 19th century. Considers a range of texts - including, novels, essays, films, and electronic media - and their efforts to define the notion of American identity. Readings usually include works by such authors as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass, Emily Dickinson, Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, Sherman Alexie, and Toni Morrison. Enrollment limited.
L. Finch
No textbook information available
21L.500[J] How We Got to Hamilton
()
(Same subject as 21T.247[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Traces the evolution of the American musical from minstrelsy to Hamilton. Equips students with terms, tools, and techniques to enrich their analysis of how individual songs, scenes, and dances — as well as whole shows — are structured. Recovers the groundbreaking yet often forgotten or appropriated achievements of artists of color to Broadway and Hollywood musicals. Features a mix of creative and critical assignments, some of which may be linked to field trips to local theaters, dance studios, and archives. Limited to 20.
Staff
21L.501 The American Novel
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Works by major American novelists, beginning with the late 18th century and concluding with a contemporary novelist. Major emphasis on reading novels as literary texts, but attention paid to historical, intellectual, and political contexts as well. Syllabus varies from term to term, but many of the following writers are represented: Rowson, Hawthorne, Melville, Twain, Wharton, James, and Toni Morrison. Previously taught topics include The American Revolution and Makeovers (i.e. adaptations and reinterpretation of novels traditionally considered as American "Classics"). May be repeated for credit with instructor's permission so long as the content differs.
W. Kelley
21L.504[J] Race and Identity in American Literature
()
(Same subject as WGS.140[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-504j-race-and-identity-in-american-literature/
Lecture: T EVE (7-10 PM) (14E-310)
Questions posed by the literature of the Americas about the relationship of race and gender to authorship, audience, culture, ethnicity, and aesthetics. Social conditions and literary histories that shape the politics of identity in American literature. Specific focus varies each term. Previously taught topics include Immigrant Stories, African American Literature, and Asian American Literature. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if the content differs.
S. Alexandre
No textbook information available
21L.512 American Authors
()
Prereq: One subject in Literature and permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-512-american-authors/
Lecture: T2-5 (5-231)
Examines in detail the works of several American authors selected according to a theme, period, genre, or set of issues. Through close readings of poetry, novels, or plays, subject addresses such issues as literary influence, cultural diversity, and the writer's career. Previously taught topics include American Women Writers, American Autobiography, American Political Writing, and American Short Fiction. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. May be repeated for credit with instructor's permission so long as the content differs.
J. Bennett
No textbook information available
International Literatures
21L.007 World Literatures
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-007-world-literatures/
Lecture: MW1-2.30 (56-167)
Introduces students to a coherent set of textual and visual materials drawn from different geographical regions, languages, artistic genres, and historical periods. The focus may vary but usually cuts across national boundaries. Includes non-English works read in translation and examines different kinds of writing, both fiction and nonfiction. Pays special attention to such issues as identity formation, cultural contact, exploration, and exile. Previously taught topics include contemporary writing from Africa and South Asia, the impact of the discovery of the New World, and Caribbean literature. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs. Enrollment limited.
L. Finch
No textbook information available
21L.020[J] Globalization: The Good, the Bad and the In-Between
()
(Same subject as WGS.145[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines the cultural paradoxes of contemporary globalization. Studies the cultural, artistic, social and political impact of globalization across international borders. Students analyze contending definitions of globalization and principal agents of change, and why some of them engender backlash; identify the agents, costs and benefits of global networks; and explore how world citizens preserve cultural specificity. Case studies on global health, human trafficking and labor migration illuminate the shaping influence of contemporary globalization on gender, race, ethnicity, and class. Develops cultural literacy through analysis of fiction and film. Enrollment limited.
M. Resnick
21L.522[J] International Women's Voices
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
(Same subject as 21G.022[J], WGS.141[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-048j-international-womens-voices/
Introduces students to a variety of fictional works by contemporary women writers. International perspective emphasizes the extent to which each author's work reflects her distinct cultural heritage and to what extent, if any, there is an identifiable female voice that transcends national boundaries. Uses a variety of interpretive perspectives, including sociohistorical, psychoanalytic, and feminist criticism, to examine texts. Authors include Mariama Ba, Isabel Allende, Anita Desai, Maxine Hong Kingston, Toni Morrison, Doris Lessing, Alifa Riyaat, Yang Jiang, Nawal Al-Saadawi, and Sawako Ariyoshi. Taught in English.
Staff
21L.580 Translations
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Students study theories of translation, compare examples of multiple renderings of the same work, and work on translation projects. Supplementary assignments focus on adaptation of works from one genre to another, and on transmission of information from one mode to another (visual to verbal changes, American Sign Language, etc.). Students write essays about relative theories of translation and about comparisons of variant versions, and also work on translation projects of their own in workshop-format. Includes texts such as the King James Bible, and writers such as Walter Benjamin, George Steiner, Wislawa Szymborska, Czeslaw Milosz, Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral, Rainer Maria Rilke, William Gass, and Robert Pinsky. Limited to 18.
Staff
21L.590[J] The Spanish Incubator
() 
(Same subject as 21G.073[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-3-3
 Lecture: MTWRF10-1 (SPAIN)
Students travel to Spain to explore the country's influence on our understanding of contemporary culture, from its role as the crucible of the international avant-garde, to its genesis of political art and writing, to its Civil War that ignited the artistic passion of authors around the world, to the exuberant liberation after 40 years of dictatorship. Readings include Hemingway, Lorca, Orwell, Neruda, memoirs of Americans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, Spanish poetry of the war and repression that followed, and the films of Saura and Almodovar. Films, readings, field trips to museums, and cultural events enable students to understand the full context in which today's vibrant Spanish democracy emerged. Contact Literature about travel fee and possible funding opportunities. Enrollment limited. Application required; contact Literature Headquarters for details.
M. Resnick
No textbook information available
21L.591 Literary London
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-3-3
URL: IAP URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-591-literary-london/
Lecture: MWF9-12 (LONDON)
Based in London, explores the specific locations, history and artistic institutions that have made London a world cultural hub, deepening students' knowledge gained on site through guided readings, theater performances, visits to homes associated with major authors, guest experts, and independent "author mapping" projects with reports back to the class. Sharpens students' understanding of the complexities of international exchange and identity formation in a global age. Contact Literature about travel fee and possible funding opportunities. Enrollment limited. Application required; contact Literature Headquarters for details.
D. Henderson
Textbooks (IAP 2025)
21L.592[J] Race, Place, and Modernity in the Americas
()
(Same subject as 11.047[J], 21W.781[J], WGS.247[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-3-3
Lecture: MTW10-1 (BRAZIL)
Students travel to São Paulo for three weeks. Examines the relationship between race and place in the formation of modern Brazil and the US through comparative analysis and interdisciplinary study. In addition to participating in class discussions on literature, film, and visual art, students visit key cultural and historical sites; interact with archives and museum collections; and, most importantly, engage in dialogue with local activists, religious leaders, community organizers, and scholars. Focusing on the work of Black and Indigenous people, particularly women, places a strong emphasis on the ways in which art and cultural activism can have an impact on racial justice issues. Taught in English; no Portuguese needed. Contact Women's and Gender Studies about travel fee, possible funding opportunities, and other details. Enrollment limited to 20. Application required.
J. Terrones
No textbook information available
21L.601[J] Old English and Beowulf
()
(Same subject as 24.916[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Intensive introduction to Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon), the ancestor of modern English that was spoken in England ca. 600-1100. In the first half of the term, students use short prose texts to study the basics of Old English grammar. They go on to read short poems, and conclude by tackling portions of the epic Beowulf in the last third of the term. Assessment based upon translation work, daily vocabulary quizzes, and three exams. Limited to 16.
A. Bahr
21L.607 Greek I
(); first half of term
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-3
Introduces rudiments of ancient Greek - the language of Plato, Sophocles, Thucydides, and Euclid, and the basis for that of the New Testament - to students with little or no prior knowledge of the subject. Aimed at laying a foundation to begin reading ancient and/or medieval texts. Greek I and Greek II may be combined (after completion of both) to count as a single HASS-H. Limited to 20.
E. Driscoll
21L.608 Greek II
(); second half of term
Prereq: 21L.607 or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-3
Introductory Greek subject for students with some prior knowledge of basic grammar and vocabulary. Intended to refresh and enrich ability to read ancient and/or medieval literary and historical texts. May be taken independently of Greek I with permission of instructor. Greek I and Greek II may be combined (after completion of both) to count as a single HASS-H. Limited to 20.
E. Driscoll
21L.609 Greek Readings
() ; first half of term
Prereq: 21L.608 or permission of instructor
Units: 2-0-4
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-609-greek-readings/
Consult professor Ends Mar 21. Lecture: MW11-12.30 (4-251)
Introduction to reading ancient Greek literature in the original language. Provides a bridge between the study of Greek grammar and the reading of Greek authors. Improves knowledge of the language through careful examination of literary texts, both prose and poetry. Builds proficiency in reading Greek and develops appreciation for basic features of style and genre. Texts vary from term to term. May be repeated once for credit if content differs. 21L.609 and 21L.610, or two terms of 21L.609, may be combined by petition (after completion of both) to count as a single HASS-H.
E. Driscoll
No textbook information available
21L.610 Advanced Greek Readings
() ; second half of term
Prereq: 21L.609 or (placement exam and permission of instructor)
Units: 2-0-4
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-610-advanced-greek-readings/
Consult professor Begins Mar 31. Lecture: MW11-12.30 (4-251)
Building on 21L.609, develops the ability to read and analyze ancient Greek literary texts, both prose and poetry. Focuses on increasing fluency in reading comprehension and recognition of stylistic, generic, and grammatical features. Texts vary from term to term. May be repeated once for credit if content differs. 21L.610 and 21L.609, or two terms of 21L.610, may be combined by petition (after completion of both) to count as a single HASS-H.
E. Driscoll
No textbook information available
21L.611 Latin I
(); first half of term
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-3
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-611-latin-i/
Ends Mar 21. Lecture: MW9.30-11 (4-251)
Introduces rudiments of Latin to students with little or no prior knowledge of the subject. Aimed at laying a foundation to begin reading ancient and/or medieval literary and historical texts. Latin I and Latin II may be combined by petition (after completion of both) to count as a single HASS-H. Limited to 20.
S. Frampton
No textbook information available
21L.612 Latin II
(); second half of term
Prereq: 21L.611 or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-3
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-612-latin-ii/
Begins Mar 31. Lecture: MW9.30-11 (4-144)
Introductory Latin subject for students with some prior knowledge of basic grammar and vocabulary. Intended to refresh and enrich ability to read ancient and/or medieval literary and historical texts. May be taken independently of Latin I with permission of instructor. Latin I and Latin II may be combined by petition (after completion of both) to count as a single HASS-H. Limited to 20.
S. Frampton
No textbook information available
21L.613 Latin Readings
() ; first half of term
Prereq: 21L.611 or permission of instructor
Units: 2-0-4
Introduction to reading Latin literature in the original language. Provides a bridge between the study of Latin grammar and the reading of Latin authors. Improves knowledge of the language through careful examination of literary texts, focusing on prose and poetry in alternate years. Builds proficiency in reading Latin and develops appreciation for basic features of style and genre. Texts vary from term to term. May be repeated once for credit if content differs. 21L.613 and 21L.614, or two terms of 21L.613, may be combined by petition (after completion of both) to count as a single HASS-H.
S. Frampton
21L.614 Advanced Latin Readings
() ; first half of term
Prereq: 21L.613 or (placement exam and permission of instructor)
Units: 2-0-4
Building on 21L.613, develops the ability to read and analyze Latin literary texts, focusing on prose and poetry in alternate years. Increases fluency in reading comprehension and recognition of stylistic, generic, and grammatical features. Texts vary from term to term. May be repeated once for credit if content differs. 21L.613 and 21L.614, or two terms of 21L.614, may be combined by petition (after completion of both) to count as a single HASS-H.
S. Frampton
21L.620[J] Introduction to French Literature
()
(Same subject as 21G.320[J])
Prereq: 21G.304 or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://languages.mit.edu/semesters/french-francophone-studies-spring-2023/
A basic study of major French literary genres — poetry, drama, and fiction — and an introduction to methods of literary analysis. Authors include: Voltaire, Balzac, Sand, Baudelaire, Apollinaire, Camus, Sartre, Ionesco, Duras, and Tournier. Special attention devoted to the improvement of French language skills. Taught in French.
B. Perreau
21L.621[J] French Feminist Literature: Yesterday and Today
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
(Same subject as 21G.344[J], WGS.321[J])
Prereq: One intermediate subject in French or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Explores feminist literary voices in France throughout the ages. Discusses the theory that the power of feminist writing lies in its ability to translate dominant language into a language of one's own. Studies lifestyles, family norms, political representation, social movements, as well as the perception of the body. Investigates how feminist genealogies redefine the relationship between belonging and knowledge through a dialogue between several generations of women writers. Taught in French. Limited to 18.
B. Perreau
21L.636[J] Introduction to Contemporary Hispanic Literature and Film
()
(Same subject as 21G.716[J])
Prereq: One intermediate subject in Spanish or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-636j-introduction-to-contemporary-hispanic-literature-and-film/
Lecture: W EVE (7-10 PM) (2-103)
Focuses on literary and cinematic production in 20th- and 21st-century Spain and Latin America with a particular emphasis on how social, cultural, political, and technological changes led to aesthetic innovations. Topics include the literature of politics, the avant-garde and subsequent literary boom, the radical aesthetic of the post-Franco era, and post-modern film and art. Materials include short stories, novels, poetry, song, and film. Conducted in Spanish.
J. Terrones
No textbook information available
21L.637[J] Power and Culture: Utopias and Dystopias in Spain and Latin America
()
(Same subject as 21G.717[J])
Prereq: One intermediate subject in Spanish or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Studies how new literary, artistic and musical forms have emerged in response to tensions and contradictions in Hispanic culture, from the eighth century to the present. Examines distinctively Hispanic artistic movements and modes from Al-Andalus' vibrant heterogeneity to the enforced homogeneity of the Spanish Inquisition; from a rich plurality of pre-Colombian civilizations to the imposed conversions by conquistadors; from the revolutionary zeal of Latin America's liberators to the crushing dictatorships that followed; from the promise of globalization to the struggle against US cultural imperialism. Taught in Spanish. Limited to 18.
Staff
21L.638[J] Literature and Social Conflict: Perspectives on the Hispanic World
()
(Same subject as 21G.738[J])
Prereq: One intermediate subject in Spanish or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-638j-literature-and-social-conflict-perspectives-on-the-hispanic-world/
Considers how major literary texts illuminate principal issues in the evolution of modern Spanish society. Emphasizes the treatment of such major questions as the exile of liberals in 1820, the concept of progress, the place of religion, urbanization, rural conservatism and changing gender roles, and the Spanish Civil War. Authors include Perez Galdos, Pardo Bazan, Unamuno, Ortega y Gasset, Salinas, Lorca, La Pasionaria, and Falcon. Taught in Spanish.
J. Terrones
21L.639[J] Globalization and its Discontents: Spanish-speaking Nations
()
(Same subject as 21G.739[J])
Prereq: One intermediate subject in Spanish or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Studies new paradigms of cultural exchange that have shaped Latin America in the 20th and 21st centuries. Examines how globalization is rapidly changing the identity of peoples and cultures in Spanish-speaking nations. Spotlights debates about human rights. Materials studied include film, fiction, essay, architectural archives, music and art. Students complete a research project about a specific aspect of Hispanic culture that has been shaped by contemporary forces in the global economy. Taught in Spanish with required readings and writing in Spanish.
Joaquin Terrones
Seminars
21L.640[J] The New Spain: 1977-Present
()
(Same subject as 21G.740[J])
Prereq: One intermediate subject in Spanish or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-640j-the-new-spain-1977-present/
Deals with the vast changes in Spanish social, political and cultural life that have taken place since the death of Franco. Topics include new freedom from censorship, the re-emergence of strong movements for regional autonomy (the Basque region and Catalonia), the new cinema including Almodovar and Saura, educational reforms instituted by the socialist government, and the fiction of Carme Riera and Terenci Moix. Special emphasis on the emergence of mass media as a vehicle for expression in Spain. Considers the changes wrought by Spain's acceptance into the European Community. Materials include magazines, newspapers, films, fiction, and Amando de Miguel's Los Españoles. Taught in Spanish.
M. Resnick
21L.701 Literary Methods
()
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-701-literary-methods/
Introduces practice and theory of literary criticism. Seminar focuses on topics such as the history of critical methods and techniques, and the continuity of certain subjects in literary history. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Previously taught topics include Virginia Woolf's Shakespeare, Theory and Use of Figurative Language, and Text, Context, Subtext, Pretext. Approved for credit in the Women's and Gender Studies when content meets requirements for subjects in that program. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs. Limited to 12.
Milan Terlunen
21L.702 Studies in Fiction
()
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-702-studies-in-fiction/
Intensive study of a range of texts by a single author or by a limited group of authors whose achievements are mutually illuminating. Some attention to narrative theory and biographical and cultural backgrounds. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Previously taught topics include Stowe, Twain, and the Transformation of 19th-century America, and Joyce and the Legacy of Modernism. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs. Limited to 12.
Fall: S. Alexandre
Spring: J. Terrones
21L.703[J] Studies in Drama
()
(Same subject as 21T.246[J])
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-703-studies-in-drama/
Lecture: TR3-4.30 (14N-325)
Intensive study of an important topic or period in drama. Close analysis of major plays, enriched by critical readings and attention to historical and theatrical contexts. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication through student presentations and research essays. Previously taught topics include: Renaissance Drama; Shakespeare with his Contemporaries; Oscar Wilde; and Stoppard and Company. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs. Limited to 12.
D. Henderson
No textbook information available
21L.704 Studies in Poetry
()
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature
Units: 3-0-9
Intensive study of a body of poetry, raising questions of form, authorship, poetic influence, social context, and literary tradition. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Previously taught topics include: Does poetry Matter?, Poetry and the Science of Mind; Songs, Sonnets and the Story of English; Virgil, Spenser, Milton; and The Image: Poetry, Photography, and Technologies of Vision. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs. Limited to 12.
J. Bennett
21L.705 Major Authors
()
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-705-major-authors/
Lecture: TR EVE (7-8.30 PM) (66-148)
Close study of a limited group of writers. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Previously taught topics include John Milton and his Age, Chaucer, Herman Melville, Toni Morrison, and Oscar Wilde and the '90s. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs. Limited to 12.
J. Buzard
Textbooks (Spring 2025)
21L.706 Studies in Film
(, )
(Subject meets with CMS.830)
Prereq: (21L.011 and one subject in Literature or Comparative Media Studies) or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-706-studies-in-film/
Lecture: M1-4 (4-253) Lab: M EVE (7-10 PM) (3-133)
Intensive study of films from particular periods, genres, or directors, or films focusing on specific formal or theoretical problems. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Previous topics include The Contemporary Horror Film, Film Remixes, Film Narrative, Heroic Cinema, Color in Film and Hitchcock. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs. Limited to 12.
Fall: E. Brinkema
Spring: J. Ruffin
No textbook information available
21L.707 Problems in Cultural Interpretation
()
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-707-problems-in-cultural-interpretation/
Lecture: TR11-12.30 (4-253)
Studies the relation between imaginative texts and the culture surrounding them. Emphasizes ways in which imaginative works absorb, reflect, and conflict with reigning attitudes and world views. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Previously taught topics include Women Reading/Women Writing; Poetry, Passion, and the Self; and Race, Religion and Identity in Early Modern America. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs. Limited to 12.
B. Mangrum
No textbook information available
21L.709 Studies in Literary History
()
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature or History
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-709-studies-in-literary-history/
Close examination of the literature of a particular historical period. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Syllabi vary. Previous topics include Britons Abroad in the 18th Century; Modernism: From Nietzsche to Fellini; and Make it New: Manifestos and the Invention of the Modern. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs. Limited to 12.
Staff
21L.715 Media in Cultural Context
()
(Subject meets with CMS.871)
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature or Comparative Media Studies or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-715-media-in-cultural-context/
Seminar uses case studies to examine specific media or media configurations and the larger social, cultural, economic, political, or technological contexts within which they operate. Organized around recurring themes in media history, as well as specific genres, movements, media, or historical moments. Previously taught topics include Gendered Genres: Horror and Maternal Melodramas; Comics, Cartoons, and Graphic Storytelling; and Exploring Children's Culture. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor if content differs. Limited to 12.
Staff
21L.720 Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
URL: https://lit.mit.edu/21l-720-chaucers-canterbury-tales/
Intensive study of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, with particular attention to formal analysis and cultural context. Students work closely with the linguistic nuances of Chaucer's Middle English, and examine scholarly research in the fields of both literary and medieval studies. Limited to 12.
A. Bahr
Special Subjects, Research, and Thesis
21L.900 Independent Study
(, )
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units arranged
TBA.
Open to qualified students who wish to pursue an independent study with members of the Literature faculty. Normal maximum is 6 units, though exceptional 9-unit projects are occasionally approved. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
Fall: Stephanie Frampton
Spring: F. Crisley
No textbook information available
21L.901 Independent Study
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units arranged [P/D/F]
Open to qualified students who wish to pursue an independent study with members of the Literature faculty. Normal maximum is 6 units, though exceptional 9-unit projects are occasionally approved. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
Staff
21L.902 Topics in Ancient and Medieval Studies: Greek
(New)
(); second half of term
Prereq: 21L.610 or permission of instructor
Units arranged
Covers topics in Greek classes that are not provided in the regular subject offerings. Units vary depending on the number of class meetings, readings, and assignments. May be repeated for credit if topic differs.
E. Driscoll
21L.S60[J] Special Subject: Rap Theory and Practice
()
(Same subject as CMS.S60[J])
(Subject meets with CMS.S96)
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: W2-5 (1-150)
To gain a deeper understanding of rap, students engage in the full process of creating rap music, including composing lyrics, recording, performing, and creating an EP length album. Existing rap music is studied, selected lyrics are analyzed, and possible reasons for the structure and success of different songs are presented in case studies. Students analyze rap songs, reflect on their own weekly activities in writing and present their work in class by playing recordings, performing and responding to each other in workshop discussions. Licensed for Fall 2024 by the Committee on Curricula. Limited to 10.
W. Jaco
No textbook information available
21L.S88 Special Subject in Literature
() ; second half of term
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units arranged
Covers topics in Literature that are not provided in the regular subject offerings. Units vary depending on the number of class meetings, readings and assignments. May be repeated for credit if the subjects are different.
S. Frampton
21L.S89 Special Subject in Literature
(, )
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units arranged [P/D/F]
Lecture: MW9.30-11 (2-103)
Covers topics in Literature that are not provided in the regular subject offerings. Units vary depending on the number of class meetings, readings and assignments. May be repeated for credit if the subjects are different.
Fall: S. Frampton
Spring: A. Bahr
No textbook information available
21L.S90 Special Subject in Literature
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units arranged
Covers topics in Literature that are not provided in the regular subject offerings. Units vary depending on the number of class meetings, readings and assignments. May be repeated for credit if the subjects are different.
Staff
21L.S91 Special Subject in Literature
(, , )
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units arranged [P/D/F]
Covers topics in Literature that are not provided in the regular subject offerings. Units vary depending on the number of class meetings, readings and assignments. May be repeated for credit if the subjects are different.
Staff
21L.S92 Special Subject in Literature
(, , )
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units arranged [P/D/F]
Covers topics in Literature that are not provided in the regular subject offerings. Units vary depending on the number of class meetings, readings and assignments. May be repeated for credit if the subjects are different.
Staff
21L.S93 Special Subject in Literature
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units arranged
Covers topics in Literature that are not provided in the regular subject offerings. Units vary depending on the number of class meetings, readings and assignments. May be repeated for credit if the subjects are different.
Staff
21L.S94 Special Subject in Literature
(, , )
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units arranged
Covers topics in Literature that are not provided in the regular subject offerings. Units vary depending on the number of class meetings, readings and assignments. May be repeated for credit if the subjects are different.
Staff
21L.S95 Special Subject in Literature
(, , )
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units arranged [P/D/F]
Covers topics in Literature that are not provided in the regular subject offerings. Units vary depending on the number of class meetings, readings and assignments. May be repeated for credit if the subjects are different.
Staff
21L.S96 Special Subject in Film and Media
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: Two subjects in Film and Media and permission of the director of Comparative Media Studies
Units arranged
Open to qualified students who wish to pursue special projects with film and media studies faculty. Individual or small group projects encouraged. Usually limited to 6 credits. May be repeated for credit with additional permission of the instructor.
L. Fiasco
21L.S97 Special Subject in Film and Media
(, )
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: Two subjects in Film and Media and permission of director of Comparative Media Studies
Units arranged [P/D/F]
Open to qualified students who wish to pursue special projects with film and media studies faculty. Individual or small group projects encouraged. Usually limited to 6 credits. May be repeated for credit with additional permission of the instructor.
Staff
21L.THT Literature Pre-Thesis Tutorial
() ; second half of term
Prereq: None
Units: 1-0-5
Definition of and early-stage work on thesis project leading to 21L.THU. Taken during the first term of the student's two-term commitment to the thesis project. Student works closely with an individual faculty tutor. Required for students in Course 21L when the thesis is a degree requirement.
W. Denecke
21L.THU Literature Thesis
()
Prereq: 21L.THT
Units arranged
TBA.
Completion of work on the senior major thesis under supervision of a faculty tutor. Includes oral presentation of thesis progress early in the term, assembling and revising the final text, and meeting at the close with a committee of faculty evaluators to discuss the successes and limitations of the project. Required for students in Course 21L when the thesis is a degree requirement.
Fall: F. Crisley
Spring: J. Bennett
Textbooks arranged individually
21L.UR Undergraduate Research
(, , ,  )
Prereq: None
Units arranged [P/D/F]
IAP: TBA.
Spring: TBA.
Individual participation in an ongoing research project. For students in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
Fall: F. Crisley
IAP: F. Crisley
Spring: F. Crisley
No required or recommended textbooks (IAP 2025); Textbooks arranged individually (Spring 2025)
21L.URG Undergraduate Research
(, , , )
Prereq: None
Units arranged
IAP: TBA.
Spring: TBA.
Individual participation in an ongoing research project. For students in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
F. Crisley
Textbooks arranged individually
For individual research in Literature, register for 21L.UR or 21L.URG. For Literature pre-thesis tutorial, register for 21L.THT. For undergraduate thesis, register for 21L.THU.
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