Masterpieces of 20th-Century Literature

Discuss 20th century classics that have passed the test of time and are still relevant to today’s readers. Read a bittersweet remembrance of past romance that moves from France’s luxurious Belle Epoque to the depredations of the First World War by an author considered to be France’s greatest woman writer; a brilliant tale of the struggle for survival in a cold climate that blends medieval myth and modern Marxism by Iceland’s only Nobel Laureate; the superb saga of a Muslim family in colonial Egypt by the only Arab writer to win the Nobel Prize; a magisterial novel of a family in transition to modern times that has been called  the greatest Japanese novel of the twentieth century; a Russian novel of love, life, and revolution whose publication has been described as one of the great events in the world’s literary and moral history. Readings include Colette, Chéri and The Last of Chéri; Naguib Mahfouz, Palace Walk; Junichiro Tanizaki, The Makioka Sisters; Halldor Laxness, Independent People; Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago. Students should read Colette’s Chéri and The Last of Chéri for the first class.
Continuing Education Units (CEU) : 0

You'll walk away with

• Increased cultural literacy
• Familiarity with 20th-century literature

Ideal for

• The curious and creative
• Professionals who use critical thinking