Writing and Urban Life
ROM-STD 135
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
In this seminar we will study representations of urban experience, and how the evolution of cities has been shaped by writing. Each week will pair literary and planning texts from the 1860s onward.
We will discuss shared aspirations and tense relations among various urban dwellers, focusing on literature, urban planning, and everyday life. Topics include the impact of technology on cities as
lived and imagined spaces; interfaces between literacy, orality, and visual cultures; intersections between fiction, poetry, and social history; porous boundaries between built and natural environments; relationships between modernity, writing, and urban planning. Focus will be placed on major cities where Romance languages are spoken.
Course Notes
Readings will be in translation, and discussions will be in English. There are no requirements for enrollment.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
