ENG 415 - Narratology in Bearden, Hockney, Basquiat, and Walcott’s Paintings (=AFR 304)

Just as painters often use their art to tell stories, paintings have served as inspiration for fiction writers such as Toni Morrison. In this course, participants will study paintings by four celebrated painters online and in local museums with two goals: First, to detect possible narratives intentionally inscribed in the works, and second, to develop their own stories from two paintings. For example, David Hockney’s “My Parents” is the artist’s rendition of his parents after three unsuccessful attempts to capture them. This painting can inspire students to tell, either in fiction or nonfiction, stories of their own or other parents. Basquiat’s “Warrior” might very well illustrate his vision of himself but it has the possibility to inspire scripts such as the one that gave us the film Black Panther. Take this class to examine the poetics embedded in paintings, and to exercise your creativity that’s inspired by some of our greatest artists.

Cross-listed as AFR: 304 in Africana Studies  for Major Thinkers credit
Satisfies a major requirement in English.
Satisfies the Diversity Requirement for the English major.
Satisfies a major requirement in Africana Studies and Global Literary Theory.
Satisfies major requirement in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Literary and Cultural Representations track.