Introduction to Contemporary Literary Theory In this course we will introduce several major schools of contemporary literary theory. By reading theoretical texts in close conjunction with works of literature, we will illuminate the ways in which these theoretical stances can produce multiple interpretations of a given literary work. The approaches covered may include New Criticism, Psychoanalysis, Marxism and Cultural Criticism, Race Theory and Multicultural Criticism, Feminism, Post-Colonial Criticism, Queer Studies, Eco-Criticism, Post-Structuralism, and others. These theories will be applied to various works of fiction, poetry, and drama. The goal will be to make students critically aware of the fundamental literary, cultural, political, and moral assumptions underlying every act of interpretation they perform.

Animals in Literature and Culture Animals, wrote anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss, are good to think with. They are good to write with as well; almost all works of literature include animals, their importance varying from the merely peripheral to the absolutely central.  Among other narrative functions, animals serve as essential metaphors for understanding the human animal. In this course we will read a wide variety of fiction, poetry, children's literature, philosophy, science, history, and cultural theory from Ancient Greek sources (in translation) to the present. We will consider theoretical, ethical, religious, psychological, linguistic, and political issues pertaining to animals and their representation in literary texts. lect./disc.

Towards a Poetics of Community Why read literature? One answer: such reading is not individual but communal. It links readers to each other in aesthetic experience, in ethical and hermeneutic debate, and in appreciation for writers and fellow readers. As we read literary texts from different times, cultures, and genres, we will examine how they anticipate, create, or recreate readerly communities, and how these communities in turn help shape the texts as they are experienced. We will also strive to form our own readerly community—one that is as inclusive and as intellectually generous as possible. We will begin with close analysis of poetry in various forms from various historical periods. We will then read dramas by such playwrights as William Shakespeare, Margaret Edson, and/or Lolita Chakrabarti, as well as two works from among such prose writers as Charles Dickens, Emily Brontë, Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Marilynne Robinson, Virginia Woolf, Toni Morrison, Ian McEwan, Walter Moseley, and Jean Rhys.

Reading Literature: How to Do Things with Words How does language make and unmake the world around us? Is literature capable of intervening in the social and historical conditions of its own making? How does literary criticism participate in cultural transformation? To get a grasp on these questions, we will read widely in literature that explores the relationships between language, power, and social life, as well as criticism and theory that examines the interactions between aesthetics and politics. Our inquiry will survey the practical and theoretical foundations of literary study, as well as current debates about methodology in the field. Readings might include: Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and poetry by Phillis Wheatley Peters, John Keats, Dionne Brand, Solmaz Sharif, and M. NourbeSe Philip

Literature and the Visual Arts In this course we will explore the intersections of literary texts with the visual arts. What happens when literature tries to capture in words a visual image? What happens when a picture tries to tell a story? We will examine literary texts which respond directly to specific paintings as well as texts which are more broadly visual in their impact on readers; we will also look at hybrid texts like the graphic novel which include both words and images. Course readings will include poems, short stories, short novels, illustrated books, and graphic novels. We will also look at a wide range of paintings, sculptures, and other visual artifacts.

Writer's Decathlon One of the best skills a writer can hope to cultivate is flexibility—the ability to write for different audiences, different situations, different media, and with different goals in mind. In this course we will develop our skills as flexible writers by tackling ten different writing exercises, including the op-ed, several sub-genres of the traditional academic paper, personal essays, creative fiction, the persuasive essay, business communications, modern tech-based genres, and more—we may even try our hand at writing an old-fashioned love letter with a quill pen. We will workshop our writings in class regularly, and examples of these various genres will be our course readings.

Antonia Losano

Reviews and ratings for Antonia Losano at Middlebury College.Antonia Losano teaches Intro:Contemporary Lit. Theory, Animals in Literature, Reading Literature and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Antonia Losano good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Truly my favorite course. Do not take contemporary lit theory with anyone but Losano. This class has interesting assignments, but very demanding homework. Learning about literary theory is very applicable to future coursework in English.

The professor was extremely understanding and accommodating throughout the semester. I really enjoyed her teaching style -she was clear and easy to follow. Majority of grade comes from two exams and 2 papers. 

Professor Losano was a great lecturer and passionate about the course material, making the class enjoyable even at 8 am. Though there was constant reading, many of the novels and stories we read were fun to read, which was a nice contrast to some of my other classes. BIG class, so whole class discussions were hard for some people, but smaller group discussions were nice.