You may already know the story of the foolish old patriarch who divides his land into three parts and ends up howling in a storm, driven to the edge of madness, painfully isolated from the children whose love and whose hatred he never comprehends.  Set in pagan Britain, it is, of course, the story of King Lear, arguably Shakespeare's greatest tragedy.  Set in ancient Japan, it is the story of Lord Hidetora and his three sons in what is perhaps Akira Kurosawa's most powerful film, Ran.  Set in the cornfields of Zebulton, Iowa, it is the story of farmer Larry Cook and his three daughters in Jane Smiley's contemporary novel A Thousand Acres.  And, with countless variations, it is also an Irish fable, "The Children of Lir"; an English folk tale, "Cap o Rushes"; a television western, The King of Texas; a modern socialist drama, Edward Bond's Lear; and the old French fairy tale "Cinderella."  In this class, we'll examine all of these works (in whole or in part) along with several others as we consider how the same few stories may be endlessly retold in efforts to explain our lives and our times--regardless of how different those lives and times may be. 

The twin themes that will engage us this term are leadership and community--and the relationship between the two.  In addition to thoughtful reading, viewing, and listening, our labors will include a number of short reports (both oral and written), a few longer essays (by turns creative, critical, and investigative), and--at the end of term--an eccentric yet doubtless inspiring class performance.

English 2100 is taught by Dr. Richard Nordquist.
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Solms Hall 211C
11935 Abercorn Street
Savannah, Georgia 31419
912-921-5991
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 updated
13 December 2004