Philosophy Department

1200 Academy St. Kalamazoo, MI 49006

PHI 540

Philosophy and Literature: The Possibility of Romantic Love

Winter 1998

12:40 - 2:30 pm TR

Professor Ted Toadvine

203 Humphrey House

Course Description

In recent years, the very possibility of romantic love as traditionally conceived has come under attack from philosophical and psychoanalytic perspectives. Further, feminist critics have argued that, even if such love is possible, it is to be rejected as an oppressive patriarchal institution. At an even deeper level, the crisis of romantic love seems tied to a more profound crisis of meaning in contemporary western society: after our confidence in religious and cultural institutions and conventions has faltered, is a meaningful human existence still possible, or are our lives?and loves?condemned to pathology or absurdity? These topics will be approached in this class through a consideration of contemporary philosophical writings and recent novels which grapple with the very possibility of love in the contemporary world. Unlike classes which seek primarily to convey information, this class will be primarily oriented toward our own philosophical examination and evaluation of the nature of romantic love. Toward this end, it will be necessary for class discussions and writings to integrate personal experiences and philosophical reflections with the contributions of both philosophical and literary works. Ultimately, this task will raise questions about the relation between philosophy and literature, to what extent the two can be distinguished, and the relative usefulness and contribution of each to the reflective process. 

Requirements

Quizzes will cover material from readings and class discussions. Students will be expected to keep a journal that includes reflections on the course topics and responses to questions distributed in class. Journals will be collected several times over the course of the quarter. Journal entries will not be individually graded, but must be completed. The final term paper will be a 10-12 page essay addressing a question distributed in class. Final papers are due on the date set for the final examination. Attendence, preparation for class, and participation in discussions are expected. Three unexcused absences will result in a full grade reduction. 

Texts

  • Spalding Gray, Impossible Vacation (New York: Alfred Knopf, 1992).
  • John L'Heureux, The Shrine at Altamira (New York: Viking, 1992).
  • John Barth, The End of the Road (Garden City: Doubleday, 1967).
  • Robert Solomon, Love: Emotion, Myth and Metaphor (Garden City: Doubleday, 1981).
  • Reading Packet including:

    •     Ernest S. Burch, Jr., "Marriage and Divorce Among the North Alaskan Eskimos."
        Sigmund Freud, Collected Papers IV, pp. 192-235
        Joseph Glenmullen, "The Woman who Thought Her Orgasm was a Gift."
        John McMurtry, "Monogamy: A Critique."
        Shulamith Firestone, The Dialectic of Sex, pp. 126-155
        Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, pp. 364-412 

    Reading Schedule

    WEEK 1:
    Course Mechanics
    Biological and Anthropological Critiques
    Desmond Morris (packet)
    Ernest S. Burch, Jr. (Packet)

    WEEK 2:
    Psychoanalytic and Sociological Critiques
    Freud (Packet)
    Glenmullen (Packet)
    McMurtry (Packet)

    WEEK 3:
    Feminist and Existential Critiques
    Firestone (Packet)
    Sartre (Packet)
    Love: Emotion, Myth and Metaphor, vii-xxxv

    WEEK 4:
    Impossible Vacation, 1-91.
    Love: Emotion, Myth and Metaphor, 3-32.

    WEEK 5:
    Impossible Vacation, 91-228.
    Love: Emotion, Myth and Metaphor, 33-52.

    WEEK 6:
    The Shrine at Altamira, 1-123.
    Love: Emotion, Myth and Metaphor, 53-92.

    WEEK 7:
    The Shrine at Altamira, 127-261.
    Love: Emotion, Myth and Metaphor, 93-121.

    WEEK 8:
    The End of the Road, 1-100.
    Love: Emotion, Myth and Metaphor, 125-161.

    WEEK 9:
    The End of the Road, 101-188.
    Love: Emotion, Myth and Metaphor, 162-200.

    WEEK 10:
    Love: Emotion, Myth and Metaphor, 201-315.
     

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    Updated 5 November 1997