WP 1 – New Work in Literary Theory
This work package will focus on reading and discussing major new works of literary theory. As well as pursuing specific topics and methods directly related to the “Uses of Literature” research project, the group needs to engage in dialog with other influential frameworks. The field of literary criticism and theory is currently in a state of flux, so it is especially important that we remain abreast of important debates. This work package will allow us to situate our scholarship in a larger field and defend our frameworks and arguments against rival positions.
In charge: Niels Bohr Prof. Rita Felski
1 Ph.d. project: On the Complexities of Recognition as a Literary Concept (Occupied)
This dissertation will develop a dialogue between concepts of recognition in political theory and literary studies and consider the ways in which contemporary fiction represents and reflects on the complexities of recognition.
1 Assist. prof.: Dementia as a challenge to literature (Occupied)
This postdoc will make links between Felski’s work on recognition and attachment and the field of narrative medicine. How does literature represent a disease that takes away the patient’s memory, language, self, and to what extent is the much discussed concept of empathy a useful one? What technologies of attachment bind readers to these representations, and how do they relate to the health care system’s narratives about dementia?