ENGL 392 - Karen Tei Yamashita Swims the Pacific

FC ARHU CD WADV

4 credits
By “Yamashita,” I mean Karen Tei Yamashita, the literary luminary. By “Swims,” I really mean writes, as if the curves of “s” or “o” or “m” do not already reveal as much. By “Pacific,” I don’t mean the ocean but the countries-Japan, Brazil, and the US-that her books traverse and transgress. Yamashita is the preeminent writer of the transpacific, but there is nothing quiet about her work; her use of magical realism and her focus on migration, globalization, and the environment challenge readers to see the region anew. The course will read as much of her work as possible.