Frost and Desolation: Polar Literature and Beyond

For centuries, the Arctic as well as Antarctic have been backdrops for stories told at the edges of human experience. From seeking elusive trade routes to testing our mettle to making discoveries, our dreams and nightmares have been projected on and played out in these inhospitable and unforgiving antipodes. How is it that notable Victorian and Edwardian expeditions inspired some of our most enduring literature? In part, drama exaggerates in polar regions, as frostbite, starvation, madness, and cannibalism transpire along the quest for empire, knowledge, and glory. For instance, if the so-called Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration has taught us anything, it is that the line between heroic and quixotic—between victory and catastrophe—blurs as we converge on the poles. Yet long after the howling abyss became mapped, the first flags had been planted, and the records had been set, the extreme north and south continue to hold our imagination. Demystified and conquered, what questions remain at the ends of the world? In this course, required readings include Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, and H.P. Lovecraft, as well as recent non-fiction writing. We also view John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), scenes from the AMC's The Terror (2018), and documentaries.