GRKM 260: Decolonizing the Body: Eros and the Erotic in the Poetry of C.P. Cavafy

Course Description

An English-translation literary survey of the work of Alexandrian Greek poet Constantine Cavafy (1863-1933). The course includes historical background about national and diasporic Greek communities in the eastern Mediterranean as well as an introduction to queer theory and postcolonial literary criticism. Students encounter the writings of nineteenth century Greek intellectuals who helped formulate Greek cultural identity as well as the ground-breaking work of women scholars in the present day, including Margaret Alexiou and Despina Solomi.