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A Century of Encounters analyzes Arab, American, and European literary depictions of self and other as they interact with each other in Arab North Africa throughout the twentieth century and introduces the trope of the encounter as a lens through which to read contemporary world literature comparatively. A focus on the transnational encounter allows for the in-depth study of constructions of gender, race, and national identities both for the self and the other in order to answer the seemingly simple questions: What makes up different encounters in the twentieth century, and how can we facilitate a productive and positive encounter between these groups? This book illustrates connections between literary texts that have hitherto been overlooked and establishes an intertextual genealogy of transcultural encounters throughout the twentieth century that coalesce around the themes of desire, family, and travel. In its literary analysis, A Century of Encounters aims to facilitate a better understanding of other cultures in general and contribute to constructive cross-cultural interactions between the United States, Europe, and Arab North Africa in particular.
List of contents
1. A World of Encounters 2. Imperial Fantasies 3. The Neo-Colonial Tourists 4. Tourist Paranoia 5. Crossing Over 6. Constructions of Belonging 7. Building Common Ground 8. Shared Literatures A. Bibliography
About the author
Tanja Stampfl is Associate Professor of English at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX, where she teaches and researches issues of race, gender, and identity in post-colonial and world literature.
Summary
American, British, and Arab literature are usually discussed and analyzed in distinct silos of academia, but by comparing them with each other and tracing a common development throughout the twentieth century, this book introduces a more worldly and engaging way of reading world literature.
