Women Who Kill Men

Female death became the highlight of US-American Romantic writing in the first half of the 19^th century. In 1946, Edgar Allen Poe wrote that “the death, then, of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetic topic in the world”. And the male poet as well as the male artist are the subjects best suited to evoke the poetics of the dead female body. In this course we will get to know later US-American texts that started to construct the relations between men and women as violent too. But in these texts from 1900 on the aggressors are women and their victims are their husbands and lovers. In short stories, on stages and in pictures the tradition of the beautiful female corpse women started to strike back. In the early 20^th century, US-American texts became experimental spaces for a Modernist renegotiation of gender relations: The New Woman entered the stage not only as a working woman, but, more spectacularly, as a murderess.

This is a project seminar. Every student will analyze a text and contribute to an extensive group presentation. You will design your own research project which will be introduced, discussed, and developed cooperatively, with the whole seminar group.

Please note: Your participation in the film screening sessions on some Tuesdays starting at 4:00 p.m. is obligatory! The dates will be announced in the first session!