Course Description

本課程計畫以文學、文化研究與醫學史的閱讀角度切入十九世紀末最具最照意義的兩起文化現象：福爾摩斯的連載與開膛手傑克連續殺人命案所引發的恐慌。藉由閱讀《福爾摩斯探案》與《開膛手結案報告》兩本英文原著小說以及後代文化產業中的形象建構與想像，閱讀文學作品與文化想像中反映出的醫學想像與恐懼，並將檢視期中透露的種族、性別與城市空間特性的多元混雜特質，探索文學與文化作品如何型塑人們對醫學的趕之與對現代性工具理性的追求。 

This course aims at enhancing the students' ability to conduct a cultural reading throught the reading of two novels, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper: Caseclose, and the viewing of films on the project of Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper. Each session on certain project will include lectures from the instructors and guided reading of the text. The course will also include movie viewing, movie review and background introduction, theory introduction and discussion to enhance the intensity and variety. Students will be required to meet the class requirements on exercies writng (three English exercises, length unlimited, on assigned topics and bring the assignment for in-class discussion), group presentation, a midterm exam and a final project. There will be no written exams in this course.

Course Objectives

To enhance critical ability in movie viewing; To introduce cultural background of related issues; To offer a critical introduction to cultural theories.

本課程由威廉斯與薩依德的理論基礎為出發點，
企圖探究文學作品、文化現象與社會思潮的關連。
在強調文學與社會的情感結構概念下，
本計畫將探索文學作品、文化現象與醫學發展的密切互動，
試圖經由比對文學作品、時代思潮與醫學史發展，
開拓一嶄新的閱讀策略，
以十九世紀大英帝國空前的殖民版圖為閱讀基準，
對比閱讀醫學技術、海外殖民與文學想像的交互關連。

藉由閱讀《福爾摩斯探案》與《開膛手結案報告》
兩本英文原著小說以及後代文化產業中的形象建構與想像，
閱讀文學作品與文化想像中反映出的醫學想像與恐懼，
並將檢視期中透露的種族、性別與城市空間特性的多元混雜特質，
探索文學與文化作品如何型塑人們對醫學的趕之與對現代性工具理性的追求。

Required Textbook

Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. London: Penguin, 1994.
Walkowitz, J. City of Dreadful Delight. London: Virago, 1992.
---. “Jack the Ripper and the Myth of Male Violence.” Feminist Studies 8(3) (1982): 542-574.
---. Prostitution and Victorian Society: Women, Class, and the State. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1980. 

Grading