Western, Japanese, African, and Indian literatures will be considered. Back to top 280. Ancient, modern, and contemporary, the works trace significant changes in tragic character, situation, and concept. Back to top 285. Among the world's creatures, only humans laugh.
Responses range from mild amusement to broad smiles, chuckles, and even painful laughter.
Comedy encourages fantasy, provides an outlet for anxiety, and conceives the world in terms that affirm the human condition. Readings may include Aristophanes' Clouds , Plautus' Haunted House , Moliere's Misanthrope or Tartuffe , and works by Chaucer, Boccaccio, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Shaw, Wilde, Ionesco, Gogol, or Kundera. Back to top 290. An exploration of the meaning and implications of the literary term picaresque, used generally to describe a narrative relating the episodic adventures of a rogue or adventurer. Special attention is given to the picaresque hero or heroine.