Courses

How have writers described drugs in the past two centuries? How did cultural representations of drugs change as they became illegal? Why has drug use been associated with social transgression and sexual deviance? What is implied by the recurrent identification of illegal drugs with the seductive/corrupted woman? What race issues are at stake in certain depictions of the typical drug user? And finally, can literature be described as a drug? In this course, we will trace the history of Western representations of different psychoactive substances, such as stimulants, narcotics, anesthetics, psychedelics and cannabis, with a particular focus on the Italian tradition. We will investigate tropes and themes used to describe their effects on the human body and the social environments in which they are used and traded. Our primary texts will include novels, short stories, essays, movies, TV series and songs. The course will be taught in English. All primary texts in Italian are also available in English translation.