CWL 119

Spring 2026

Part of Term 1
Jan 20-May 6
Literature of Fantasy
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Credit: 3 hours.

Same as ENGL 119. See ENGL 119.

This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in Fall 2022 for:

Humanities – Lit & Arts
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CRN Type Section Time Day Location Instructor Section Details
47153
Lecture-Discussion
M
1:00PM -1:50PM
MWF
104 English Building
Barrett, R
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
01/20/26-05/06/26
Degree Notes:
Humanities - Lit & Arts course.
Section Info:
SP26 ENGL 119 - Literature of Fantasy - Rob Barrett - Fantastic narratives are as old as human culture. However, Anglophone fantasy as a mainstream literary genre and viable commercial category is less than a century old. In this section of ENGL 119, we’ll track that genre’s history on a decade-by-decade basis, beginning with J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring and ending with Susanna Clarke’s 2020 Piranesi. Along the way we’ll look at novels by Peter S. Beagle (1968’s The Last Unicorn), Patricia A. McKillip (1974’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld), Diana Wynne Jones (1982’s Witch Week), Terry Pratchett (1996’s Feet of Clay), Ursula K. Le Guin (2006’s Voices), and N. K. Jemisin (2015’s The Fifth Season). We’ll learn how a literary tradition emerges and becomes capable of self-critique, and we’ll also investigate what the literature of the impossible has to say about the cultural possibilities of the so-called “real world.” Assignments will include short reading responses as well as a final project asking students to write about a contemporary fantasy novel that doesn’t appear on the course reading list. There will also be two exams.
Restriction(s):
Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
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