ACADEC Literature 2026-27

Erich Auerbach

The Jewish German author of Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature, which examines how a culture’s stories reflect their view of reality

Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature

A literary criticism by Erich Auerbach that explores how literary representations of reality reflect the needs of the culture they were made in

The Odyssey

An ancient Greek epic by Homer about Odysseus’s return home to Ithaca, written with explicit detail and transparency

The Sacrifice of Isaac

A biblical story where Abraham brings his son Isaac to Mt. Moriah to sacrifice him, written with gaps and internal, opaque thoughts

Homer

The author of The Odyssey

Odysseus

The main character and hero archetype of The Odyssey, who acts and speaks fully transparently and lives in the present

Abraham

The father character in the Sacrifice of Isaac story, who has doubts and contemplations emphasizing God’s mysterious nature and the striving for spiritual perfection

Talmud and Book of Genesis

The two sources for the story of the Sacrifice of Isaac

Mt. Moriah

The biblical location of the story of the Sacrifice of Isaac

Quest narrative

A story where a journey is undertaken to complete some goal, during which the protagonist experiences significant change

Archetype

A literary story elements that recurs across multiple cultures and time periods, for example the quest narrative

Epic of Gilgamesh

A Sumerian epic and quest narrative written around 2000 BCE, with an arrogant and powerful hero

Beowulf

An Old English epic poem and quest narrative written between the 8th and 11th centuries

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

An English Arthurian mythological story written in the 14th century featuring a typical, chivalric knight

The Count of Monte Cristo

An 1846 novel by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet that features a quest about seeking revenge

Jack Kerouac

An American writer who wrote On the Road in 1957, espousing countercultural attitudes in the quest narrative

On the Road

A 1957 novel by Jack Kerouac that glorifies countercultural viewpoints within the quest narrative

Willian Faulkner

The author of The Reivers, a quest narrative about street smarts

The Reivers

A 1962 novel by William Faulkner that features Ned McCaslin, a witty, smart hero

J. R. R. Tolkein

The author of The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings

A quest narrative novel by J. R. R. Tolkein that features a binary between the natural landscape of the Shire and Lothlórien and that of Isengard and Mordor

Joseph Conrad

The author of Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness

An 1899 novel by Joseph Conrad that features a quest narrative between states of mind, shown with Marlow’s pursuit of the ivory trader Kurtz within Congo

Chinua Achebe

A Nigerian scholar who has criticized the racist metaphor in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

Geographical transformation

A journey to a very different place or time that is radically different from the protagonist’s home

Jonathan Safron Foer

An American author who wrote Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which features a geographical transformation

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

A 2005 novel by Jonathan Safron Foer that features Oskar Schell’s journeys around New York City, illustrating a geographical transformation

Jeff VanderMeer

An American author who wrote Annihilation, which features a geographical transformation

Annihilation

A 2014 sci-fi novel by Jeff VanderMeer that takes place in altered swamps and jungles, illustrating a geographical transformation

Joanna Russ

An American author and feminist advocate who wrote “What Did You Do During the Revolution, Grandma?”

“What Did You Do During the Revolution, Grandma?”

A 1983 sci-fi story by Joanna Russ featuring a government bureaucrat traveling back in time, a geographical transformation

Ethical transformation

A journey involving a change in the values and beliefs of the characters

Mark Twain

A famous American author who wrote Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, incorporating an ethical transformation

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

An 1885 novel by Mark Twain where the protagonist changes their views around slavery and segregation, illustrating an ethical transformation

James Clavell

The original author of Shōgun

Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks

Two producers of the 2024 TV show Shōgun

Shōgun

A 2024 TV show based on a novel by James Clavell and adapted by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, where the character John Blackthorne undergoes an ethical transformation in his views of Japanese culture

Existential transformation

A journey focuses that on the hero’s changed understanding of themselves and their self-definition

Rachel Kushner

The American author of Creation Lake, incorporating an existential transformation

Creation Lake

A 2024 novel by Rachel Kushner where the protagonist spies on an environmental group in France and changes their beliefs on how humans should relate to nature

Bildungsroman

A coming-of-age story about growth an maturation that often incorporates all three types of transformation

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The German writer of Wilheim Meister’s Apprenticeship, a bildungsroman

Wilheim Meister’s Apprenticeship

A 1796 bildungsroman by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Colson Whitehead

The American author of The Underground Railroad, a bildungsroman

The Underground Railroad

A 2016 bildungsroman by Colson Whitehead where the protagonist Cora goes through geographical and existential transformations while searching for freedom and belonging