FYS 28 Arrivals: From Columbus to War of the Worlds
Whether land, sea, outer space, or even the future, the image of a foreign vessel arriving from a far-off place has long captured diverse cultural imaginations. The image of “the arrival” now so familiar to the sci-fi genre has its roots in the much older story of European expansion, colonization, and conquest at the end of the fifteenth century. This seminar will explore the long arc of the “arrival” theme’s manifestation in art, literature, and cinema from the early modern era to our present time. We will consider how tropes like traveling ships and first contact recur in history, myth, and prophecy; notions of discovery and new beginnings mingle with violent colonial conquest and extraterrestrial invasion. Examples of the arriving ship will appear in a wide range of media, including paintings, maps, book illustrations, and movies. Open only to first year frosh.