本課程的目的在於探討後現代文學作品對於性別的再現策略。相對於二十世紀60年代或70年代的後設小說和消耗文學，較近的後現代（八零年代以後）將重心放在認同政治的主題之上，例如階級，種族、性別的分歧與交互影響。如此一來，後現代文學就從藝術與形式的顛覆傳統，走向社會議題與族群內外壓迫的探討，藉此讓弱勢的團體與個人得以發聲。性別是文學作品中的亙古議題。諸如婚姻、家庭、愛情、身體，不但是性別議題的各個層面，也進一步地形塑吾人所認識的性別。作為一個傳統認同更加解離的後現代，性別的解構、建構，以及傳統的式微與延續都需要更進一步的探討。本課程所探討與性別議題相關的文學作品，屬於1980年代以後橫跨不同性別的作家與文類的作品。為了理解這些作品的時代氛圍與理念，本課程會先以介紹性別、後現代等文化現象，以期修課同學能瞭解文學作品中的性別再現與後現代現象，從而發展出個人對於性別在文學與現實層面上的批判觀點。
This course aims to investigate representational strategies of gender in literature  related to postmodernity. In comparison to metafiction and literature of exhaustion emerged in 1960s and 1980s, postmodern literature turns to identity politics, such as the interaction and differentiation of class, gender and race. Postmodern literature’s artistic challenge to the tradition gives its way to social issues and identity politics, so as to help the marginal find their voices. As a timeless theme, gender shapes forms of marriage, love, body and family and is  shaped in return. In a fluid postmodern era, the deconstruction and reconstruction of gender is in need of further discussion. This course focuses on gender as cultural phenomena and literary presentations in the contemporary British literature. With introductory theories and cultural criticism and literary works from 1970s to 1990s, this course traces gender and its related issues, such as love, marriage, family and feminism in the chaotic postmodern.