A Place of Transformation:
The Desert in Literature

HON 410

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From the Biblical landscapes of Judea and Paran, to the sweeping dunes of the Sahara and Arabian deserts, to the stark, more familiar beauty of the Sonoran and Mojave—the desert has long been regarded as a place of contrast, resilience, threshold, mystery, and transformation.

 

In this course, we will explore the desert not just as a physical setting, but as a vital character—one that both challenges and reveals. Through four distinct pieces of literature—The English Patient, The Alchemist, The Sheltering Sky, and The Wisdom of the Desert—we'll examine how authors use the desert as a metaphor for emotional identity, as a mystical teacher, as a sacred yet often unforgiving landscape of revelation. At times, the desert becomes an echo of spiritual longing; at others, a void reflecting a world stripped of metaphysical certainty. 

 

We will also read portions of The Sacred Desert: Religion, Literature, Art and Culture to trace desert symbolism across centuries and traditions—deepening our understanding of the desert as physical terrain, literary presence, and inner psychological landscape.