The 19th century novel came to be identified as the medium through which many writers discussed the ideas provoked by the main social and political issues of that time: Colonialism, sex, class and Free Trade. This changed with the influential writing of novelists like Marcel Proust and Henry James: their writings were concerned with a reality in which ideas and concepts were replaced by images and sensations. In the 20th century, many writers rejected this trend and exercised their right to debate the ideas of their time. The contemporary writers whose novels we will read in our class are not afraid of that intellectual challenge. It can be argued that all novels and works of art in general discuss ideas, and this notion is true to a certain degree, yet, as we will explore throughout the semester, these works of fiction insist on dealing with themes that fit very comfortably the definition of novel of ideas: narratives that address the philosophical and social questions and themes of their time. Authors may include: Philip Roth, Zadie Smith, Milan Kundera, etc. [Note: this course does not fulfill the general education letters seminar requirement.]