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Syllabus #4
English 222: American Literature
Professor Annette Bennington McElhiney
Course Description: In this course, we will study American literature beginning with the period immediately before the Civil War and ending in the 1980's. We will look at the conditions and events that impact the writing of literature as well as the works themselves. Students will read a combination of short stories, poems, novels and plays written by both men and women from all backgrounds including European American, African American, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American etc. Even though the course will be structured chronologically, the readings will be grouped according to representational voices of a specific group or period.
Course Objectives: This course will: 1. provide students with an opportunity to learn to read well a select number of American writers from diverse backgrounds and to understand how historical events or conditions both provoked and impacted what they wrote
2. assist students in developing their ability to see how an author's use of characterization, setting, point of view, image patterns, etc. convey a certain meaning in the various genres
3. encourage students to read a fictional work carefully and thoroughly and to express their interpretations both orally and through their writing
4. assist students in appreciating a variety of genres: short stories, poetry, and novels, as well as various styles of writing
5. make students aware that reality differs for different American voices/writers as a result of their race, class and gender
6. show students how socialization of the reader (exposure to or lack of knowledge, values, attitudes and beliefs) may impact her/his reaction to or ability to make meaning out of literature
Course format: As Plutarch said: "The mind is a fire to be kindled, not a vessel to be filled."
Consequently, students are expected not only to read the material and listen to class discussions, but also to contribute to discussions and engage intellectually with questions raised and ideas discussed in class.
Texts Required:
The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Volume 2 Edited by Paul Lauter
You should bring your text to class each day and be prepared to respond on the assigned material either in discussion or in writing. WEEK ONE
HOUSEKEEPING DETAILS INTRODUCTION TO COURSE INTRODUCTION OF PARTICIPANTS REVIEW OF INTERPRETATION OF LITERATURE INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN LITERATURE
WEEK TWO
ALCOTT 68-81 SPOFFORD 81-92 JEWETT 110-119 FREEMAN 125-138 & 148-159 REGIONAL VOICES AFRICAN AMERICAN FOLKTALES 192-214
WEEK THREE
CLEMENS 214-217 & 309 - 322 CHESNUTT 446-455 NELSON 504-510 HOWELLS 533-548
WEEK FOUR
JAMES 548-551 & 597-626 CHOPIN 626-632 & 635-637 CRANE 689-691 & 697-710 LONDON 725-738 ISSUES OF POST-CIVIL WAR PERIOD 739-745
WEEK FIVE
EASTMAN 745-754 HOLLEY 757-760 GILMAN 760-774
WEEK SIX
DU BOIS 782-798 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 851-877 CORRIDOS 758-813 MIDTERM EXAM LIBRARY TOUR
WEEK SEVEN
TOWARD MODERNISM 961-962 E.A. ROBINSON 962-972 WHARTON 985-986 & 987-100 CATHER 1039-1076
WEEK EIGHT
GLASPELL 1076-1088 JEFFERS 1088-1099 FROST 1099-1118 ANDERSON 1118-1127 MILLAY 1154-1161
WEEK NINE
ALIENATION & EXPERIMENTATION 1163-1164
WILLIAMS 1205-1125 O'NEILL 1225-1258 BARNES 1258-1265
WEEK TEN
CUMMINGS 1286-1298 ELIOT 1298-1333 HEMINGWAY 1387-1393 FAULKNER 1406-1422
WEEK ELEVEN
HARLEM RENNAISSANCE 1456-146 TOOMER 1468-1477 HUGHES 1487-1510 HURSTON 1535-1545
WEEK TWELVE
JOHNSON 1553-1557 MCKAY 1557-1563 ISSUES AND VISIONS IN MODERN AMERICA ODETS 1629-1648 FURTHER EXPLORATIONS OF AMERICAN SELF STEINBECK 1697-1711
WEEK THIRTEEN
MOURNING DOVE 1728-1725 CHINESE IMMIGRANT 1755-1762 CONTEMPORARY PERIOD WRIGHT 1786-1796 BELLOW 1855-1861
WEEK FOURTEEN
YAMAMOTO 1871-1882 PALEY 1882-1888 O'CONNOR 1935-1948 KING 1957-1962 MORRISON 1993-2007
WEEK FIFTEEN
UPDIKE 2007-2016 ERDRICH 2180-2190 WILLIAMS 2190-2201 BROOKS 2311-2323 GINSBERG 2376-2387
WEEK SIXTEEN
RICH 2409-2418 SANCHEZ 2440-2448 MIRIKITANI 2501-2509 ROSE 2525-2533 HARJO 2543-2550
AMERICAN LITERATURE RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT
Pick two authors, one from each of the following lists:
Using only the selections that we have read and discussed in class, compare the two writers on the following points:
1. Biographical backgrounds as Americans
2. Their selection and treatment of similar traditional American subjects or themes
3. The general response of critics to the work of each
Try to compare a poet with a poet, a short story writer with a short story writer etc. biographical information can either be obtained from the text or from library sources. Be certain to document where you took the information from in an in-text note (Heath Anthology, Vol. II, p. 334) and then include a short alphabetized bibliography at the end. Possible subjects or themes that writers in both lists could be compared on are: freedom, death, the role of nature, alienation, search for self-identity, male/female relationships, parent/child relationships, attitudes toward religion, attitudes toward rural/urban, attitudes toward work, sense of community vs. individualism, hypocrisy vs. sincerity, and/or other themes we have mentioned in class. Critical responses to the work of the authors may either be great or nonexistent depending upon the authors. In nontraditional writers, most of the critical information may be book reviews or journal articles. In the library session, you will learn how to find this information.
If you read a nontraditional author that you like but I do not have on the list, please check with me to see if you can add him/her. My only objection will be based on whether or not I have read the author (if you are selecting a longer piece) or if you can attach a short work to your paper.
Good luck and have fun! |
