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Frederick Douglass--author of
My
Bond and My Freedom
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I. Overview and Objectives
This course surveys the
development of American literature from the seventeenth century through the
Civil War. It seeks a balance among various genres—fiction, poetry,
autobiography, oratory, essay—and among various perspectives on American
life. Our discussions will focus on close analysis of texts while lectures
will introduce individual authors and related historical issues (for
example, the American Revolution, slavery, the Civil War) and cultural
movements (like Puritanism and Transcendentalism). Major
works that would be covered in class are Washington Irving's Rip
Van Winkle, Ralph Waldo
Emerson's Nature,
Edgar Allen Poe's fiction, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter, and also Walt
Whitman and Emily
Dickinson's selective poetry.
Serious students in this
course can expect to gain knowledge of an important body of literature, an
understanding of American culture and identity, skills in literary analysis,
and a framework for future reading. Literary analysis here will be a
process of close reading to discover: 1) the unique voice, technique, and
accomplishment of individual literary works; 2) their reflection of and
participation in broader cultural and social movements; 3) their relevance
to readers today.
II. Text
Baym, Nina, ed. Norton
Anthology of American Literature. Shorter 5th ed. New York:
Norton,1999.
III. Requirements & Grading
Participation
& Preparation 20%
Discussion/presentation
15%
Essay 1 20%
Essay
2 25%
Final exam
20%
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