| Date |
Class Topic |
Reading Due |
| 1 |
W |
1/11 |
Introduction to the course; historical and thematic overview of American literature |
|
| F |
1/13 |
Attend MLK celebration at Paine College |
|
| 2 |
M |
1/16 |
Martin Luther King Day |
no class meeting |
| W |
1/18 |
Critical perspectives |
Howells, from Criticism and Fiction (51-54); other readings assigned in class |
| F |
1/20 |
The New American Voice |
Twain, “Jim Smiley…” (61-67); listen to Harris selections online |
| 3 |
M |
1/23 |
New Regionalisms |
Jewett, “A White Heron” (193-201) |
| W |
1/25 |
Regionalist novel |
Cather, O Pioneers! |
| F |
1/27 |
Regionalist novel |
Cather, O Pioneers! |
| 4 |
M |
1/30 |
Regionalist novel |
Cather, O Pioneers! |
| W |
2/1 |
African American lives and theory |
Washington, from Up from Slavery (439-449); DuBois selections (459-469) |
| F |
2/3 |
Harlem Renaissance |
Hughes, “Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” (557-562); selected poems (752-765) |
| 5 |
M |
2/6 |
Harlem Renaissance |
Cullen and McKay, all poems (704-709; 765-772) |
| W |
2/8 |
Harlem Renaissance |
Larsen, “Sanctuary” (891-897) |
| F |
2/10 |
Modernist poetry |
Stevens; Williams; Pound; Cummings; Millay: selections TBA |
| 6 |
M |
2/13 |
Modernist poetry |
Stevens; Williams; Pound; Cummings; Millay: selections TBA |
| W |
2/15 |
African American Read-In |
|
| F |
2/17 |
Modernist poetry |
Eliot (669-696) |
| 7 |
M |
2/20 |
Modernist poetry |
Frost |
| W |
2/22 |
Modernist fiction |
Faulkner, “That Evening Sun” (948-976) |
| F |
2/24 |
Expatriate fiction |
Hemingway, “Big Two-Hearted River” |
| 8 |
M |
2/27 |
Midterm exam |
|
| W |
2/29 |
Introduction to modern novel |
Poetry papers due |
| F |
3/2 |
Research day |
|
| 9 |
M |
3/5 |
Modern novel |
Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (finish the novel) |
| W |
3/7 |
Modern novel |
Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby |
|
F |
3/9 |
Modern novel |
Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby |
| 10 |
M |
3/12 |
Modern novel |
Fitzgerald, The Great GatsbyResearch paper proposals due |
| W |
3/14 |
Postwar fiction |
Ellison, “The Invisible Man” (1134-1146) |
| F |
3/16 |
Postwar fiction |
O’Connor, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (1301-1315) |
| 11 |
M |
3/19 |
Postwar nonfiction |
Baldwin, “Notes of a Native Son” (1284-1286); “Sonny’s Blues” (handout/online) |
| W |
3/21 |
Postwar poetry |
Plath, selected poems (1380-1390) |
| F |
3/23 |
Beat poetry |
Ginsberg, “Howl” (1315-1326) |
| 12 |
M |
3/26 |
Contemporary fiction |
O’Brien, “The Things They Carried” (1458-1471) |
| W |
3/28 |
Introduction to contemporary novel |
Research papers due |
| F |
3/30 |
Contemporary novel |
Morrison, Beloved (pages TBA) |
| Spring break |
| 13 |
M |
4/9 |
Contemporary novel |
Morrison, Beloved (pages TBA) |
| W |
4/11 |
Contemporary novel |
Morrison, Beloved (pages TBA) |
| F |
4/13 |
Contemporary novel |
Morrison, Beloved |
| 14 |
M |
4/16 |
Introduction to American Drama |
|
| W |
4/18 |
Modern drama |
O’Neill, The Emperor Jones (797-817) |
| F |
4/20 |
Modern drama |
O’Neill, The Emperor Jones (797-817) |
| 15 |
M |
4/23 |
Modern drama |
O’Neill, The Emperor Jones (797-817) |
| W |
4/25 |
Postwar drama |
Miller, Death of a Salesman (1174-1251) |
| F |
4/27 |
Postwar drama |
Miller, Death of a Salesman (1174-1251) |
| 16 |
M |
4/30 |
Postwar drama |
Miller, Death of a Salesman (1174-1251) |
| W |
5/2 |
Final review |
Drama papers due |
| F |
5/4 |
Final Exam, 1:00 – 3:00 |
|