01 MTH2 CAC 12135 EVANS MU-213
American Literature: The Basics
In the aftermath of the summer’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, this course provides students with the opportunity to reflect on how that strange and unruly collection of fictional and poetic works now known as “American literature” helped shape the country’s evolving national identity. How did fiction come to define so many of the self-evident truths the nation tells about itself? There will be a handful of lectures on the history and major themes of U.S. literature, and students can expect to come out of the class with a solid bird’s-eye view of the subject from the colonial period to the present. But fair warning: the focus will be on reading and discussing a carefully curated selection of poetry and fiction. Students will need to show up to class prepared. Think less lecture hall, more book club. We will have a 100% non-digital classroom, no phones, no tablets, no computers. Alongside classics like Huck Finn and Invisible Man, we will also read a few more quirky and unexpected titles—a short story from the 1850s about trans identity; detective and pulp fiction from the golden age of American magazines later adapted into some of Hollywood’s most celebrated early films; and nonsense poems and children’s literature like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that continue to play an outsized role in the American cultural imagination.
This course welcomes students from all majors. You should expect to read around 100 pages of fiction each week—but course requirements beyond that will be demanding but manageable. There will be frequent quizzes to make sure you are keeping up with the reading, a few in-class writing exercises, a short project, and a conversation with the professors at the conclusion of the semester.