From the rise of American Romanticism and American gothic to the beginnings of Native American, African American, and women's literature, we will explore a wide-range of voices and diverse conceptualizations of American society and American identity. The syllabus for this course has been organized in such a way as to allow you to investigate the historical background against which these writers emerged as well as give you a sense of those significant political conflicts and shifts that shaped American literature. One of the objectives of this course is to develop close reading skills.
Close reading involves attention to structure, structure, style, word choice, and imagery.
As you read, you need to develop questions about the text, determine which images, symbols, and events are particularly significant, and take notes on your own personal responses to the text. These strategies will lead you away from quick precursory readings of texts and will lend depth and complexity to your readings. The one-page papers are geared toward both implementing your close reading skills and giving you the fundamentals of good writing. These assignments will progressively develop your writing skills through a focus on different elements of writing. The first three one-pagers will concentrate on the formulation of an organized and analytical answer to complex questions about a particular text.