While the focus is primarily on the cultures of Europe, students can also expect to read literature from India, Africa and the Middle East. May be applied for Area 3.1a credit. This course is a continuation of 225, extending the reading and discussion from the 17th to the 21st century and expanding the scope further outside the European tradition. Fills Area 3.1b credit. This course offers students an introductory overview of British literature and authors.
Emphasis is placed on issues of literary history.
Students become familiar with the standard scheme of periodization and learn to think about literature in relation to the currents of history. In addition they explore such subjects as literary influence, changes in literary technology and the consumption of the written word, and changing theories about the nature and value of literature. This course introduces students to the historical development of American literature from early narratives of exploration to the present. Students will read a variety of genres by authors representing the diversity of voices which make up American literature. Attention will be given to questions and problems in literary and cultural history and to the specific issues of continuity and variety in American literature.