Evening star., 1948-12-05
American Literature
Is Neglected in u. 5.
Colleges, Report Says
By John S. Lewis

IUlleyeS, kepUH SdyS
By John S. Lewis
Professor Of English st Wilson Tsoehsr's
College
A recent publication of the
National Council Of Teachers Of
English, American Literature in
the College Curriculum" confirms
an impression held by almost any
one who has attended an American
college-the literature Of our own
country Is more or less neglected as
subject of higher education. The
facts revealed have discouraging
implications for those who look to
the colleges and universities to
apprise students of the nature and
! significance of the American cul-
tural tradition.
The report, based on three years
of research, shows that only about s
per cent Of our colleges require stu
dents to take work in American
literature, even for the A. B. or B. 8.
degree supposedly conferred TOR
work In a curriculum providing Q
background of general culture. This
in itself is not, Of course, evidence
of severe neglect, since under the
elective system students can, theo-
retically, take courses in terms OF
their own interests.
But elective courses in American
| literature are few and far between.
| In many catalogues one has to look
twice to find them, SO completely
are they buried among English,
French, German, Italian, Spanish
and other literatures. Because Of
their infrequency they are dif1lcult
for students to schedule, and under
the pressure of electives more obvi-
ously related to the students major
subject they are passed over. Often
the only opportunity afforded for
the study of American literature on
an elective basis Is in connection
with other material in such courses
as contemporary literature or mod
ern drama. There is evidence that
in these courses the American COM
ponent is generally given less than
half the time of the course, which
means that in the usual three
semester-hour course of this type
the attention to American literature
is very slight indeed.
Emphasis Thrown Elsewhere.
Historically, American literature
has been q sort of stepchild OF the
curriculum. Since its fairly wide In
PRODUCTION as q college course after
1890, the courses in it have increased
somewhat, but with nothing like
the almost biological rapidity OF
courses in other subjects-and this
in spite of the tremendous expan-
sion Of Its basic subject matter.
AS recently as 1889 the following
situation existed in three Of our
major universities respectively: O
More time on the graduate level
given to the work Of Caedmon and
Cynewulf than to American litera-
ture; (2) as much attention given
to Celtic influences on English lit
erature as to the whole American
field; 90 time devoted to Anglo
Saxon religious poetry but none
whatever to American literature. 1t
would be comfortable to believe that
such disproportion no longer exists,
but q random examination OF cur
rent college catalogues Is not re-
assuring on this point.
In most colleges and universities
in which American literature now
appears as Q separate subject, it Is
represented by single survey course
running from three to six semester
hours and covering-or attempting to
cover-American literature from
Colonial times through the present.
At the beginning of the trail stands
Capt. John Smith and at the end
stands T. S. Eliot. Such courses
could once-in 1910, perhaps-be de-
Tended on the ground that all first
rate American authors could De
dealt with in so brief period. But
the rising tide of American literary
talent of the last 10 years has over
flowed the three to six point survey
course.
Thus even as an elective American
literature receives something less
than adequate attention, and the
student is likely to move through
and out Of college without even a
nodding acquaintance with his
country's literature and It's intellec-
tual traditions. For the ordinary
college trained citizen this Is an
unfortunate fact. But another fact
emerges from the National Counciis
report which is even more unfor-
itunate-students preparing to be
come teachers are required to STUDY
American literature In only 5 per
cent of our liberal arts colleges and
universities. (Teachers' colleges
were not included in the survey
English Majors Often Untouched.
The status of American literature
in English departments at large can
be conjectured from the follow
ing fact-for students majoring in
English, American literature Is q
required subject in only about "a
per cent of our colleges and uni
versities. So far as the remaining
76 per cent are officially concerned,
apparently, their students may grad
uate as specialists In English Ian
guage and literature and still know
nothing of Poe, Hawthorne, Emer-
son. Thoreau, Melville. Whitman,
Emily Dickinson or Henry james
to choose names at random and dis
regard our distinguished contempo-
raries. Some students do learn
something OF our writer's, Of course
from occasional mention in sec
ondary school, from roommates VINO
were able to schedule American lit