English 150

Other Readings and Media

J. Argersinger and L. Person, eds., Hawthorne and Melville: Writing a Relationship; N. Hawthorne, Blithedale Romance; N. Hawthorne, House of the Seven Gables; N. Hawthorne, Scarlet Letter; N. Hawthorne, Selected Tales and SketcheS; H. Melville, Great Short Works; H. Melville, Moby-Dick; H. Melville, Poems of Herman MelvillE; H. Melville, Typee; W. Shakespeare, King Lear

Description

We will immerse ourselves in the careers of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville, taking up issues of literary influence, biography, psychology, authorship, sexuality, aesthetics, and politics. Readings will include a variety of works by the two writers: short stories, novels, essays, and (in the case of Melville) poetry. We will examine literary criticism that pairs and contrasts the two writers. Given Melville?s linking of Hawthorne with Shakespeare in his review ?Hawthorne and His Mosses? and given the influence of Shakespeare on Moby-Dick, we also will read King Lear and consider the role Shakespeare plays in this literary relationship. Course requirements include an oral presentation and a substantial research essay to be written in stages across the semester.