English 132

Book List

Faulkner, William: As I Lay Dying; Fitzgerald, F. Scott: The Great Gatsby; Hemingway, Ernest: The Sun Also Rises; McCarthy, Cormac: The Road; Melville, Herman: Moby-Dick; Morrison, Toni: Beloved

Description

This course traces the formal and thematic development of the American novel, focusing on innovations in the novel’s form as it engages with history, identity, race, class and gender.  A principle goal of this course is to increase your knowledge of language use, style, symbol, metaphor, theme, structure and narrative.  We will also want to consider the writers’ lives, prevailing beliefs, and the various environments (literary, geographical, political, etc.) within which these writers worked.

Requirements: Reading responses, four essays, and a final exam.