English 1201, Introduction to American Literature Donald Ross

Summer 2001, MTuTh 11:15-1:45 in Folwell 50

Goals: This writing intensive course will introduce you to a variety of American experiences as they are represented in different literary genres and across a period from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Because we will focus on the basics of literary analysis (What is "close reading"? What is the difference between a narrator and an author?), our treatment of American literary history will not be comprehensive. Instead, we will consider broad topics like identity and ethnicity, place and history, and discuss drama, poems and stories in the context of these topics.

 

Monday

Tuesday

Thursday

1

June 11

Introduction

12 Hawthorne, "Maypole of Merry Mount" and "Grey Champion"

14 Hawthorne, "Roger Malvin’s Burial, " "My Kinsman, Major Molineux"

• Taylor, "Preface" through "Am I Thy Gold"; Emerson, "Concord Hymn," "Rhodora," "Each and All," "Snowstorm"

2

18 Hawthorne, "Birthmark," "Rappaccini’s Daughter"

• Longfellow "Day is Done," "Curfew," "My Lost Youth," "Arrow and Song," from Song of Hiawatha

19 Hawthorne, "Wakefield," "Artist of the Beautiful"

• Dickinson (we will pass out a separate list)

21 • Whitman, "Out of the Cradle," "Vigil Strange," "Reconciliation," "When Lilacs Last"

• Hart Crane, from The Bridge, Proem, sections I, II (it’s long)

3

25 Faulkner, GDM: "Was," "Pantaloon," "Old People"

 

Paper topic due

26 Faulkner, GDM: "The Bear"

28 Faulkner, GDM: "Delta Autumn"

• Robinson, "Reuben Bright," "Aaron Stark," "Cliff Kingenhagen"

• Frost "Mending Wall," "Birches" "Gift Outright" "Stopping by Woods"

4

July 2 Faulkner, GDM: "Go Down, Moses"

• Stevens "Sunday Morning," "The Idea of Order"

• Williams "Queen Anne’s Lace," "Tract"

3 • Moore, "Fish," "Critics and Connoisseurs," "Past is the Present" "Mind is an Enchanted"

 

Draft paper due

5 • Millay "Renascence" "Conscientious," "Oh, Think not"

• cummings "When Serpents," "Maggie and Milly," "I Sing of Olaf," "’Next to of course’"

• Auden "Musée des Beaux Arts," "Unknown Citizen," "The Novelist," "Who’s Who," "Words"

5

9 Erdrich, Tracks Chapters 1-6

10 Tracks, Chapters 7-9

12 Tracks, continued

6

16 Wilson, Piano Lesson

17 Piano Lesson continued

Final paper due

19

In-class final exam

Please bring the • poetry book to every class meeting

Texts:

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, Young Goodman Brown - short stories (Oxford) ISBN: 0192836005

Faulkner, William, Go Down, Moses (Vintage) ISBN: 0679732179

• Williams, Oscar, ed., Mentor Book of Major American Poets (Mentor) ISBN: 0451627911

Erdrich, Louise, Tracks (HarperCollins) ISBN: 0060972459

Wilson, August, Piano Lesson (Plume Books) ISBN: 0452265347

On reserve at Wilson Library - Ross, Donald, American History and Culture from the Explorers to Cable TV. Peter Lang, 0-8204-4861-3

Writing:

Quizzes: There will be six unannounced quizzes during the term and you must pass five of them in order to pass the course. These will involve your interpreting a selected passage in the context of the day’s reading. There will be an ungraded trial quiz on the second day of class.

Paper: The specific assignment will be distributed during the second week of classes. You need to turn in a proposed topic on Monday, June 25 which will be commented on soon thereafter. The first draft of about 5 pages will be due on Tuesday, July 3, and the final draft of 6-7 pages will be due on Tuesday, July 17.

Final exam: The in-class final will take place on July 19.

Dickinson list: Faith is a fine invention (187), Certain slant of light (189), I’m nobody (190), Soft Cherubic creatures (194), This is my letter (196), I died for beauty (196), A narrow fellow (200), The last night that she lived (201)