This course will give an introduction to the diversity of American literature. It complements the lecture "A History of American Literature,"which is offered every summer semester. Reading and analyzing texts from pre-colonial times to the present, we will try to get an overview of important movements and authors. In our discussions of writings taken from all main literary genres we will attempt to determine some of the characteristics of American literature in general and of individual periods and writers in particular. Short introductory lectures on the various periods of American literature will provide the literary and cultural contexts for our discussion of exemplary texts.
Course materials include:
* the Course Reader (available at the copy shop located at Reckhammerweg 4 during the first week of the semester)
* Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 0192833715.
* Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun. Vintage Books USA. ISBN: 0679755330.
For the first session (April 15), students are expected to bring and be ready to discuss pages 1-5 from the Reader! |
