Syllabus
Week 1: Introduction to the course
Week 2: The most significant literary offshoots of Colonial and Early Republican era in the United States.
Week 3: Characteristic features of American literary Romanticism, exemplified with reference to fiction, poetry and the dominant philosophy of the era.
Week 4-7: Teaching practice, no classes
Week 8: Easter Monday, no classes
Week 9: Development of Realism and Naturalism in American literature seen as response to the changing social climate, scientific and ideological discourse of the late 19th century.
Week 10: Representative summary of American prose and poetry of the 1910s through early 40s, centred around Modernism and the Lost Generation.
Week 11: The birth and rise of American drama, with an obvious focus on 20th century playwrights.
Week 12: A comprehensive overview of US literature from World War II until the present.
Annotation
The aim of this course is to consolidate and deepen the students’ existing knowledge of American literature through complex and cross-section themes and explored in wider historical, social and cultural contexts. The course is conceived as class discussions and students’ presentations based on preceding independent preparation and reading.
