English 177 - Spring, 2014

Study of an Individual Author

Topic: Mark Twain

Class Information

Instructor: Hsu, Hsuan L.
CRN: 22586
Time: MWF 1:10-2:00
Location: 25 Wellman

Description

Mark Twain's Writings in Context
Besides writing the satirical novels we know him for today, Mark Twain
(Samuel Clemens) was also a popular lecturer, travel writer, literary
critic, playwright, and outspoken anti-imperialist. In this seminar,
we will read novels such as Huck Finn, A Connecticut Yankee in King
Arthur’s Court, and Pudd’nhead Wilson alongside lesser-known works by
Twain and his contemporaries. In addition to understanding Twain’s
development as a writer, we will use his writings to think about
magazine culture, celebrity comedians, children’s literature, debates
about racism, and the relations between the U.S. and places as far
flung as China, the Philippines, Hawai’i, and the Middle East.

Grading

short essay
longer essay
final exam

Texts

Collected Stories, Twain
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain
Pudd'nhead Wilson, Twain
Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twain
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Twain
Innocents Abroad, Twain
Life on the Mississippi, Twain