English 158B - Spring, 2014

The American Novel from 1900 to the Present

Class Information

Instructor: Stratton, Matthew
CRN: 22579
Time: TR 1:40-3:00
Location: 184 Young

Description

We will read a variety of novels written in the United States during the twentieth century. Starting with a functional definition of "the novel" as a genre that predates the U.S.A., much of our work will focus on the formal characteristics of individual novels, thinking about how those characteristics both exemplify and complicate our understanding of canonical ï¿½"schools"ï¿½ï¿½ of American literature. By focusing our critical attention on representations of labor, locations, migrations, and identities (individual and collective), we will consider the historical and political situations in which the novels first appeared as well as how our own situation affects the work of interpretation. Throughout the readings, we will consider the contested question of what it might mean to be a specifically ï¿½"American"ï¿½ï¿½ novel.

Grading

In-class responses . . . . . . . . . . . .15%
Short essay (4-5 pgs) . . . . . . . . . . 25%
Longer essay (5-7 pgs). . . . . . . . . . 35%
Final exam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25%

Texts

O Pioneers!, Willa Cather
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Anita Loos
The Day of the Locust, Nathanael West
Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
The Flamethrowers, Rachel Kushner
The Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon