Post-Civil War American Literature
Class Information
Instructor: Wander, Ryan
CRN: 76957
Time: MWF 9:00-9:50
Location: 118 Olson
Description
In US literary history the post-Civil War period often refers to the years between 1865 and a moment located somewhere in the early years of the twentieth century. This was a period of significant demographic changes, intensive industrialization, and, perhaps most crucial for us, active contestation over issues around nationhood and identity, sociality and belonging. Equally important are events such as the ?closing? of the frontier in 1890, the inauguration of US overseas imperialism in 1898, and intellectual developments including the rise of evolutionary thought and sexology. In dialogue with such developments, US writers developed three, linked aesthetics?realism, regionalism, and naturalism?that will occupy the bulk of our attention during the term. Throughout the term, we will attend to the dialogic relations between literary aesthetics and social reality during this period in US history.
Tentative Reading List
Charles Chesnutt, The Marrow of Tradition or The House Behind the Cedars
Kate Chopin, The Awakening
Stephen Crane, The Monster
W.E.B. DuBois, excerpts from The Souls of Black Folk
Bret Harte, The Luck of Roaring Camp and other selected short stories, & ?Plain Language from Truthful James?
Jack London, The Call of the Wild
Frank Norris, McTeague & selected short stories, & selected nonfiction
Jacob Riis, excerpts from How the Other Half Lives
Sui Sin Far, Mrs. Spring Fragrance
Mark Twain, Pudd?nhead Wilson
Zitkala-Sa, American Indian Stories
Grading
Essay 1: 20%
Essay 2: 25%
Final Exam: 25%
Short At-home Writing Assignments: 10%
Short In-class Writing Assignments, Quizzes, and Participation: 20%