Year: Second
Part of the year: Half Year 2
Module Leader: Stephanie Palmer
Assessments:
Keywords:
American, African American, Native American, Harlem Renaissance, cityscape, literary naturalism, the pastoral, ecocriticism, the frontier, symbolic geography
Description:
In this module we shall be examining the relationship between North American literature and the landscape. It is often remarked that American identity has been irrevocably shaped by the variety and the vastness of the North American continent. Yet the land is not just an inert force that determines human existence but a site upon which people have inscribed cultural and political meanings. Myths of American exceptionalism have arisen out of the experience and ideologies of frontiering. Descriptions of urban spaces reflect on the inequalities between rich and poor and the lost place of the individual in the modern world. Descriptions of rural places reflect on national character and destiny as well, particularly as these are inflected by regional differences in ethnic relations and labour relations. We shall study works by white, Native and African American authors and consider the construction of identity in relation to landscapes and cityscapes from different areas of the U.S.
Prerequisites: N/A
Useful Information:
American Literature; Nineteenth-Century Literature; Modern and Contemporary Literature; 1854-Present
The module is usually split into three thematic units, but students are encouraged to think across the units. Essay titles are provided but we encourage students to design their own title in consultation with their seminar tutor in preparation for the third-year dissertation.
Students should be prepared to source their own copies of these texts unless otherwise indicated.
Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1854) [nonfiction prose]
Kate Chopin, The Awakening (1899) [novel]
Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon (1977) [novel]
Jack Schaefer, Shane (1949) [novel]
Willa Cather, A Lost Lady (1923) [novel]
Sherman Alexie, short stories and poems from The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and The Business of Fancydancing (1990s) – will probably be provided
Stephen Crane, ‘Maggie: a Girl of the Streets’ (1893) [short story]
Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth (1905) [novel]
Langston Hughes, poems – on internet
Nella Larsen, Passing (1929) [novel]
There might be slight modifications of this reading before the summer of 2016; please consult the module leader if you have questions about a specific title.
Teaching methods/structure:
Independent reading and directed learning, lecture workshops, seminars, independent research. Students should be prepared to share their ideas about module issues and texts in small groups or via mobile technology in workshops; seminars may involve large-group discussion, small-group tasks, or in-class writing.
Please view the module specification for the learning outcomes for this module.
Contact details for further queries (module leader):
Stephanie Palmer
Email: stephanie.palmer@ntu.ac.uk