ENH2410

Puritans and sinners: interrogating the American tradition

(ART)

M Ackland

6 points + 2 hours per week + First semester + Clayton + Prerequisites: A first-year sequence in English, Literary Studies or Cultural Studies or permission + Prohibition: ENH3410

Synopsis: This unit is an introduction to some of the major writers in American literature and an exploration of the concept of a national literary identity. Beginning in the nineteenth century when the interplay of inherited European cultural forms and a burgeoning literary nationalism was at its most fruitful, the subject ranges from the Puritan heritage of the great New England writers through to American postmodernism, and includes the contribution of black American writing. Authors studied include Melville, Hawthorne, Twain, Whitman, Whaston, Faulkner, Frost, Morrison and Dehillo.

Assessment: Seminar presentation (1000 words) and participation: 30% + Essay (1500 words): 30% + Class test (2000 words): 40%