American literature
Iris Breuer
8 points
* 2 hours per week
* First semester
* Peninsula
Objectives Students completing this subject should gain an understanding of literary representations of important historical events in America. Students should also develop an understanding of the inter-relationships between the historical, cultural, intellectual and literary contexts of the writers selected for study.
Synopsis This subject examines fictional and dramatic works which imaginatively grapple with important historical events such as America's Puritan beginnings, the abolition of slavery, the rise of New York as a financial and social centre. These shaping forces of the literature will be placed in the cultural, intellectual and literary contexts of the writers studied. The impact of the ideas of democracy, individual freedom and the `Great American Dream' in its various guises will provide a unifying focus to this subject.
Assessment second year Seminar presentation and written paper (1000
words): 25%
* In-class tests (3000 words): 50%
* Major essay (2000
words): 25%
Assessment third year Seminar presentation and written paper (1000
words): 25%
* In-class tests (3000 words): 50%
* Major essay (2000
words): 25%
* Third-year students are expected to demonstrate greater
analytical depth of study and evidence of wider critical reading.
Prescribed texts
Fitzgerald F S The great Gatsby Penguin
Hawthorne N The scarlet letter Norton Critical Edition
Miller A The Crucible Penguin
Morrison T Beloved Pan
O'Neill E Long Day's Journey into Night Norton Critical Edition
Wharton E The house of mirth Norton Critical Edition
Williams T Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
| Published by Monash University, Clayton, Victoria
3168 Copyright © Monash University 1996 - All Rights Reserved - Caution Authorised by the Academic Registrar December 1996 |