31170 - Anglo-American Literature 2

Learning outcomes

Students will learn the literary history of the period at stake; they will acquire useful literary tools to analyze fictional productions and question them in relation to the complex and heterogeneous North American realities.

Course contents

THE LITERARY IDENTITY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (1900-1945)

The course is an introduction to the literature of the US written in English, with a special focus on identity issues and the perception of a "national" literature. Classic and founding texts will be cross read to outline the symbolic and mythological patterns that have consolidated American realities in the first half of the 20^th century. Literature is investigated through a constant dialogue with other arts, including media, cinema, photography and the visual arts. The concepts of identity, memory, community, inner/outer landscape will constitute the thematic paradigms to approach the evolving mentalities underpinning the evolution of complex identity processes in the so-called New World. Literature is also used as a tool to connect the past and the present, showing how contemporary cultural preoccupations can be traced back to the first half of the 20th century.

The following are some of the topics that we will address in class:

· The Americanization of America

· American Modernism

· 1920s: The Jazz Age and the Lost Generation

· 1920s: The Harlem Renaissance

· 1920s-1930s: The Southern Renascence

· 1930s: Literature in/of the New Deal

· Women writers between the wars (and beyond)

· African American literature in the first half of the 20th century

 

Please Notice: This course is organized as part of the sustainability phase of the European Project “PERFORMIGRATIONS: People Are the Territory” (www.performigratios.eu), in the frame of the research project “WeTell: Storytelling and Civic Awareness” (https://site.unibo.it/wetell/en) and in collaboration with the literary portal https://site.unibo.it/canadausa . The main goal is to encourage a new global mentality, deeply rooted in the humanities, so to reorient today geopolitics and create a happier and more just world. No knowledge is useful if it leads to satisfy only a few people’s urgent needs, be that material or emotional; knowledge is useful if it induces us to question our communal existence, helping us to learn how to act upon our community in responsible ways, in turn leading to a truly shared happiness.

 

Important: EVERYBODY IS WELCOME AND DIVERSITY (IN ALL ITS FORMS) IS WELCOME TOO.

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliography for the Oral Exam and Final Essay

IMPORTANT - All students must know the literary history of the related time.

Mandatory Readings include:

Primary Texts (any edition)
• Fitzgerald, Francis Scott. The Great Gatsby (1925)
• Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises (1926)
• Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)

Secondary Texts
• Gray, Richard. A History of American Literature, Blackwell, 2004 (page numbers may vary depending on the edition): chapter 4, “Making it New: The Emergence of Modern American Literature, 1900–1945.”

To complete the preparation for the final essay, students will create and customize their reading list under the supervision of the course director (i.e. the custom reading list must be approved by the course director).

For the final essay, students are asked to choose:

A) At least 4 texts (novels, poetry collections, short stories collections) by any of the following writers: Anderson, Sherwood; Berryman, John; Bishop, Elizabeth; Brooks, Gwendolyn; Cather, Willa; Cullen, Countee; Cummings, e.e.; Dos Passos, John; Eliot, T.S.; Hemingway, Ernest; Fante, John; Faulkner, William; Fitzgerald, Francis Scott; Frost, Robert; H.D.; Hammett, Dashiell; Hughes, Langston; Hurston, Zora Neale; Larsen, Nella; Lewis, Sinclair; Lowell, Robert; MacLeish, Archibald; Masters, Edgar Lee; Millay, Edna St. Vincent; Miller, Arthur; Miller Henry; Moore Marianne; Parker Dorothy; Porter, Katherine Anne; Pound Ezra; Runyon Damon; Stein Gertrude; Steinbeck John; Stevens Wallace; Toomer, Jean; Welty, Eudora; West, Nathanael; Williams, Tennessee; Williams, William Carlos; Wolfe, Thomas; Wright, Richard.

B) At least 2 secondary sources (critical essays) consistent with the chosen topic. A list of secondary sources will be uploaded at the beginning of the course, and implemented after each class. However, students can choose any secondary source they deem relevant to their essay.

Students who wish to work on texts that are not listed in the official syllabus MUST submit their request to the course director and receive her approval (office hours or per email: chiara.patrizi6@unibo.it).

Teaching methods

Students’ active participations is strongly encouraged. Therefore, in addition to the lecture format, group work will be scheduled to create a vibrant and interactive educational environment. Moreover, we will engage in a sustained close reading of the primary texts included the syllabus, to share ideas and critical perspectives on those works.

Assessment methods

The FINAL EXAM consists of:

A) A short essay (3000-3500 words), to probe the student’s capability to analyze literary texts and question them in relation to the complex and heterogeneous North American realities. Through the essay, students must prove their ability as literary critics in relation to the chosen subject/case study.
The essay must be in English. Deadlines and instructions will be uploaded on the course Virtuale page.
Students must show: good knowledge of their primary and secondary sources (individual choice); their capability to analyze literary texts in relation to the chosen themes; their original critical approach.
The essay will be evaluated on the basis of: a clear and sound working hypothesis; consistency between the essay structure and the chosen themes; clarity of diction; correct use of the chosen bibliography; essay presentation (outline; footnotes; bibliography, etc.).

B) Final Oral Exam (to test the student’s knowledge of the literary history of the first half of the XX century) or Class Presentation (for attending students only).

The oral exam consists in a brief assessment of the student's knowledge through questions in spoken form.
This part of the exam is based on the mandatory readings (here above); it aims to evaluate the student’s knowledge of the history of US literature.

PLEASE NOTICE: students who regularly attend the course can substitute the final oral exam with a class presentation (15 mins max) to be performed alone or in group.

Teaching tools

Traditional and Multimedia tools

Office hours

See the website of Chiara Patrizi