Mariners, Renegades, and Castaways: American Fiction and the Romance of the Sea

Examines one of the most distinctive of literary genres: the sea novel. Ostensibly stories of mystery and adventure, these texts are also meticulous accounts of working life at sea. Reads a number of well-known and lesser known American tales of the sea, including Poe's The Adventures of A. Gordon Pym , Melville's Moby-Dick , London's The Sea-Wolf , and Crane's "The Open Boat." Enrollment limited to 30.