The Great American Novel - MATL

3 units

What is the Great American Novel? For John De Forest, such a novel provides the picture of the ordinary emotions and manners of American existence. To that end, this class will introduce to students novels from a wide range of genres and periods in America, 1800-1950, helping them gain a sense of the aesthetic, social, political, philosophical and cultural influences in 19th and 20th century America and how they shaped and were shaped by writing. The readings will help us think about the way in which traditional American settings and literary forms interact with and adapt to social and historical change, expanding our sense of what is, after all, an American story. We'll read a range of literature, including The Age of Innocence, The Sound and the Fury, Passing, and The Confidence-Man.