Twentieth Century American Literature

msdalexuk@yahoo.co.uk
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course offers a survey of Twentieth-Century American literature that will combine a
historical and contextual approach with an emphasis on form and literary technique, as well
as possible critical readins of and close approaches to representative literary works by
mainstream American authors or authors comin from marinal!i"ed# backrounds who have
become part of the mainstream. The startin point will be modernist fiction !takin over from
the first semester, when the students were introduced to the eneral aesthetics of modernism
and poetry#. This will be followed by the transition from modernism to postmodernism and
various ways of neotiatin realist techniques and marinality in fiction, to conclude with the
ma$or trends in twentieth century American poetry and drama.
%tudents will be expected to read all required !unstarred# readins listed below. %tarred texts
are optional. They will be raded on the basis of seminar activity and a final written exam as
follows& seminar paper '()* seminar attendance and participation +()* final written exam
,(). The exam will allow students a choice of questions, but reference will have to be made
to texts !whether compulsory or optional# on the course readin list.
LECTURES:
-. .odernism in /iction -& The 0ost 1eneration. 2. 3eminway and /. %cott-/it"erald
!/eb -4#
+. .odernism in /iction +& 5. /aulkner and the American %outh !/eb +6#
'. /rom .odernism to 7ostmodernism& 8ladimir 9abokov !.ar '#
6-,.7ostmodernity and 7ostmodernism. 7ostmodernist %elf-:eflexive /iction& ;.
8onneut, T. 7ynchon. .ass Culture on a 1lobal 0evel& <. <e0illo !.ar -(, .ar -4#
=-4. :epresentations of difference in fiction !%. >ellow, :. 2llison, T. .orrison, Alice
5alker, 1. 8i"enor, %. Alexie, .. 3. ;inston#. :ecent <evelopments in American
/iction !.ar +6, .ar '-#
?. .ain <irections in American <rama !2. @A9eill, T. 5illiams, A. .iller# !Apr. 4#
B--(. .ain Trends in Twentieth Century American 7oetry. .odernism& 2"ra 7ound,
5allace %tevens, 5illiam Carlos 5illiams. Confessional 7oetry and /ormal experiment&
:obert 0owell and %ylvia 7lath* C. Ashbery, 1. >rooks, A. :ich. 7oetry and 7rotest& The
>eat 1eneration !Allen 1insber#. :ecent <evelopments in American 7oetry !Apr. -6, Apr.
+?#
--. :evision and 1eneral Conclusion. !.ay ,#
Reading List
!Titles marked 9, can be found in vol. + of the Norton Anthology of American Literature,
/ifth edition, see :oom 6 library. Titles marked 9+ can be found in the %econd edition of the
9orton antholoy, see >CD downstairs library in 7itar .os. .ost titles can also be found in
other editions.# 9ovels are available in the American %tudies Center 0ibrary !which holds
multiple copies of some of them# and in the downstairs library in 7itar .os. 3andouts to be
used in the course and author specific critical material to be referred to will often be emailed
to students in advance of each lecture, so please check your email reularly.
Fictin:
2rnest 3eminway, EThe %nows of ;iliman$aroF !9+, 9,#, The Sun Also Rises.G
/rancis %cott-/it"erald, The Great Gatsby, Tender Is the NightG.
5illiam /aulkner, The Sound and the Fury* Absalom, Absalom*
8ladimir 9abokov, Lolita
;urt 8onneut, SlaughterhouseFi!e
Thomas 7ynchon, The "rying of Lot #$,G E2ntropyF !9,#, %ason and &i'on,G Against the
&ay*
<on <e0illo, (hite Noise, %ao IIG, Falling %anG
%aul >ellow, E0ookin for .r 1reenF, Sei)e the &ay*, *umboldt+s Gift*
:alph 2llison, The In!isible %an !E7roloueF, EChapter -F, 9+ and 9,#
Toni .orrison, ,elo!ed* E:ecitatifF !9,#* Lo!eG
Alice 5alker, The "olor -ur.leG
1erald 8i"enor, EAlmost >rowneF !9,#
.axine 3on ;inston, The (oman (arrior !E9o 9ame 5omanF, EA %on for a >arbarian
:ed 7ipeF#
Petry !see 9orton antholoies or online sources such as http&HHwww.poetryfoundation.orH#:
2"ra 7ound, E7ortrait dAune femmeF* EA 7actF* EIn a %tation of the .etroF* E3uh %elwyn
.auberley !0ife and Contacts#F
5allace %tevens, EA 3ih-Toned @ld Christian 5omanF* EAnecdote of the CarF* EThirteen
5ays of 0ookin at a >lackbirdF* E@f .odern 7oetryF
5illiam Carlos 5illiams, E7ortrait of a 0adyF* EThe :ed 5heelbarrowF* E0andscape with
the /all of IcarusF
:obert 0owell, E%kunk 3ourF* E/or the Dnion <eadF* E:obert /rostF
%ylvia 7lath, EThe ApplicantF* E0ady 0a"arusF* EArielF* E<addyF
Cohn Ashbery, E%elf-7ortrait in a Convex .irrorF* E7aradoxes and @xymoronsF*
EIntroductionF
1wendolyn >rooks, EA %on in the /ront JardF* E;itchenette >uildinF* EThe 0eadersF
Adrienne :ich, E%napshots of a <auhter-in 0awF* EThe :oofwalkerF* E<ivin into the
5reckF
Allen 1insber, E3owl !I#F* EA %upermarket in CaliforniaF
%herman Alexie, E3ow to 5rite the 1reat American Indian 9ovelF,
!http&HHwww.poemhunter.comHpoemHhow-to-write-the-reat-american-indian-novelH#
Drama&
2uene @A9eill, Long &ay+s /ourney into Night !9+ and 9,#G
Tennessee 5illiams, A Streetcar Named &esire !9,#
Arthur .iller, &eath of a Salesman !9+, 9,#G
Se!ected Critica! "i#!igra$hy:
Ashton, Cennifer. From %odernism to -ostmodernism0 American -oetry and Theory in the
T1entieth "entury. Cambride& Cambride Dniversity 7ress, +((,.
>ercovitch, %acvan, en.ed. "ambridge *istory of American Literature, vols 4, ?. Cambride
Dniversity 7ress, -BB=.
Conn, 7eter. Literature in America. An Illustrated *istory. Cambride Dniversity 7ress,
-B?B. !%ee also the :omanian translation.#
Connor, %teven, ed. The "ambridge "om.anion to -ostmodernism. Cambride& Cambride
Dniversity 7ress, +((6.
Connoly, Culian 5., ed. The "ambridge "om.anion to Nabo2o!. Cambride& Cambride
Dniversity 7ress, +((,.
<alsaard, Iner 3., 0uc 3erman and >rian .c3ale, eds. The "ambridge "om.anion to
Thomas -ynchon. Cambride& Cambride Dniversity 7ress, +(-+.
<raa, .aria-%abina. "onditia .ostmoderna0 s.re o estetica a identitatilor culturale.
>ucuresti& 2ditura Dniversitatii din >ucuresti, +(('.
<raa Alexandru, .aria-%abina. Identity -erformance in "ontem.orary Non(AS-
American Fiction, >ucuresti& 2ditura Dniversitatii din >ucuresti, +((?.
---. %0ove as :eclamation in Toni .orrisonAs African American :hetoricA, 3uro.ean
/ournal of American "ulture +4.', +((?, pp. -B--+(,.
---. "ultura rom4neasca in .ers.ecti!a transatlantica. Co-edited with Teodora %erban-
@prescu. >ucuresti& 2ditura Dniversitatii din >ucuresti, +((B.
<uvall, Cohn 9. The "ambridge "om.anion to &on &eLillo. Cambride& Cambride
Dniversity 7ress, +((?.
2lliot, 2mory, en. ed. "olumbia Literary *istory of the 5nited States. 9ew Jork& Columbia
Dniversity 7ress, -B??.
---. "olumbia *istory of the American No!el. 9ew Jork& Columbia Dniversity 7ress,
-BB-.
1ill, Co. The "ambridge "om.anion to Syl!ia -lath. Cambride& Cambride Dniversity
7ress, +((=.
;alaid$ian, 5alter, ed. The "ambridge "om.anion to American %odernism. Cambride&
Cambride Dniversity 7ress, +((4.
;rasner, <avid, ed. A "om.anion to T1entieth"entury American &rama. @xford&
>lackwell, +((,.
0evenson, .ichael, ed. The "ambridge "om.anion to %odernism. Cambride& Cambride
Dniversity 7ress, -BBB.
.ac1owan, Christopher. T1entieth"entury American -oetry. @xford and 9ewJork& 5iley-
>lackwell +((6.
.arcus, 1reil and 5erner %ollors. A Ne1 Literary *istory of America. Cambride, .% and
0ondon& 3arvard Dniversity 7ress, +((B.
.ihaila, :odica. S.atii ale realului in .ro)a americana. Intre autobiografie si e!anghelia
.ostmoderna. >rasov0 Concordia, +(((.
---. Turning the (heel. The "onstruction of -o1er Relations in "ontem.orary American
(omen+s -oetry. >ucuresti& 2ditura Dniversitatii din >ucuresti, -BB,.
---. The American "hallenge. An Introduction to the Study of American "i!ili)ation.
>ucuresti& 2ditura Dniversitatii din >ucuresti, -BB6.
9atoli, Coseph and 0inda 3utcheon, eds. A -ostmodern Reader. %tate Dniversity of 9ew
Jork 7ress, -BB'.
7arini, Cay, ed. "olumbia *istory of American -oetry. 9ew Jork& Columbia Dniversity
7ress, -BB'.
7i"er, <onald. The "ambridge "om.anion to American Realism and Naturalism. Cambride&
Cambride Dniversity 7ress, -BB,.
Tally, Custine, ed. The "ambridge "om.anion to Toni %orrison. Cambride& Cambride
Dniversity 7ress, +((4.
5einstein, 7hillip .. The "ambridge "om.anion to (illiam Faul2ner. Cambride&
Cambride Dniversity 7ress, -BB,.