This tutorial course examines American literature from the end of the Civil War (1865) to the Second World War, focusing on the interwar period – the Roaring Twenties, going up to the Great Depression. The play of influence between the US and Europe will be brought out, in addition to a regionalism witnessing to a uniquely American literary identity.
Bibliography
Modernism and the Lost Generation
• T.S. Eliot, ‘The Hollow Men’ (1925)
• F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)
The Harlem Renaissance:
• Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
Objectives
Students improve their skills in textual analysis, essay writing (observing good methodology), and oral presentation.
Students should have an advanced English level, follow the corresponding lecture course assiduously, and do all assigned reading ahead of the classes. Texts should be annotated and focus questions answered.
Recitation and discussion will be followed by more focused comprehension questions than those given for homework. Students will learn to contextualize extracts, critically analyze key themes and use critics.
Assessment and Final Grade
The assessment will be the average of two in-class essay assignments, written in exam conditions.
Course Requirements
Regular attendance and the completion of both in-class evaluations are the minimum requirements of the course.
Libraries
Practical information
