AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1800-1870
BC 3180y  Spring 2008
MW 11:00-12:15 Milbank 328

In 1941, F. O. Matthiessen published American Renaissance, using the term to refer to the years between 1850 and 1855 and to the texts of Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman. In subsequent years, scholars have used the term more broadly to describe a fruitful period in American literary history. Moreover, they've debated what kind of renaissance, if any, occurred, and which writers defined it. In English BC 3180y, we'll be considering both the American Renaissance described by Matthiessen and more recent views of nineteenth-century American literature. We'll begin with Irving and the questions he raises about the possibilities of a specifically American literature. Then, we'll explore some of the answers that various writers suggest, and the new questions raised by their answers. Issues that we'll consider include the problem of history, the representation of Native Americans, the implications of independence, the nature of the self, slavery and abolition, gender and woman's sphere, and the viability, not only of American literature, but of America itself as a nation.

This spring, most materials for this course will be housed on a course wiki. To join the wiki, click here and select englx3180-001-2008-1 from the drop-down menu.

Once you have joined the wiki, you can access it by going to http://englx3180-001-2008-1.wikispaces.columbia.edu/ and logging in with your UNI.

You can also access the schedule of readings for the course here.