Seminar in Reading and Interpretation (300-CN-65)
Topic
Great American Novel
Instructors
Bill Savage
847/491-8916
1908 Sheridan Road, OUSA
Office Hours: By appointment
Bill Savage (PhD Northwestern) is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, and has published scholarship on the history and literature of both the Cubs and the White Sox. He wrote about the Cubs 2016 World Series season for ESPN.com, in the column “The View from Section 416.” He has taught various versions of this course at Northwestern and the Newberry Library for over 20 years.
Meeting Info
University Hall 121: Wed 6:15PM - 9:15PM
Overview of class
n this class, we will examine the related ideas of the Great American Novel and "the American Dream" to explore the ongoing construction of American identity, values, and literature. We will operate from two basic points: America can be understood as a text, constantly being rewritten, revised, and contested; and American identity is relational, situated in culture, history, and the body. The questions we will examine include: In a racially and ethnically diverse (even divided) nation, what constitutes American identity, the quality of "Americanness"? Who, if anyone, speaks for all Americans? What sort of literary voice best expresses American realities and ideals? How does the dynamic of culture and counter-culture, dominant and marginal, get worked out aesthetically and ideologically? Texts wil include: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Awakening, The Great Gatsby, On The Road, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Song of Solomon.
Registration Requirements
Students who enroll should have fulfilled the SPS writing requirement or taken equivalent writing courses. This course was formerly ENGLISH 298.
Teaching Method
Teaching method: brief framing lectures and discussion, discussion, discussion.
Evaluation Method
Evaluation: participation; brief one page responses to each novel; three short (4-5 page) literary analysis papers; one personal essay.
Class Materials (Required)
Books available for purchase at the Norris Bookstore.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
By twain, mark / phelan, james / graff, gerald (eds.)
Edition : 2ND 04
Publisher : MAC HIGHER
ISBN 13 : 9780312400293
Song of Solomon
By morrison, toni
Edition : 04
Publisher : PENG RAND
ISBN 13 : 9781400033423
Awakening and Selected Stories
By chopin, kate / gilbert, sandra (ed.)
Edition : 84
Publisher : PENG RAND
ISBN 13 : 9780142437322
On the Road
By kerouac, jack
Edition : 06
Publisher : PENG RAND
ISBN 13 : 9780143036388
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
By thompson, hunter s.
Edition : 71
Publisher : PENG RAND
ISBN 13 : 9780679785897
The Great Gatsby
By fitzgerald, f. scott
Edition : 04
Publisher : S+S
ISBN 13 : 9780743273565