AMERICAN LITERATURE: THE 19th CENTURY Years 3A & 3 B Fall Semester Lecturer: r!

A"ca #e$u% Ass&c$ate #r&'ess&r C&urse escr$(t$&" The main focus of this survey course is American literature of the 19th century. It has been conceived as part of an ampler program of American literary and cultural studies, bridging the gap between the survey course in American civilization preceding this and the survey course of American literature of the !th century following it. This double relationship with specific notions for an American cultural conte"t on the one hand, and significant literary moments and personalities of the !th century on the other hand, will be continuously highlighted. #arious aspects of literary theory and criticism have contributed to shaping the pattern of this literary history approach. Re)u$reme"ts $ecture attendance is strongly recommended, seminar attendance is mandatory. %tudents are encouraged to ta&e active part in class discussion. 'ach student has to write a seminar essay and present it. This paper will be defended by a set of 10 questions, related to the essay theme and reflecting the author(s attitude towards the problem chosen for discussion. These )uestions will be addressed to the student(s colleagues thus providing a pattern of discussion. The audience participation to the seminar discussion will be graded. No seminar essay shall be accepted without the 10 question set. Thus, each student will get two seminar grades* one for the essay and one for the participation to the discussions. There is also a mid-term test paper, representing +another, -. of the final assessment. The final test amounts thus to -!. of the final mar&. Lecture #la": /ee& 1* Introduction. %ome &ey0notions of cultural and literary American tradition /ee& * American myths and their ma&ers* +I, /ashington Irving1 +II, 2. 3. 4ooper /ee& 5* 3rom horror to 6ratiocination7* human mind polarity in '. A. 8oe /ee& 9* Transcendentalism revisited and romantic visions of nature* +I, :. /. 'merson +II, ;. <. Thoreau /ee& -* =etween novel and romance1 American symbolism and allegory in* +I, >athaniel ;awthorne and /ee& ?* +II, ;erman @elville* the dar& sense of nothingness /ee& A* :omantic harbingers of modernism in American poetry* +I, /alt /hitman and /ee& B* +II, 'mily <ic&inson or, the metaphor of the blan&

/ee& 9* @ar& Twain the all0time master of the American tall0tale tradition /ee& 1!* ;enry 2ames* at the crossroads of cultural traditions* +Anglo0,American @odernism in fiction. <efending American realism* /. <. ;owells 8ragmatism and modern realistic fiction* /illiam 2ames /ee& 11* American >aturalism as the wor& of a poet* %tephen 4rane. Theodore <reiser %pea&ing 8lainly in True Art. /ee& 1 * 3eminine insight in matters literary* Cate 4hopin. Dertrude %tein and the spirit of @odernism. /ee& 15* @a&ing It >ew 'zra 8ound, the :ebel Teacher. 3rom Imagism to EbFectivism* /illiam 4arlos /illiams. /ee& 19* /allace %tevens* poems of reality in +cool, style.

Re)u$re* Rea*$"+ /ashington Irving, 6:ip #an /in&le7 0 mandatory1 6The $egend of %leepy ;ollow7 only referred to in the lecture. 2. 3. 4ooper, The Last of the Mohicans +the fragments in the >orton Anthology, '. A. 8oe, 6The 3all of the ;ouse of Gsher7, 6The 8urloined $etter7, 6Annabel $ee7 0 mandatory1 6The :aven7, 6The 8hilosophy of 4omposition7 referred to in the lecture. :. /. 'merson* 6>ature7, 6%elf0:eliance71 6Dood0=ye7 ;. <. Thoreau, Walden, or, Life in the Woods 6En 4ivil <isobedience7* only mentioned in the lecture. >. ;awthorne* The Scarlet Letter 0 mandatory1 6The Dentle =oy7, 6Houng Doodman =rown7, 6The @inister(s =lac& #eil7, 6@y Cinsman, @aFor @olineu"7* only referred to in the lecture. ;erman @elville, from Moby ic!* Fust the fragments in the anthology1 6=artleby the %crivener7, 6;awthorne and ;is @osses7* only referred to in the lecture. /alt /hitman, from 6%ong of @yself7* 1 I - 1 8reface to Lea"es of #rass +1B--,, 6Eut of the 4radle 'ndlessly :oc&ing7. 'mily <ic&inson, JA1 K 6=ecause I could not stop for <eath7, J?AK 6%uccess is counted sweetest7, J -BK 6There(s a certain %lant of light7, J B!K 6I felt a 3uneral, in my =rain7, J95-K 6@uch @adness is divinest %ense7, J5!5K 6The %oul selects her own society7 %amuel 4lemens, The $d"entures of %uc!leberry &inn. ;enry 2ames, The 'ortrait of a Lady mandatory for 'nglish @aFor, nd series L aisy Miller0 mandatory for 'nglish @inor, =ritish %tudies1 6The :eal Thing7, 6The Tree of Cnowledge7and 6The Art of 3iction7* all Fust in the lecture. /illiam 2ames, 68ragmatism7* only mentioned in the lecture. /. <. ;owells, 6>ovel0/riting and >ovel0:eading7. %tephen 4rane, Ma((ie) $ #irl of the Streets only mentioned in the lecture1 The *ed +ad(e of ,oura(e* mandatory1 fragments from 6The =lac& :iders7 I fragments from 6/ar Is Cind7 see the >orton Anthology.

Cate 4hopin, The $wa!enin(. Theodore <reiser, Sister ,arrie +only the 4hapters I I III in the %horter >orton Anthology,. Dertrude %tein* fragments from The Ma!in( of $mericans andLor fragments from Tender +uttons +see the anthology,1 6If I Told ;im +A 4ompleted 8ortrait of 8icasso,7. /allace %tevens, 6The Idea of Erder at Cey /est7, 6The %now @an7* both mandatory1 6A ;igh0Toned Eld 4hristian /oman7, 6The 'mperor of Ice04ream7, 6<isillusionment of Ten(E 4loc&7, 6The /orld as @editation7, 6The /ell <ressed @an with a =eard70 all optional. 'zra 8ound, 68ortrait d(une 3emme7, 6A 8act7, 6In a %tation of the @etro7. /illiam 4arlos /illiams, 68ortrait of a $ady7, 6%pring and All7, 6The :ed /heelbarrow7, 6This Is 2ust to %ay7.

Rec&mme"*e* Cr$t$cal B$,l$&+ra(h=aym, >ina et al., The Norton $ntholo(y of $merican Literature, /./. >orton I 4o., #ols. 1 I , E"ford Gniv. 8ress, 1999 =aym, >ina et al., The Norton $ntholo(y of $merican Literature, %horter %eventh 'dition, /./. >orton I 4o., #ols. 1 I , !!B =ercovitch, %acvan, The 'uritan -ri(ins of the $merican Self, >ew ;aven I $ondon, Hale Gniv. 8ress, 19A=ercovitch, %acvan, The *ites of $ssent, :outledge, >ew Hor&, $ondon, 1995 =loom, ;arold, The Western ,anon) the +oo!s and the School of the $(es, ;arcourt =race I 4o., 1999 =roo&s, 4leanth et al., $merican Literature) The Ma!ers and the Ma!in(, #ols. 1 I , %t. @artin(s 8ress, >ew Hor&, 19A5 <umitriu, Deta, $merican Literature) The Nineteenth ,entury, 'G=, 19B<umitriu, Deta, Tan(led Sel"es. $ Study of $merican &iction in the 1/00s, 'G=, 199B @atthiessen, 3. E., $merican *enaissance) $rt and 12pression in the $(e of 1merson and Whitman, E"ford Gniv. 8ress, 19?B +1991, :uland, :ichard and @alcolm =radbury, &rom 'uritanism to 'ostmodernism) a %istory of $merican Literature, 8enguin =oo&s, 199 8eiu, Anca* 3$fter the &inal No4) The World of Wallace Ste"ens, 'G=, !!1