Syllabus
1 Introduction 2 Henry James, pp. 281-84, "The Beast in the Jungle" pp. 341-69 and "The Art of Fiction" pp. 370-84. 3 Kate Chopin, pp. 455-56, The Awakening pp. 467-558 or a single volume copy. 4 Zitkala-Sá (Gertrude Simmons-Bonnin) "An Indian Teacher Among Indians" pp. 846-74; Roland Barthes, "The Death of the Author". 5 Gertrude Stein, extract from The Making of Americans pp. 1091-1104; T.S. Eliot, poems pp. 1368-1400. 6 T.S.
Eliot poems continued, Marianne Moore, poems pp. 1275-86. 7 F. Scott Fitzgerald, pp. 1495-96 in the Norton Anthology; The Great Gatsby, copies in the library. 8 The Great Gatsby. 9 Ernest Hemingway, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" pp. 1685-1703.
An in-class essay will be assigned. 10 Eugene O'Neill, Long Day's Journey into Night pp. 1287-1367 or a single volume copy. 11 William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying pp. 1532-1629 or a single volume copy. 12 As I Lay Dying. A reading test will be given.
Conclusions.
Annotation
LECTURE: 2. Early Republic through World War I (Procházka, Quinn, 16 weeks)
The course focuses on some important features of American literature during the period of the search for national identity (the Revolution through the beginning of Civil War), especially on American Romanticism and Transcendentalism. The following period of the search for American democracy (the Civil War through World War I) includes the growth of Realism, Naturalism and Modernism. These developments are discussed in the context of the emergence and re-emergence of literary centers in the South, Mid- and Far West, of regionalism (local color) and of the beginnings of African American literature.
SEMINAR:
OBJECTIVES
The course is focused on important texts in American literature from 1865 to 1914. While preference will be given to poems and short prose pieces all students will be expected to read at least two novels to allow the class to discuss them as a whole.
MATERIAL
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, vol. 2 + supplementary texts
ASSESSMENT
Record of attendance will be kept. To receive their credits all students will be obliged to make oral presentations. Graded essays of 2,000-3,000 words (písemná práce) will be evaluated separately.