This course begins in the aftermath of the Civil War, a traumatic conflict that signaled moral, political, and social divides within the nation.  Recent events have shown that in many ways those divides remain and still shape our national life.  Literature is not history, but even when it actively seeks to avoid its own history, it tells a story.  We'll explore that story over the semester.

In this survey, we will learn about the major U.S. literary movements since the Civil War: Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism.  We will study the distinctive fiction, non-fiction, and poetic forms (and maybe some drama in there as well!) from all of these movements. We'll go without an anthology, using some inexpensive paperbacks and texts available on the internet.  Some of the major texts will include: Jewett, The Country of the Pointed Firs; Chesnutt, The Marrow of Tradition; Faulkner, As I Lay Dying; and Whitehead, The Nickel Boys. 

Assignments include: 3 short answer exams covering definitions of the literary movements, multiple short essays (including formal analysis, attention to history, and personal reflection modes), and a google.doc note-taking assignment.