This course explores an important year in literature: 1922, when James Joyce's Ulysses, T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land, and Virginia Woolf's Jacob's Room were published. These works defined the modernist movement and continue to influence literature and art. We will create a context for understanding 1922 by reading other works by these authors and their contemporaries (W. B. Yeats, Ezra Pound, the poets of World War I, Katherine Mansfield, Ernest Hemingway), as well as learning about the events and upheavals of the time period, which encompassed a world war, a global pandemic, technological advancement, and rapid social change. These works are equal parts challenging and rewarding: be ready for an intense reading experience.

Class will meet in person on Monday and Wednesday with an asynchronous online component for Friday. Coursework will including reading (of course), short papers, tests, class participation, and discussion board participation. There will also be opportunities to participate in 1922 centennial events. This is a special course offered this year only.