In this course, we will examine american literature, history, and culture. The focu s of the individual lectures is on themes as they are repeated, echoed, and modified through time, but the unifying thread for the course as a whole is the evolution of. Absent a plot summery, these are lectures given by vn as a professor of european literature at cornell university in 1948. We will also cover issues in american literature concerning psychology, nature, race, and gender. A brief video introduction to the question what is american literature. A brief introduction to american literature essay sample american literature, to my eyes, like american history, although short, however, still full of glories and shining masterpieces and writers. A brief history of american literature richard gray. His lectures on literature is a collection of but there is much more to nabokov, who was a professor of literature at cornell university and a visiting lecturer at a number of other universities, including harvard, where he delivered a wonderful set of lectures on don quixote, unfortunately out of print but available from libraries or second. The course traces the formal and thematic developments of the novel in this period, focusing on the relationship between writers and readers, the conditions of publishing, innovations in the novels form, fictions engagement with history, and the changing place of literature in american culture. There is something called american literature that, according to conventional wisdom, is certainly not chicano literature, or afro american literature, or asian american, or na tive american, or. The colonial period 14921700 native americans, the first inhabitants of the continent, did not develop anything we can call literature their stories and poems were spread orally, which means the american literally.
All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. There is something called american literature that, according to conventional wisdom, is certainly not chicano literature, or afroamerican literature, or asianamerican, or na tive american, or. Use stories to teach moral lessons and convey practical information about the natural world. Designed to serve students majoring, minoring, and concentrating in literature as well as those students who may get to take only one or two literature subjects while at the institute, the literature curriculum at mit offers a wide range of undergraduate classes at introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels. This library of america series edition is printed on acidfree paper and features smythsewn binding, a full cloth cover, and a ribbon marker. The students are introduced to various literary terms whose knowledge will be useful for them in their courses of british and american literature. American literature timeline period dates period name period characteristics famous authors and works arrived 40,000 20,000 b. The article describes the circumstances of his literary lectures and comments on the value of his lectures on the works of william shakespeare and. You will progress through this course one lesson at a time, at your own pace. Not words, not music or rhyme i want, not custom or lecture, not even the best. But perhaps the demands of your daily life or some other reason have prevented this pleasure. Introduction to american literature introduction to. If you dont know the answer, reread preparing for readings in american literature above.
Lectures on american literature karolinum third edition justin quinn ed. Our goal will be to acquire a grasp of the canon of american literature as it is typically conceived and the various logics behind its construction. List the titles and authors of the three selections that you will read. Full acknowledgement for all information obtained from sources outside the classroom, including images and other media. Related resources american literature literature mit. Dec 11, 20 a brief video introduction to the question what is american literature. Recurring themes and issues the only characteristic that is common throughout american literature is variety. Literature mit opencourseware free online course materials. For more online courses, visit our complete collection of free online courses. Weve discussed a few options, here, of some of the available options for free audio books in this genre. In 48 halfhour lectures, the history of world literature explores crosscultural themes, techniques, and modes of representation over nearly 5,000 years of history. Outline history of english and american literature. American libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library. Middle english literature 1100 1500 geoffrey chaucer post1945 1945 s.
American literature and religion since 1960 is forthcoming in 2009 2021 series, princeton up. Upgrade your course for ongoing access to the course content. It is made up of 7 individual lssons, as e listed in the table of contents. The lectures tend to contain highly detailed recountings of each book. Each lesson includes practice questions with answers. The overriding theme in american literature, as in american life, is that of freedom itself, whether expressed in a laissezfaire economy, in upward mobility, or simply in our belief that we can make ourselves and our lives into something beyond the origins and influences of our births, a theme sometimes called the american dream. If youre interested in listening to some of americas best literature for free, then youre in luck. Genocide, literature, and personification, chicago, 2003. American literature of the sea and great lakes all materials on the site are licensed creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Yeats, ezra pound world war i and modernism 1914 1945 the victorian age 1837 1901 dickens, tennyson, g. Slave narratives, their status as autobiography and as literature, by james olney.
This course studies the national literature of the united states since the early 19th century. Patell american literature i douglass 2 because they wished to learn. When you go through our online lectures, you will be able to polish your skills in this department. Narratora lecture from an american literature class. Masterpieces of world literature harvard university. Roraback pavla vesela david robbins lectures on american literature the. Eliot romanticism 1780 1830 blake, wordsworth, byron the 18th century 1688 1780 pope, defoe, swift, sterne john donne john milton milton, j. It is m ade up of 6 individsual lessons, as ted in the table of li contents. We will evaluate different genres of american literature from the nineteenth to the twentyfirst centuries. It was not american because it was the work mainly of immigrants from england. Literature mooc online courses with video lectures and tutorials. Study the first american story and the first american storyteller in the context of the nations history.
Examine the ways american literature was used to perpetuate puritan morals and values. Uncle toms cabin and american culture excellent site, with many imagesbrowse many themes in stowes novel and culture. The first american literature was neither american nor really literature. It provides an account of coleridge as a lecturer in the context of his audience and discusses the reception of his lectures. Introduction to british literature 2 instructions welcome to your continental acaon to british demy course introducti literature. A lecture from an american literature class toefl lectures. Take an indepth look at the transcendentalist movement and its impact on philosophy, religion, and literature. Literature mooc online courses with video lectures and. Princeton university press lectures in european history and culture iii. Again, the literature of a period might be studied with reference to its influence on the religious, commercial, political, or social life of the people among whom it has circulated. Pdf lectures on russian literature download full pdf book. Martin puchner, the byron and anita wien professor of english and comparative literature at harvard university, gives the third and final lecture in the princeton university press lectures in european history and culture. Explore the works of some of the worlds greatest writers and improve your own writing skills with short online literature courses, indepth programs, or full postgraduate degrees.
Full text of history of american literature lectures. The sophistication and range of its arguments further cement warrens stature as one of the leading thinkers of our time. Her next project is the cambridge introduction to the american novel since 1945. History of american literature lectures usage attributionnoncommercialno derivative works 3. Students are expected to read historical and biographical headnotes for readings in the norton. In this history of american literature, i have tried to be responsive to the immense.
Literature is diverse in the content it has to offer and not everyone is well versed with the skills and the base it is needed to grasp a thorough understanding of the same. Lots of scholars and critics have attempted to boil american literature down to a few main themes, issues, and ideas, but each time you look at one idea, you can easily find an example of its. This course is a survey of american literature and literary history, from the early colonial period to the eve of the civil war. Lectures will provide background for the readings and explicate them where appropriate, while attempting to develop a coherent overall context that incorporates philosophical and social perspectives on the recurrent questions. Welcome to your continental academy course introduction to literature. Introduction to american literature continental academy. Yeats, ezra pound world war i and modernism 1914 1945. It is the policy of the literature faculty that students who plagiarize will receive an f in the subject, and that the instructor will forward the case to the committee on discipline. Get free literature courses online from the worlds leading universities. Professor hungerford is author of the holocaust of texts. Featured movies all video latest this just in prelinger archives democracy now. Start learning for free on desktop, tablet, or mobile. Introduction to american literature linkedin slideshare.
Introduction to theory of literature open yale courses. Lectures on literature by vladimir nabokov in fb2, rtf, txt download ebook. This character can tell us only what he or she sees and hears and thinks about what is going on. In the 20th century america and ireland produced many of the most significant works of literature in english, and after world war ii writers from the former british. Actually, sandburg was born in galesburg, illinois. With numerous free audio books of classic works, along with literature and poetry recorded by superb narrators, listening to american literature can. I taught them, because it was the delight of my soul to be doing something that looked like bettering the condition of my race p. Today we are going to study one of my favorite american poets, writer and musician, carl sandburg. A brief introduction to american literature essay example. The closest to the indian sense of holiness in later american literature is ralph. Naturalism, premodernism, modernism, and post1945 american literature. In the american novel since 1945 students will study a wide range of works from 1945 to the present.
Readings usually include works by such authors as nathaniel hawthorne, henry david thoreau, frederick douglass, emily dickinson, and toni morrison. Martin prochazka clare wallace hana ulmanova erik s. This course surveys world literature from the epic of gilgamesh to the present, with an emphasis on different cultures and writing traditions. This article examines samuel taylor coleridges lectures on literature during the period from 1808 to 1819. In other words, the narrator is a participant in the story. Geography and american literature, in crossing oceans. Elements of fiction style and in the firstperson limited point of view, the narrator speaks as i, as a character in the story. The course traces the formal and thematic developments of the novel in this period, focusing on the relationship between writers and readers, the conditions of publishing, innovations in the novels form, fictions engagement with history, and the changing place of. With this provocative claim kenneth warren sets out to identify a distinctly african american literature. Listening to audio books and lectures is an excellent way to study american literature.
Those american writers, while conquering this wild america, also had conquered the great field of american literature. All page numbers are in the norton anthology, unless otherwise noted. British, french, and german writers vladimir nabokov, according to the published testimony of several of his students at cornell during the 1950s, was an extraordinary. It considers a range of texts including, novels, essays, and poetry and their efforts to define the notion of american identity. Free literature courses learn the greats online futurelearn. Introduction to literatureintroduction to literature. This is a survey of the main trends in twentiethcentury literary theory. Reconfiguring american literary studies in the pacific rim.
In considering the evolution of american literature from its earliest moments up to the present, we will explore and investigate the development of a literature, an idea, and a nation throughout its history, and examine the ways in which various literatures and films help us navigate the many and often contradictory notions of. Overview during its early history, america was a series of british colonies on the eastern coast of the presentday united states. Introduction to british literature continental academy. English literature has been evaluated and recommended for 3 semester hours and may be transferred to over 2,000 colleges and universities. Produced by harvardx, the course is based not on lectures but on a more vivid dialogue format between instructors martin puchner and david damrosch. Literature ought to arouse a particular emotion, or affect, in the perceiver litete atu e s ou d duce t e eade arature should induce the reader an emotional state that will lead to action literature is the product of the economic and ideological determinants of a specific era. Dial, in 1840, assuming the post of editor in 1842, but it was in his lectures. Literature educational materials books, lectures, reference. Freely browse and use ocw materials at your own pace.
Good press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. Readings usually include works by such authors as nathaniel hawthorne, henry david thoreau. Classic stories and poems of american literature are found in the pages of franklin, emerson, thoreau, hawthorne, melville, dickinson, twain, whitman, faulkner, and many others. American literature can also be categorised along ideological lines, reflecting the way in which literar y texts portray the major philosophical, religious and other concerns of specific eras.
166 886 1023 993 259 1296 454 1108 29 1157 1278 493 1533 590 909 1374 712 686 1572 493 980 361 353 873 1007 291 838 124 86 318