HENK03904U English - Free topic 6: Short Fiction and American Regionalism (exam form A,B,C)

Volume 2015/2016
Content

The subject of this course is the regional short fiction of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century America, which was enormously popular at the time. Its proponents argued that the genre depicted “not one vast, pale figure of America, but several Americas, in many subtle and significant characterizations.” We will explore stories and two short novels set in New England, the West, the South, and the Midwest, texts that are just as concerned with representing distinctly regional landscapes, communities, and histories as individual human dramas. Some of the authors considered include Kate Chopin, Charles Chesnutt, Mary Austin, Willa Cather, and Sherwood Anderson. The course also emphasizes contemporary criticism in the field. Our dual objective is an understanding of both this body of literature and the critical conversations and debates that surround it. What constitutes a “regional” text?

  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 28
  • Preparation
  • 176,75
  • Total
  • 204,75
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Other
Criteria for exam assesment