HENK0391EU English - Free topic 7: American Fiction of the 1970s
In the United States, the 1970s were the continuation and culmination of a tumultuous era, a period of social and political upheaval. The war in Vietnam continued, ultimately ending in disaster. A revived and radical feminism manifested itself in political debate and public life. Violent terrorist groups such as the Weather Underground, the Black Panther Party and the Symbionese Liberation Army conducted campaigns of bombings, robbery, kidnapping and murder across the United States. The Watergate scandal threatened to overwhelm the American political process. Crime rates, including homicide, soared. A gasoline crisis followed the Arab-Israeli war of 1973, and as inflation rose steadily in the United States, the economy faltered. A declining working population in many major cities, including New York city, brought them to the verge of bankruptcy.
Yet, as is so often the case, these turbulent years were also characterized by a number of notable literary achievements. In this course, we will examine carefully some representative novels and short fiction of the 1970s. These will include Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow, Dog Soldiers by Robert Stone, “Dreams” from Crossing the Border by Joyce Carol Oates, Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion, “Black Tickets” by Jayne Anne Phillips and other works that will be gathered in a compendium.
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 28
- Preparation
- 176,75
- Total
- 204,75
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Other
Criteria for exam assesment
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- HENK0391EU
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree MasterFull Degree Master choice
- Duration
- 1 semester
- Placement
- Spring
- Schedule
- See link to schedule
- Study board
- Study board of English, Germanic and Romance Studies
Contracting department
- Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies
Course responsibles
- Gregory Stephenson (7-6a75686a72757c436b7870316e7831676e)