Title: THE AMERICAN NOVEL

PRQ:

The leaders of the American Revolution characterized their war against imperial England as the struggle of a rapidly-maturing child against a tyrannical parent. Since this country’s very beginnings, then, the idea of the United States as a young nation coming of age has been central to its culture and literature. Certainly, the American novel has been dominated by children and adolescents—from Pearl Prynne, Tom Sawyer, and Jo March to Holden Caulfield, Scout Finch, and Bella Swan. This course emphasizes both aspects of the theme “Growing Up in the USA”: we will explore American novels that take their protagonists from childhood into adolescence (or even adulthood) and which emphasize larger national experiences—from the Civil War through Civil Rights to the age of global terrorism. While we will consider the complex interrelation between the American novel and its social contexts, particular emphasis in this class will be placed upon skills of close textual analysis.

Requirements include regular, short thesis-driven papers and two exams (a midterm and final).  Please note: active and regular participation in class discussion is absolutely crucial to this course and will make up a significant proportion of the final grade.

Mark Twain. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884); William Faulkner. The Unvanquished (1938); Carson McCullers. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1940); Toni Morrison. The Bluest Eye (1970); Robert Cormier. After the First Death (1979); Howard Cruse. Stuck Rubber Baby (1995); Margaret Atwood. Oryx and Crake (2003).  For additional details please e-mail Professor Ryan at tryan@niu.edu.