Title: THE AMERICAN NOVEL

PRQ:

This section of ENGL 375 is organized around the theme of “Nationalism, Internationalism, and Transnationalism.” We will analyze novels that address the United States in a global context, focusing upon such topics as Americans abroad, border crossings, the incorporation of territories into new states, and the impact of international terrorism at home. We will also address a couple of books that imagine the transformation of the United States into new political and social entities. While we will consider the complex interrelation between American fiction and its social contexts, we will place particular emphasis upon close textual analysis.

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

The primary texts for the course are: Henry James. Daisy Miller (1878); Willa Cather. Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927); Nella Larsen. Quicksand (1928); Philip K. Dick. The Man in the High Castle (1962); Robert Cormier. After the First Death (1979); Margaret Atwood. The Handmaid’s Tale (1986); Leslie Marmon Silko. Almanac of the Dead (1991) We will supplement our reading of novels with several secondary articles and essays, including pieces by Benedict Anderson, J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur, Randolph Bourne, Shelley Fisher Fishkin, Ishmael Reed, and Sarah Vowell. For additional details, please e-mail Professor Ryan at tryan@niu.edu.