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Key facts
| Type | Weekly Classes |
|---|---|
| Location | Charlbury |
| Address | Friends' Meeting House Market Street Charlbury OX7 3PH |
| Dates | Tue 2 Oct to Tue 4 Dec 2012 Day: Tuesday Time of meeting: 10.15am-12.15pm Number of meetings: 10 |
| Subject area(s) | Literature |
| CATS points | 10 |
| Fees | From £145.00 |
| Application status | Course ended |
| Course code | E12P550LTW |
| Course contact | If you have any questions about this course, please email ppweekly@conted.ox.ac.uk. |
Overview
Explore some of America’s best-known novels and poems, including Benito Cereno; The Europeans; Huckleberry Finn; Sister Carrie; and The Red Badge of Courage.Description
American literature came of age in the half century 1850-1900. From the idealism of the Transcendalists to the worldly view of the Gilded Age, this course will examine some of America’s best-known fiction and poetry within the evolving historical context of the later nineteenth century. Key texts for discussion and analysis include Herman Melville’s novella Benito Cereno; Henry James’s short novel, The Europeans; Mark Twain’s perennial favourite The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage; and Theodore Dreiser’s, Sister Carrie. There will also be poetry extracts supplied for Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and others.Programme details
Week 1: Introduction – Backgrounds to American Literature in the Nineteenth CenturyWeek 2: Melville – Benito Cereno
Week 3: Poetry 1
Week 4: James – The Europeans
Week 5: Poetry 2
Week 6: Twain - Huckleberry Finn - Contexts
Week 7: Twain – Huckleberry Finn - Analysis
Week 8: Crane – The Red Badge of Courage
Week 9: Dreiser – Sister Carrie - Contexts
Week 10: Dreiser – Sister Carrie - Analysis
Background Reading:
S. Samuels, A Companion to American Fiction, 1780-1865
R P Lamb, A Companion to American Fiction, 1865-1914
Staff
Dr John Ballam
Role: Tutor
JD Ballam is Course Director of the Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing at OUDCE. He has been an author for 25 years, and an academic for 19. ...more
Course aims
Course Aim:To familiarise students with a spectrum of key themes in American fiction and poetry published between roughly 1840 and 1910. The course will demonstrate various ways in which those themes may be seen to interact with diverse strands of American history and culture, while also illuminating important aspects of numerous sub-genres (romance, historical, political etc) as well as other factors contributing to the development of American fiction more widely.
Course Objectives:
1. To read carefully nine important and characteristic works of nineteenth-century American fiction and poetry, and some comparable (or contrasting) works from the period
2. To show how our reading of these novels and stories can be enhanced by a combination of critical approaches - literary and historical
3. To foster students' ability to analyse literary works, particularly by appreciating the impact of relevant historical and cultural factors coinciding with the books' publication, and the differing impact these had on works in different sub-genres
Assessment methods
1. Students will be expected to write one essay amounting to 1000 words, the topic for which will be agreed upon by consultation with the tutor2. Students will present a portfolio of five shorter question sheets provided by the tutor relative to the novels or story collections studied each term.
Teaching methods
1. Presentation/exposition by the tutor2. Guided class discussion
3. Practical criticism of extracts conducted initially in class
4. Small group analysis of particular passages or examples, both from main books and related texts (prose, drama or poetry)
5. Occasional comparison with film versions available on DVD or video; or similarly, audio versions of texts or related material
Teaching outcomes
1. To read carefully nine important and characteristic works of American fiction and poetry, and some comparable (or contrasting) works from the period2. To show how our reading of these novels and stories can be enhanced by a combination of critical approaches - literary and historical
3. To foster students' ability to analyse literary works, particularly by appreciating the impact of relevant historical and cultural factors coinciding with the books' publication, and the differing impact these had on works in different sub-genres
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