Considering this is the only course in the curriculum devoted to the study of American literature and culture and that in order to have an educated understanding of the cultural production of today the students should have some knowledge of the tradition where that production is grounded, the course will concentrate on the period of time that goes from the foundation of America as a nation to the struggle for, and declaration of, cultural and literary independence. With these circumstances in mind, when reading the texts we will focus not only on their literary aspects but also on their historical, cultural and ideological dimensions.
Some of the learning outcomes: To know the ideas and founding myths of America as a nation. To know the most important historical events for the future of the USA, from the age of Revolution and Independence to that of the American Industrial Revolution. To know how to incorporate the literary works in their historical and cultural context.
1. Introduction.
The colonial period: ideas and founding myths of America as a nation; the role of religion and its rhetoric. Awaking and Enlightenment; Revolution and Independence.
2. Romanticism and Transcendentalism.
The road towards cultural independence: the role of Transcendentalism in nineteenth century cultural life; Transcendentalism, literature and the American Naissance. Prominent figures in American literature and culture before the Civil War (Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman). Late recognition of Poe and Dickinson. The political context.
3. American Realism — from regionalism to cosmopolitism.
Literary independence: the “Vernacular” versus the “Genteel Tradition”; the relevance of Mark Twain for the American novel; the critical activity of William Dean Howells and his influence. Cosmopolitism and Henry James between America and Europe; Psychologic Realism.
The course tries to reach a balance between its theoretical component and practical activities involving the students. Specific thematic units will be introduced in the form of lectures, which in certain instances will be complemented by student research to be presented in class. Practical activities will concentrate on reading, literary analysis and historic and cultural commentary on the texts considered more relevant for the period under consideration.
CHASE, Richard. The American Novel and Its Tradition. The Johns Hopkins U.P.
DEGLER, Carl N. Out of Our Past: The Forces That Shaped Modern America. Harper.
EVANS, J. Martin. America: The View from Europe. W.W. Norton.
HILL, C. P. A History of The United States. Edward Arnold.
JAMES, Henry. Selected Short Stories. Penguin.
JONES, Maldwyn A. The Limits of Liberty: American History 1607–1992. Oxford U.P.
LINSCOTT, Robert N. (ed.). Selected Poems & Letters of Emily Dickinson. Doubleday.
LUEDTKE, Luther S. (ed.). Making America: The Society and Culture of the United States. USIA.
McMICHAEL, George (ed.). Concise Anthology of American Literature. Macmillan.
RAMALHO, Maria Irene (coord.). Literatura Norte-Americana. Universidade Aberta.
RULAND, Richard, e BRADBURY, Malcolm. From Puritanism to Postmodernism: A History of American Literature. Penguin.
TWAIN, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Penguin.
WHITMAN, Walt. Ther Complete Poems. Penguin.
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