School of Writing, Literature, and Film

English 254 Survey of American Literature: 1900 to Present

This course offers a rapid introduction to the key figures and movements of American literature from 1900 to the present.  The key questions that we will ask concern the ways that we might categorize the large and heterogeneous output of American literary artists during this period.  We will examine the ways that American Modernist poets and novelists position themselves within regional, national, and international cultures.  We will examine the strategies by which post-World War II American artists depart from the forms, themes, and styles of their literary ancestors.  We will explore relationship between literature and cultural studies through discussions of race, class, gender, and sexuality.  Finally, we will examine emergent genres that may shape the future directions of American literature.