ENGL 362-01, American Modernism, Spring 2008

Abstract

In this course we will read and analyze selected works of American prose fiction published during the first half of the 20th Century (roughly 1890-1945). We will first explore the transition from 19th century realism to 20th century modernism, and then move on to consider the literary conventions and historical conditions that constitute the modernist dominant. In terms of literay form, this shift involves a move away from realistic representation, objectivity, and humanistic representation in favor of aesthetic self-consciousness, subjectivity, and spatial form. In analyzing these literary devices, we will also examine the material historical forces that inspired them.