ENG284

Description

Section information text: Special topics in the earliest periods of American letters provide a broad historical foundation for literary study in all fields as well as the opportunity for in-depth investigation of critical issues of colonial and early Republic culture such as gender, race, religious discourse, scientific progress, and political contest. If taken at the undergraduate level, prerequisite: Major American Writers I or permission of the instructor. A student may take this seminar more than once, as long as the topics differ each time. For undergraduate English majors this course may satisfy the Period (C-1 or C-2) requirement. Maybe repeatable for credit. Special Topic Spring '15, What's the Matter with Early American Poetry?: In this course we will seek to overcome literary critical ambivalence toward colonial American poetry by considering newly canonical poets (Bradstreet through Wheatley) alongside more obscure versifiers whose poetic practice survives largely in fugitive print forms (such as broadsides and almanacs) or in manuscript. Who produces poetry in this period, and why? Who consumes it? Why does so much early poetry seem alternately formulaic and experimental? Can we learn to read poetry through a pre-Romantic lens? Several class sessions will be held at the American Antiquarian Society, and students will be encouraged to pursue archival research projects using a AAS collections and digital humanities resources. Note that for English majors this special topic can fulfill B1 or C1 or C2. May be repeatable for credit.