106-273/373 American Liberals and Moderns

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Subject Description:

This subject is a comparative study of American fiction representing the liberal tradition and the beginnings of modernism, ranging from the late nineteenth century to the early 1940s. The texts chosen will mostly reflect the American literary canon in the first half of this century, excluding poetry and drama. The critical approach will be exegetical and humanist, with a strong interest in the range of modernisms and liberal positions that the works represent. The political and social background to the works will be relevant, and students are encouraged to contextualise their discussions by reading widely.

Assessment:

Prescribed Texts:

• J Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer, Penguin.
• W T Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury, Penguin.
• S Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night, Penguin.
• E Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms, Penguin.
• H James, What Maisie Knew, Penguin Classic.
• C McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Penguin.
• H Miller, Tropic of Capricorn, Grove.
• G Stein, Three Lives, Penguin.
• J Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath