MA English Literature MumUni Elective 3B

Course: Elective III
Course Title: Twentieth Century American Literature
Paper III-B

1. Syllabus as per Choice Based Credit System
i) Name of the Program :M.A. English (Regular) Part II, Semester III, Elective III
ii) Course Code : PAENG303
iv) Semester wise Course Contents : Enclosed the copy of syllabus v) References and Additional References : Enclosed in the Syllabus vi) Credit Structure : No. of Credits per Semester -06 vii) No. of lectures per Unit : 15 viii) No. of lectures per week : 04 2. Scheme of Examination : 4 Questions of 15 marks each 3. Special notes, if any : No 4. Eligibility, if any : No 5. Fee Structure : As per University Structure

Preamble:
The 20th century American Literature is a corpus of experimental and multicultural writings. It also reveals the impact of many movements such as Imagism, Modernism, Postmodernism and Feminism. A course on 20th Century American Literature will enable a literature student to get familiar with a variety of literary expressions. Themes such as identity, immigrant experiences, multiculturalism, marginality, protest and hyphenated identities are reflected in this course.

Objectives: 1.To acquaint the learners of literature with the various genres and literary terms of twentieth century American Literature 2.To sensitize them to the themes and styles of modern and postmodern American Literary works 3.To introduce them to the socio-cultural milieu of twentieth century America through literary texts 4.To enhance their understanding of multicultural sensibilities by introducing them to the literary works representing them 5.To facilitate cross-cultural perspectives and discussions on American Literature of multiple ethnicities 6.To enable them to write projects and research papers on American literature.

Unit 1: Terms and Concepts
The Liberal Humanism (Contesting Humanism and American Dream Problematised), The Lost Generation, Southern Renaissance, Beat Generation, The Harlem Renaissance, The Civil Rights Movement, Expressionism in American Drama, Impact of the World Wars on American Literature, Confessional Poetry, Postmodernism in American Fiction, Jewish American Literature, African American women writers.

Unit 2: Poetry
Robert Frost:
“Out, Out--” “A Roadside Stand” “Fire and Ice”

Wallace Stevens: “Anecdote of the Jar” “Another Weeping Woman” “Domination of Black” “ A Rabbit as the King of the Ghosts” Nikki Giovanni: “A Journey” “Crutches” “Life Cycles” “I Wrote a Good Omelet”

Unit 3: Novel
Joseph Heller: Catch-22
Gloria Naylor: Mama Day

Unit 4: Drama
Eugene O’Neill: The Hairy Ape
Marsha Norman: Night, Mother

References:

1. Abrams, M. H.A Glossary of Literary Terms. (8th Edition) New Delhi: Akash Press, 2007.
2. Baldick, Chris. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
3. Bloom, Harold, ed. Short Story Writers and Short Stories. New York: Chelsea House, 2005.
4. Bruels, Marcia F. “Frost’s ‘Out, Out—,’ ” Explicator 55, no. 2 (Winter 1997): 85–88.
5. Cook, Bruce. The Beat Generation. New York: Scribners, 1971.
6. Gould, Jean. Modern American Playwrights. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1966.
7. Drabble, Margaret and Stringer, Jenny. The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.
8. Fagan, Deirdre. Critical Companion to Robert Frost: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Facts On File, Inc. An imprint of Infobase Publishing 2007
9. Faggen, Robert. Robert Frost and the Challenge of Darwin. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1997, 152–153.
10. Faggen, Robert. The Cambridge Introduction to Robert Frost .Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2008.
11. Fowler, Roger. Ed. A Dictionary of Modern Critical Terms.Rev. ed. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987.
12. Frattali, Steven. Person, Place, and World: A Late-Modern Reading of Robert Frost. Victoria, BC: English Literary Studies, University of Victoria, 2002.
13. Hansen, Tom. “Frost’s Fire and Ice,” Explicator 59, no. 1 (Fall 2000): 27–30.
14. Harmon, Willliam; Holman, C. Hugh. A Handbook to Literature.7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1996.
15. Hoffman, Tyler B. Robert Frost and the Politics of Poetry. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 2001.
16. Hudson, William Henry. An Introduction to the Study of Literature. New Delhi: Atlantic, 2007.
17. Lawrence, Shaffer. History of American Literature and Drama. New Delhi: Sarup, 2000.
18. Little, Michael R. Bloom’s How to Write about Robert Frost. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2010.
19. Locklear, Gloriana. “Frost’s ‘Out, Out—,’ “Explicator 49, no. 3 (Spring 1991): 167–169. 20. Ludwig, Richard M. and Nault, Clifford A. Annals of American Literature, 1602-1983. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1986.
21. MacNicholas, John, ed. Twentieth-Century American Dramatists, 2 vols. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1981.
22. Myerson, Joel, ed. The American Renaissance in New England. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1978.
23. Pack, Robert. Belief and Uncertainty in the Poetry of Robert Frost. Hanover, N.H.: Middlebury College Press, 2003.
24. Parini, Jay. Robert Frost: A Life. New York: Holt, 1999, 197–198.
25. Parker, Patricia L. Early American Fiction: A Reference Guide. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1984.
26. Pattee, Fred Lewis. The Development of the American Short Story: An Historical Survey. New York: Biblo and Tannen, 1975.
27. Rosenblatt, Roger. Black Fiction. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1974.
28. Rush, Theressa Gunnels. Black American Writers Past and Present. 2 vols. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1975.
29. Sears, John F. “The Subversive Performer in Frost’s ‘Snow’ and ‘Out, Out—,’ ” In The Motive for Metaphor: Essays on Modern Poetry, edited by Francis C. Blessington and Guy L. Rotella, 82–92. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1983.
30. Thompson, Lawrance. Fire and Ice: The Art and Thought of Robert Frost. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1942.
31. Thompson, Lawrance. Robert Frost: The Years of Triumph: 1915–1938. New York: Holt, 1970.
32. Vendler, Helen. Part of Nature, Part of Us: Modern American Poets. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1980.
33. Voss, Arthur. The American Short Story: A Critical Survey. Norman: Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 1980.
34. Woodress, James. American Fiction, 1900-1950: A Guide to Information Sources. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1974.