American Literature Two

English 2328: American Literature II

English 2328 is designed to serve primarily as an introduction to the large body of writing categorized as American Literature; it is also designed to introduce methods for understanding this material in relation to the broader category of American Culture. Although it is not required, a familiarity with the cultural history of the United States over the course of the last century will be very beneficial. The course will trace the development of various literary movements—including romanticism, realism, naturalism, regionalism, modernism, and postmodernism—and examine how these movements are themselves reactions to the cultural shifts taking place in America at given periods of time.

This is a painting by the French artist Rene Magrite. It is scandalous, no? How does this relate to American Literature? Glad you asked that question. To begin with, the poet Richard Wilbur dedicated his poem "A Hole in the Floor" to Magrite. Now, why might Wilbur do such a thing? Well, Wilbur--like many twentieth-century writers--was fascinated with the experimental nature of the avante-garde artistic movements. Inevitably, these movements influenced one another. Many twentieth-century writers looked to the visual arts for inspiration and found it in the work of artist such as Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Rene Magrite, and others.

Author: Matthew Henry
Last Modified on: 07/01/04
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