🏜️American Literature – 1860 to Present Unit 7 – The American Novel

Key Themes and Concepts

• Exploration of the American Dream and its limitations (The Great Gatsby)
• Critique of societal norms and expectations
  • Gender roles and expectations (The Awakening)
  • Race and discrimination (Invisible Man)
• Examination of the individual's struggle against society and conformity
• Portrayal of the disillusionment and alienation of the modern era (The Sun Also Rises)
• Emphasis on regionalism and local color (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)
• Themes of identity, self-discovery, and coming of age
  • Bildungsroman narrative structure (The Catcher in the Rye)
• Exploration of the complexities of human nature and relationships

Historical Context

• Rise of industrialization and urbanization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
• Impact of World War I on American society and literature (Lost Generation)
• Great Depression and its influence on literary themes and styles (The Grapes of Wrath)
• Civil Rights Movement and its representation in literature
  • Harlem Renaissance (Their Eyes Were Watching God)
  • African American experience (Native Son)
• Women's suffrage and the changing role of women in society
• Emergence of counterculture and anti-establishment sentiments in the 1950s and 1960s (On the Road)

Major Authors and Works

• Mark Twain (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)
• Henry James (The Portrait of a Lady)
• Edith Wharton (The Age of Innocence)
• F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby)
• Ernest Hemingway (The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms)
• William Faulkner (The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying)
• John Steinbeck (The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden)
• Ralph Ellison (Invisible Man)
• J.D. Salinger (The Catcher in the Rye)
• Toni Morrison (Beloved, The Bluest Eye)

Literary Techniques and Styles

• Realism and naturalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
  • Objective and detailed descriptions of reality (Theodore Dreiser)
  • Deterministic view of human behavior and social conditions (Stephen Crane)
• Modernism and experimentation with form and style
  • Stream of consciousness narrative (Virginia Woolf)
  • Fragmented and non-linear storytelling (William Faulkner)
• Symbolism and imagery to convey deeper meanings and themes
• Use of irony, satire, and humor to critique society (Catch-22)
• Incorporation of vernacular language and regional dialects (The Color Purple)

Critical Analysis and Interpretation

• Feminist literary criticism and the representation of women in literature
  • Challenging traditional gender roles and expectations (The Awakening)
  • Exploring female identity and empowerment (The Bell Jar)
• Marxist literary criticism and the portrayal of class struggles
  • Critique of capitalism and social inequality (The Jungle)
• Postcolonial literary criticism and the representation of marginalized voices
  • Native American experience (House Made of Dawn)
  • Immigrant experience (The Joy Luck Club)
• New Historicism and the examination of literature within its historical and cultural context
• Reader-response criticism and the role of the reader in interpreting literary works

Cultural Impact and Relevance

• Influence of American literature on popular culture and media
  • Film adaptations of classic novels (The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird)
  • References and allusions in music, art, and other forms of expression
• Reflection of American values, ideals, and social issues in literature
  • The pursuit of the American Dream (The Great Gatsby)
  • Racial inequality and injustice (To Kill a Mockingbird)
• Contribution to the development of a distinct American literary identity
• Relevance of themes and issues addressed in American literature to contemporary society

Comparison with Other Literary Movements

• Relationship between American literature and European literary movements
  • Influence of European realism and naturalism on American writers
  • American modernism as a response to European modernist movements
• Similarities and differences in themes, styles, and techniques
  • Comparison of American and British modernism (T.S. Eliot, James Joyce)
• Interaction and cross-pollination between American literature and other artistic movements
  • Influence of jazz and blues on the Harlem Renaissance
  • Relationship between Beat Generation writers and abstract expressionism

Further Reading and Resources

• Critical essays and analyses of major American novels
  • "The Great Gatsby: The Limits of Wonder" by Richard Lehan
  • "The Awakening: Struggles Toward L'écriture Féminine" by Wendy Martin
• Biographies and memoirs of notable American authors
  • "Ernest Hemingway: A Life Story" by Carlos Baker
  • "Zora Neale Hurston: A Literary Biography" by Robert Hemenway
• Historical and cultural studies related to American literature
  • "The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America" by Leo Marx
• Online resources and databases for research and analysis
  • Project Gutenberg (free access to classic American novels)
  • JSTOR (scholarly articles and essays on American literature)
• Recommended contemporary American novels for further exploration
  • "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Díaz
  • "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead