ENGH 441: Topics: American Authors

ENGH 441-001: Whitman & Melville
(Spring 2012)

09:00 AM to 10:15 AM TR

Section Information for Spring 2012

We will focus on two of the most celebrated works of American Literature: Leaves of Grass and Moby Dick. We will read both texts as anti-Christian manifestos which attempt to lay the foundations for a new democratic faith that, while open to transcendence, places primary emphasis on the divinity resident in the human breast. Emphasis will be given to a comparative examination of the authors' aesthetics, spirituality, and politics: their innovative styles, their spiritual visions, and their responses to major social issues of their day--slavery and the Civil War, the movement for women's rights, industrialization and wage labor. Quizzes, student reports on scholarship, and a research paper.

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Study of one or two major figures in American literature. Notes: May be repeated when topic is different with permission of department. Offered by English. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 6 credits.
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies
Recommended Prerequisite: Satisfaction of University requirements in 100-level English and in Mason Core literature.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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