The latter half of the 20th century was an incredibly rich time for American literature—it saw the emergence of new voices and the representation of previously unheard subjectivities in literature. Literature in these decades also represented the political concerns and cultural shifts of its times, from Beat poetry to postmodernism.
As described in the UHM catalog, this class covers “basic concepts and representative texts for the study of American literature since approximately 1950.”
Student Learning Objectives:
Foundation: Students will gain a broad overview of post-mid-century American literature and knowledge of the significant literary movements of this period.
Context: Student will connect and contextualize the readings against the socio-historical backdrop.
Expression: Through reflective, analytical and creative writing, students will explore the aesthetic, craft and meaning of the readings. These assignments will also allow students to improve their own writing at the sentence and structural level.
Reading List:
On the Road, Jack Kerouac
Publisher: Penguin Books (June 1, 1999)
· ISBN-10: 0140283293
The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
· Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (June 11, 2013)
· ISBN-10: 0061148512
Lost in the Funhouse, John Barth
· Publisher: Anchor; Reissue edition (March 1, 1988)
· ISBN-10: 0385240872
The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
· Publisher: Vintage (April 3, 1991)
· ISBN-10: 0679734775
A Burst of Light, Audre Lorde
· Publisher: Ixia Press (September 13, 2017)
· ISBN-10: 0486818993
The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen
· Publisher: Grove Press; Reprint edition (April 12, 2016)
· ISBN-10: 0802124941
Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Revised and Complete Edition, Tony Kushner
· Publisher: Theatre Communications Group; Revised ed. edition (December 24, 2013)
· ISBN-10: 9781559363846
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Alison Bechdel
· Publisher: Mariner Books; Reprint edition (June 5, 2007)
· ISBN-10: 0618871713