History of American literature 15-HLAM-ZL-12
(First semester of a two-semester course. Next semester: 15-HLAM-ZL-22.)
History of American Literature is a historically-grounded two-semester course designed to survey the main trends and ideas in American literature from the Colonial Period to the beginning of our century. The syllabus is structured chronologically to facilitate a better understanding of both the inner tensions and the continuity of American literary tradition. The reading list covers the most representative literary figures of a given period or movement and is meant to introduce students to the variety of aesthetic practices, genres, themes and works which make up for the formal, thematic and ethnic richness of American literature and culture. The course is also meant to prepare students for further professional development by encouraging their own literary pursuits and interests and making them sensitive to the cultural value of American literary history. Students will also learn reading and critical strategies useful in further research and in teaching.
The main contents of the course: (1) Introduction/ The Puritan Period; (2) Puritan Poetry; (3) Turn of the nineteenth century/ American Romanticism; (4) Transcendentalism; (5) Dark Romanticism; (6) Romantic Poetry; (7) Realism; (8) Naturalism; (9) Modernism; (10) Postmodernism.
Module learning aims
Information on where to find course materials
Major
Methods of teaching for learning outcomes achievement
Student workload (ECTS credits)
Cycle of studies
Module type
Year of studies (where relevant)
Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences
Learning outcomes
After successfuly completing the course, a student:
1) will be able to identify the main stages in the development of American literature
2) will be able to analyze and interpret literary texts in a historical context
3) will be able to identify and analyze different literary genres
4) will be able to understand and use literary theories
Bibliography
Peter Conn. The Cambridge Illustrated History of American Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1989.
Emory Elliott (ed.) Columbia Literary History of the United States. New York: Columbia University Press,
1988.
Andrzej Kopcewicz, Marta Sienicka. Historia literatury Stanów Zjednoczonych w zarysie. Vols. 1, 2.
Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1982.
Agnieszka Salska (ed.) Historia literatury amerykańskiej XX wieku. Vols. 1, 2. Kraków: Universitas, 2003.
Norton Anthology of American Literature. (Volume One and Two)
Bradley Sculley (et. al.) American Tradition in Literature (Volume One and Two)
Richard Ruland and Malcolm Bradbury. From Puritanism to Postmodernism: A History of American
Literature. Penguin Books. 1992.
Stachura, Paweł. 2010. An Outline History of American Literature. Poznań. Wydawnictwo Poznańskie.
Richard Gray. 2004. A History of American Literature. Malden, USA, Oxford, UK, Carlton, Australia.
Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Agata Preis-Smith. 2004. Kultura, tekst, ideologia. Dyskursy współczesnej amerykanistyki. Kraków:
Universitas.
F. O. Matthiessen. The American Renaissance. London: Oxford UP, 1941. (IFA Library Reference)
The Columbia Literary History of the United States, New York. 1990.
Emory Elliot at al. (ed.) The Columbia History of the American Novel and Poetry, New York: 1991 and
1993.
Parini, Jay (1948- ). (ed.) Millier, Brett Candlish. Red. The Columbia History of the American Poetry. 1993.
Sacvan Bercovitch (ed.), associate ed. Cyrus R. K. Patell. The Cambridge History of American literature.
Vol. 1, 1590-1820. Cambridge : Cambridge Univ. Press, 1994.
Pearce, Roy, Harvey. The Continuity of American Poetry. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 1961.
Bigsby, Christopher William Edgar. Modern American drama, 1945-1990. New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1994.
Bigsby, Christopher William Edgar. Modern American drama : 1945-2000. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2000.
Peter Conn. The Cambridge Illustrated History of American Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
Emory Elliott (ed.) Columbia Literary History of the United States. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988.
Andrzej Kopcewicz, Marta Sienicka. Historia literatury Stanów Zjednoczonych w zarysie. Vols. 1, 2. Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1982.
Agnieszka Salska (ed.) Historia literatury amerykańskiej XX wieku. Vols. 1, 2. Kraków: Universitas, 2003.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: