Morrison has famously argued that race is a crucial lens through which to examine a central paradox of American society – that freedom is consistently defined through the creation and perpetuation of cultural and political oppression, both on an individual and structural level. This quarter we will trace this interplay between freedom and oppression in race as well as other cultural discourses, focusing in particular on how this dynamic has impacted the American promise of self-creation. What challenges are inherent in locating individual subjectivity in a consumer society? We will begin with two Morrison novels (The Bluest Eye and A Mercy) and Don Delillo’s White Noise in order to lay a baseline for problems attendant with establishing an individual identity in the modern age. The second half of the quarter will deal with how the autobiographical impulses of contemporary American literature arise out of a response to the mass media’s influence on personality development. Expect to write about four close reading assignments (1-2 pages) and 2 comparative essays (about 5-6 pages).