Megan Miller
English 242 B
Fall 2010

Dirt Road Modernism: Literary modernism is typically associated with urban experience in the first half of the twentieth century, and opposed to the provincial sensibilities of the nineteenth century. Many modernist novels respond to life in big cities, exploring—for example—the influence of consumer culture, new technologies, or the sensory experience of living in close proximity to so many people. In this class, however, we are going to read fiction that looks at modern experience from outside the city. The small towns and rural areas that show up in modernist novels are not stuck in a bygone era. Rather, they are places where the conflicts between old and new ways of life are felt most acutely, and where urbanites dream of gaining access to their own primitive selves. We will read short works by Edgar Lee Masters, Sherwood Anderson, Waldo Frank, and Marsden Hartley, in addition to Jean Toomer’s Cane (1923), Willa Cather’s The Professor’s House (1925), and William Faulkner’s Light in August (1932). We’ll end the quarter with Louise Erdrich’s Plague of Doves (2008), a recent novel that shares central themes with its modernist predecessors. All of these texts respond to the broad effects of modernization, including uneven development, rootlessness, and contact with people who challenge a stable understanding of progress.

Course Goals: The goals of this course will be (A) to familiarize you with the cultural history of American modernism; (B) to improve your ability to read fiction carefully and analytically; and (C) to improve your ability to write about literature in an academic context.

Student Responsibilities: In order to pass this class you’ll need to attend daily; complete all readings and homework assignments; actively participate in discussions; give an informal class presentation; write two 5-7 page essays; and revise one of your essays at the end of the quarter.

Texts: Jean Toomer, Cane (ISBN: 0871401517); Willa Cather, The Professor’s House (ISBN: 9679731806); William Faulkner, Light In August (ISBN: 0679732268); Louise Erdrich, Plague of Doves (ISBN: 0060515139); photocopied course pack.