We will read and discuss an assortment of novels and short stories written by American authors in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Students will be expected to keep up with reading assignments and take part in open discussions in class. Written work will consist entirely of a series of between five and ten in-class papers, written in response to study questions handed out in advance.

Texts: Crane, ed. FIFTY GREAT AMERICAN SHORT STORIES; Nathaniel Hawthorne, THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES; Mark Twain, THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN; James Baldwin, GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN; John Steinbeck, EAST OF EDEN; and Anne Tyler, A PATCHWORK PLANET.