This course covers American literature written and published roughly between the two major world wars, 1914 - 1945, thus focusing on themes of modern war-torn America: alienation, absurdity of humane existence, mechanization, social and psychological fragmentation, indeterminacy of life, disenfranchisement. These themes "modernist" writers incorporated into texts implementing experimental techniques, verbally, visually, theoretically.
Students will practice using various critical approaches rooted in historical and cultural contexts to move well beyond impressionistic interpretation and evaluation of texts. Experimental fictional and prose writers and works likely to be covered in the course include those by Faulkner, Wright, Wharton, Hurston, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Anderson, Evans, as will be various modernist poets and playwrights.
Important to course success is familiarity with basic literary genres and elements, various critical approaches to literature, beyond the merely impressionistic and formal and including cultural and historical contexts, reader-response and reception theories. Familiarity and practice using secondary sources found online in UW English scholarly discipline databases include those here: http://guides.lib.washington.edu/english
Assignments and grading will be based on weekly quizzes, objective and short out-of-class essay on readings; midterm and final essays and identification of terms; discussion reparation, thoughtful vocal participation in interpretive and evaluative debate, and class presentations.

Main course text: Norton Anthology of American Literature, Volume D