“The function of literature,” American literary critic Lionel Trilling claimed, “through all its mutations, has been to make us aware of the particularity of selves.” While one might propose a number of counterarguments about the “function of literature,” Trilling does succeed in identifying “selfhood” as one of literature’s principal themes. In this class we will read three novels and a number of short stories, poems, and critical articles to explore how conceptions of selfhood have evolved over the past 200 years. This course is also designed to familiarize you with different periods of literature and the dominant modes of thought that have influenced literature at various historical junctures. The overall course goals are to hone your: 1) critical thinking skills; 2) ability to analyze literary texts; and 3) ability to write about literature. Student responsibilities include daily attendance, active participation in discussions and activities, and two 5-7 page papers with revisions.

Texts:

• Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick. Eds. Herschel Parker and Harrison Hayford. New York: Norton, 2001. [0393972836]
• Woolf, Virginia. The Waves. Orlando, FL: Harcourt/Harvest, 2006. [0156031574]
• Murakami, Haruki. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. New York: Vintage, 1993. [0679743464]
• Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th Ed.). New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2003. [0873529863]
• Course Reader.