Literature is often a reflection of history. Throughout history various literary movements have shaped the face of American literature. Part of analyzing a literary work is putting it in perspective in terms of history and literary tradition. This week we will take a look at several major movements, their historical influences, and their impact on the novel you are reading.
Students will be able to:
• Identify the historical influences that shaped major literary movements.
• Evaluate the influence of various movements in literature.
In this lesson, we will discuss:
• The major literary movements of the late nineteenth and twentieth century and their impact on the novels we are covering
• Historical events as they relate to literature
Romanticism
Realism
Multiculturalism
Modernism and the Literary Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The following activities and assessments need to be completed this week:
• Readings:
James Baldwin: Author Bio
James Baldwin: Sonny's Blues
Flannery O'Connor: Author Bio
Flannery O'Connor,:Good Country People
Tim O'Brien: Author Bio
Tim O'Brien: from Going After Cacciato
Joyce Carol Oates: Author Bio
Joyce Carol Oates: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
and also: Robert Hayden Those Winter Sundays
Forum: Post-Modernism and Psychoanalysis
Part One: Several of our works this week portray family relationships that are less than perfect. Choose one that stood out to you as particularly moving or engaging. Describe the relationship and explain its personal resonance with you.
Part Two: Research one of this week's authors and tell us what about his or her biography struck you as being reflective of issues in the work. Be sure to cite all biographical information you report.
Part Three: Post-modern work is sometimes ambiguous. What do you think happens to Connie at the end of Oates's story? Explain why you think so. Use direct textual evidence to support your assumption. In O'Brien's story we meet a soldier who goes AWOL- he leaves his post and a squad of men is sent to find him. How do you think this story ends based on what you see in this short excerpt? What clues can you tease out of the chapter to give an indication of where this story might be headed?
Instructions: Your initial discussion should be at least 200 words. It must include MLA citations - both in-text and an end citation. Please also respond to a minimum of two of your classmates' initial posts and bring together pieces of the discussion and take those ideas further. These responses should be at least 150 words.