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| Semester | spring semester 2015 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Philipp Schweighauser (ph.schweighauser@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | The beginnings of European modernism reach back to the late nineteenth century and the poetry of Charles Baudelaire, but most of the texts which are central to modernist literature as we know it today were written between 1914 and 1945, the years which mark the beginning of the First and the ending of the Second World War. In the United States, too, these years saw a spectacular flowering of literary experimentation that produced works whose innovative force every succeeding generation of writers has to contend with: Gertrude Stein's difficult and ingenious mixture of prose and poetry; the radical politics and equally radical aesthetics of John Dos Passos's "Manhattan Transfer" and "U.S.A." trilogy; the African-American modernism of the Harlem Renaissance; the succinctness of Hemingway's 'hard style' as well as the powerful long sentences of William Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury;" the very different poetics of Ezra Pound's "The Cantos" and T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" on the one hand and Wallace Stevens's "Anecdote of the Jar" and William Carlos Williams's "The Red Wheelbarrow" on the other; and Djuna Barnes's dark and daring exploration of alternative sexualities in "Nightwood." We will work our way toward this defining period of American literary history by beginning with naturalist works such as Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage," which can be read both as radicalizations of realist modes of writing and proto-modernist literary experiments. |
| Learning objectives | You are introduced to a formative period of American literary and cultural history. |
| Bibliography | The eighth or seventh edition of Volumes C and D (1865-1914; 1914-1945) of Baym, Nina, gen. ed., "The Norton Anthology of American Literature" (New York: W. W. Norton) need to be ordered and purchased well before the beginning of the term. If you plan to attend more than one part of this four-part lecture course, it makes sense to buy all volumes (A-B + C-E) of "The Norton Anthology of American Literature". COPIES ARE FOR SALE AT THE LABYRINTH BOOKSTORE OPPOSITE THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH. You also need to bring along the handouts for each session, INCLUDING THE FIRST. They are available on ADAM. |
| Comments | Note that I am also offering an MA research seminar on "Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitzgerald" (39973-01) whose topic is closely related to this course. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | None |
| Course application | Not required |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Interphilologische Lehrveranstaltungen für die Nordistik (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Interphilologische Lehrveranstaltungen für die Nordistik (MA) (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Interphilologische Lehrveranstaltungen für die Slavistik (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Interphilologisches Angebot: Allgemeine Literaturwissenschaft (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Advanced Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul Allgemeine Literaturwissenschaft (Master's degree subject: Modern German Literature (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Allgemeine Literaturwissenschaft (Master's degree subject: German Literature (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul English & American Literature (Master's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Extending the View (Literary and Cultural Studies) (Bachelor's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Focusing on the Discipline (Literary and Cultural Studies) (Bachelor's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: English) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul Introduction to Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul Learning about Literature and Culture (Bachelor's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Literatur- und Kulturtheorie (Bachelor's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Literaturgeschichte (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul Neuere Deutsche Literaturwissenschaft I (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Refining Skills in Literature and Culture (Bachelor's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Research Skills in English Linguistics or Literature (Master's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Vertiefung, Wissen, Praxis (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Written test (90 mins) toward the end of term |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, repetition counts |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |