[litp] 19th- and 20th-Century American Short Story (Nordamerikanische Literaturen und Kulturen) - Einzelansicht

According to Alfred Bendixen, the short story is “an American invention, and arguably the most important literary genre to have emerged in the United States.” In this seminar, we will trace the emergence of the American short story in the 19^th century and its development throughout the 20^th century. Our primary focus will be on works produced by canonical writers such as Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Sarah Orne Jewett, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner.

In our analyses, we will put special emphasis on the discussion of generic questions, literary and theoretical movements (local color, realism, eco-criticism, gender theory etc.), and recurring themes – all of which will be examined in connection to the social, historical, cultural, and political circumstances under which the relevant short stories were produced.

Please note:

We will have one longer extra session on Sat, 29 November 2014 from 10 am - 4 pm (room: tba)

Selected Short Stories:

• Washington Irving: “Rip van Winkle” (1819/20)
• Edgar Allan Poe: “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1845)

• Sarah Orne Jewett: “The White Heron” (1886)
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman: “The Yellow Wall-Paper” (1892)
• Kate Chopin: “The Story of an Hour” (1894)
• Ernest Hemingway, “The Killers” (1927)
• William Faulkner, “That Evening Sun” (1931)
• Sandra Cisneros, “Woman Hollering Creek” (1991)

Texts:

A course reader will be made available for purchase.

Course requirements:

Regular attendance, active participation, reading and writing assignments, short oral presentation, graded term paper.

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