The heart of this course will be the shape of the Judeo-Christian spiritual quest from its earliest beginnings to its postmodern transformations. By using the tradition of the spiritual sublime, we can watch this genre as it is imported into the western desert and our own culture.
In this section of English 495, we will group readings of several novels and books of poetry around different theoretical concepts that have become “centers of gravity” in late twentieth century American literature and which appear to continue in the present: the relationships between history and narrative; the interactions between the past, nostalgia, collective memory, and identity formation; and the degree to which traumatic experience affects narrative and art. Having these theory-based groupings will facilitate the study of contemporary trends in theory and philosophy while giving us an interpretive language with which to approach these new literary texts. Probable course readings include the following: Geraldine Brooks, March; Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay; E. L. Doctorow, The March; Stephen Dunn, Different Hours: Poems; Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; Ted Kooser, Delights & Shadows; Cormac McCarthy, The Road; Marilynne Robinson, Gilead; and Philip Roth, The Plot Against America. We will read a variety of critical and theoretical essays that will be found on Electronic Course Reserve as well. This section will require one 4-6 page historical context paper, ten one-page inc-class rush-writes, one collaborative in-class presentation, and one 15-20 page term paper (and participation in the detailed proposal, conferencing, workshopping, and revision process that accompanies it).