Gregory Eiselein

Frederick Douglass

ENGL 381 American Survey 1

Eisenhower Hall 21 | MWF 9:30 | Fall 2007

Designed for English majors, American Survey 1 is an examination of American literature from the earliest accounts of colonization to the poems and stories of the Civil War era. Tracing the development of selected literary styles and periods, we will read texts that reflect some of the variety of cultural and historical experiences in the U.S. from 1492 to 1865. The authors to be studied have been selected for their considerable influence on the future directions of American life and thought and their ability to startle and compel contemporary readers.

American Survey 1 takes a literary-historical perspective on American writing.

Literary: we will read texts carefully, paying close attention to what is said and how it is being said. Such close reading will help us to discover not only what texts mean but also how they mean and how they come to have different, sometimes contradictory meanings in different contexts.

 Historical: we will read texts to learn about past ideas, cultures, societies, peoples, events. We will consider questions such as: What was the significance of those writings in their original contexts? What did those writings do in the past? What is the importance of those past writings to us in the present? Historical literary analysis means figuring out how literary texts relate to other texts and events of the same period; it also means figuring out how literary texts relate to the larger course of American literary history.

Texts

• Nina Baym, ed., The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 1, Beginnings to 1820, 7th Edition (Norton)
• Herman Melville, Moby-Dick (Norton)

Class Communication

• Contact the instructor: Telephone: 532-0386 | E-Mail: eiselei@ksu.edu | Office Visit: Drop by ECS 108-C
• Post to the course listserv: american1@k-state.edu

Course Materials

• Syllabus
• Reading Schedule
• Improving Reading and Comprehension of American Literary Texts
• Essay 1: Historical Analysis of an Early American Literary Text
• Essay 2: Historical Analysis/Critical Response
• Discussion Projects
• Midterm Examination Review Sheet
• Final Examination Review Sheet

Course Resources

• The Norton Anthology of American Literature Site: The website that accompanies the anthology for the course. This is the link you take for the online quizzes.
• The Making of America: A huge database of nineteenth-century books and journals at Cornell University. A second MOA site can be found at the University of Michigan.
• A great place to begin your research about authors in our course: K-State's Hale Library.
• Attend a Literary Event: Department of English Visiting Writers and Speakers | English Department Colloquium | KSU Theatre Schedule | McCain Auditorium Schedule | University Calendar |