The course focuses on the most significant literary and cultural movements in the XXth and XXIst centuries. We will consider in particular the relation between literature and the arts (cinema, theater, television, music, etc.) by selecting specific case studies.
teacher profile teaching materials
Everybody's Autobiography, Gertrude Stein, 1937
The Last Tycoon, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, 1941
"A Journey into the Mind of Watts", Thomas Pynchon, 1966
Slouching towards Bethlem, Joan Didion, 1969
Kindred, Octavia Butler, 1979
The Beautiful Struggle, Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2008
The Last Tycoon, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, 1941
Slouching towards Bethlem, Joan Didion, 1969
Kindred, Octavia Butler, 1979
The Beautiful Struggle, Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2008
Programme
"California Dreamin'"Everybody's Autobiography, Gertrude Stein, 1937
The Last Tycoon, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, 1941
"A Journey into the Mind of Watts", Thomas Pynchon, 1966
Slouching towards Bethlem, Joan Didion, 1969
Kindred, Octavia Butler, 1979
The Beautiful Struggle, Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2008
Core Documentation
Everybody's Autobiography, Gertrude Stein, 1937The Last Tycoon, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, 1941
Slouching towards Bethlem, Joan Didion, 1969
Kindred, Octavia Butler, 1979
The Beautiful Struggle, Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2008
Reference Bibliography
"A Brief History of American Literature", Richard Gray, Wiley-Blackwell, 2011Type of delivery of the course
The 30 hours of in-class teaching will have to be integrated by the individual reading of the texts. It'll be possible to attend online via TEAMS. Teaching will also include showing of PPT slides, audiovisuals, and other materials which will be provided by the professor. More details about the way the course is structured will be given the first day of class.Attendance
Attendance is optional but highly recommended.Type of evaluation
The written exam consists of three open questions. Students will be asked to elaborate complex answers, proving they have put critical thought into the analysis of the texts and they are able to read them against the background of the theoretical framework discussed in class.