Toward a Definition of American Literature

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Toward a Definition of American Literature

• English 210 American Literature I (1564 - 1880)

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United Statesman / Writer

• What are the problems inherent in a cultural
  identity that cannot find a suitable name for
  itself? Are we, in fact, the bi-continental
  culture our attribution American implies?
• What makes a Canadian not an American?
• What makes a naturalized citizen of the U.S.
  potentially un-American?

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Defining literature

• Literature anacquaintance with letters Latin
  littera "an individual written character
  (letter)" texts
• Text a passage of literature presented in
  lines Latin texere "to construct, weave" (as in
  textile)
• Line a line of prose or poetry Latin linea
  "thread of flax (linen)

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Testing the Limits of Literature

• Can literature be unwritten or unprinted (i.e.,
  unconnected to the written or drawn use of
  alphabet)?
• What expectations (if any) for language use do we
  have for literature?
• Is a painting something that we could call
  "literature"?
• What about dance?
• Is a film adaptation a work of literature still a
  work of literature, itself?

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Testing the Limits of American

• Do we have a cultural identity?
• How different do you think the American
  experience is from that of other countries?
• If we do not have a homogeneous national
  tradition--or at least several distinct
  traditions--how might we ascribe the idea of
  "nationhood" to ourselves?

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Which of the following greater determines our
national identity?

• ? our system of government
• ? our economic forces
• ? our language
• ? our religion
• ? our predominant skin color
• ? our geographical location
• ? our natural resources
• ? our movies and t.v. programs
• ? our military history against other countries
• ? our relationship with neighboring countries
• ? our Constitution
• ? our immigration policies
• ? our writers
• ? our scholars and scientists
• ? our presidents
• ? our pop culture

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Putting together a definition of "American
Literature"

• Could a work of American Literature be written in
  Finnish? Why, or why not?
• Do the same forces that shape other countries'
  cultures also shape the American culture
  characterizing its own American Literature?
• Should we still be trying to distinguish
  ourselves from other world literatures? Is the
  main goal of American Literature, after more than
  three centuries, to be iconoclastic?
• Should we call the canon of American Literature
  a tradition if it flouts all tradition, including
  the literary tradition of creating a traditional
  literary sensibility?

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What is American Literature?

• Does the same generality of our national identity
  affect our literature as well?
• Can it be possible to lay national claim to a
  literature that, itself, cannot lay claim to a
  specific cultural identity?
• Do these concerns make for bad, good or great
  literature?

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To What Extent Do Literature and Life
Overlap?

• What is the American Experience, or the American
  Dream?
• If American Literature endeavors to capture and
  record that experience, then does participation
  in the experience also mean participation in the
  literature?
• Is your life in this country an American literary
  text?

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HomeworkFOR MONDAY JUNE 26 PREPARE A
FIVE-MINUTE NARRATIVEDESCRIBING A STORY
FREQUENTLY REPEATED IN YOUR FAMILY.

• You may define family in whatever manner you
  choose.
• Your story must be real. (Do not just invent
  something for this exercise.)
• Your choice of story doesnt have to be one
  handed down from generation to generation it can
  have occurred within living memory.
• Choose a story that will introduce you and say
  something about who you are.
• Spend some time practicing how you will tell it
  make it entertaining and interesting to us.
• SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!