230515 Analyzing and Interpreting Literary Texts: US American Literatures (S) (SoSe 2022)

This course will focus on U.S. American Literatures and introduces first-year students to the basics terms and methods of literary studies. Participants will be taught analysis and interpretation of texts in the main literary genres, narrative (short story, novel, essay), poetry, and drama.

The seminar will be accompanied by a tutorial in which students have the chance to repeat, discuss and practice the methods taught in the seminar. It is highly recommend to attend the tutorial as well.

Requirements for participation, required level

Preparatory reading (texts to be found in the Lernraum Plus):
– Barry: “Introduction”, in: Beginning Theory, p. 1-10.
– J. Culler: “What is Literature?” p. 19-42

Bibliography

The book English and American Literatures by M. Meyer (UTB 2011) provides a good introduction and overview (and also numerous texts are taken from this books). Additional good introductory books are V. and A. Nünning: An Introduction to the Study of English and American Literature (Klett 2018) and J. Culler: Literary Theory: A Very Short introduction (Oxford 2011), Peter Barry: Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory (2009), I. Berensmeyer: Literary Theory: An Introduction to Approaches, Methods and Terms (2009) G. Graff and C. Birkenstein They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing (2021). H. Zapf, (ed.). Amerikanische Literaturgeschichte (Metzler, 2010) provides a good overview on US American literary history and theories.