230581 The American Vernacular Tradition: Language and Texts (S) (WiSe 2006/2007)

There is an obvious and ubiquitous vernacular current in much of American literature and film. It shows up in both popular literature and high-brow literature. It is present in both narrative and dialog, in prose and poetry. It is serious as well as comic, sophisticated as well as naïve. In this class we will set out to "hear" and appreciate some of these voices.

The work in this class can be divided into four phases, each of which can be dealt with both in the seminar as a whole and more specifically and in detail in groups dealing with one particular author or work. The first phase is concerned with setting a framework for and justifying the study literature and film. The second phase is the linguistic aspect: how can the vernacular be characterized? It will deal with grammar, vocabulary, and spoken and written expression. The third phase is the socio-cultural aspect and involves an evaluation of the vernacular and other non-standard language as regards its regional, social-educational, dialectal, and temporal dimensions. The fourth and final phase is a literary critical one, the interpretative question as to the function of the vernacular within the works dealt with. In each case there are general questions to be formulated and discussed with regard to the various novels, stories, or movies.