239980 The American Quest in the 20th century: Literature and Film (S) (SoSe 2013)

U. S. American Exceptionalism can be seen as the actualization of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” that is, by the notion of The Quest. The course will focus on an examination of ‘quest literature’ since World War II, on texts defining the varieties of experience, real or imagined, from Kerouac’s On the Road (1957) to Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams (1990). Each narrative maps the topography and geography of the United States, as well as the life and psyche of the various protagonists. – The course will include the viewing of several films and be based on open discussion in American English. Several writing assignments will serve as evaluations of the thinking of those enrolled.

Literaturangaben

Jack Kerouac: On the Road. Penguin / ISBN 0 14 00.4259 8
Barbara Kingsolver: Animal Dreams. Harper / ISBN 0 06 016350 X
Jon Krakauer: Into the Wild. Anchor / ISBN 0 385 48680 4
John Steinbeck: Travels with Charley in Search of America. Penguin / ISBN 978 0 14 005320 3

Other brief texts may be assigned