230341 Make it new: American Romanticism and American Modernisms (S) (WiSe 2026/2027)

The seminar will start with a visit to the Martha Herford museum in Herford. We will take a look at the exhibition Frank Gehry and the Los Angeles Cool.

This seminar explores the concept of making it new as propelling force to define and redefine American literary and artistic discourse in literary and artistic production from 19th century American Romanticism and 20th century American modernisms. Students will be expected to bring short written responses to each one of the primary texts the day of class. We will conduct close readings of the literary texts and contextualize them historically. Authors to be read will include Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Edgar A. Poe, R.W. Emerson, Langston Hughes, Charlotte Gilman Perkins, Zora Neale Hurston, Ezra Pound, HD, among others. We will also look at art and photography among others.