English 459 - Native American Novels

What if the past is not behind us, but spiraling within our present?  How are indigenous conceptions of time expressed in Native American writing?  How do Native novelists enable us to imagine a past, present, and future that are intertwined, embedded in place, and spiraling in constant motion?  How does the creation of a fictional world, so similar to ours, allow us to envision alternative models of gender, sexuality, race, and nationhood?  This seminar will invite in-depth exploration of contemporary Native American fiction, through frameworks drawn from oral traditions, indigenous languages, literary media, and scientific theory.  Authors will include Sherman Alexie, LeAnne Howe, Thomas King, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Craig Womack, among others.

Open to juniors and seniors.  Limited to 15 students.  Spring semester.  Professor Brooks.