English 242NA - Topics in American Literature: 'Nature and American Landscape Narrative, Past and Present'

This course will focus on the echo of early American narratives on nature and landscape (1800s and early 1900s), both visual and literary, in more modern or contemporary works. In the context of a history tainted with destruction, and in the face of environmental concerns today, we will explore the struggle to sustain an authentic connection with the natural world. Through a study of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, film, and art, students will consider the interplay of past and present. Does the sense of loss in the history of American landscape influence the approach of modern and contemporary American writers and artists as they consider the concept of preservation? Were current environmental concerns anticipated by writers of the past? Is the history of nature-writing in American narrative a love affair with landscape, an expression of grief and mourning, or both? Do issues of gender, race, or class influence the shape of narratives on the American landscape?

Course limited to sophomores, juniors and seniors