English 242LG - Topics in American Literature: 'Post-War American Literary Geographies'

This course examines connections between geography and identity as they emerge in post-1945 American literary and cultural texts. We will look at how space and place contribute to constructions of gendered, raced, and classed identities in works by writers such as Gish Jen, Jennifer Egan, Philip Roth, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Tommy Orange. Through examining turns towards space and place in post-1945 fiction, we will touch on topics such as the post-war suburb, immigration and migration after 1965, and the city post-9/11, among others. Writing assignments will ask students to carefully analyze the nature of geography and identity in our assigned course readings.

Course limited to sophomores, juniors and seniors