This course will focus on American short story writers and novelists of the 1920s through the 1990s. Authors will likely include Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Zora Neale Hurston, Flannery O'Connor, James Baldwin, Philip Roth, Grace Paley, Toni Morrison, Louise Erdrich, Tim O'Brien, Raymond Carver, and others. We will examine the influential legacy of stylistic innovators; the contributions of regional voices and minority perspectives; and examine ways in which fiction serves as political and social criticism, as well as documentary reportage. While reading and discussing some of the most influential authors of the century, we will work to assemble a definition of American identity as seen through the literary lens, and will also attempt to characterize the century's literary modes and values. In addition, this course should help passionate readers and writers learn to hone and articulate a personal literary aesthetic.

"20th-Century American Fiction" is designed as a writing-intensive course with active in-class discussion of assigned texts. Assignments will include several critical essays and regular one-page responses to readings. There will also be student presentations and one or two quizzes. There will be no midterm or final exam.