An advanced study of American literature from its beginnings to 1800. Through a diverse range of texts, the course will explore how European colonization, Puritanism, and the Enlightenment shaped the development of American cultural thought and literary production. Course discussions may address the heterogeneous and shifting cultures of early America, the response to British rule and cultural hegemony, and the consolidation of national identity. Readings could include narratives of discovery and exploration, Puritan writings, Native American voices, early American poetry, slave and captivity narratives, works of the Enlightenment, and the early American novel.
Prerequisite: Any 190 or 200 level literature course or permission from instructor.