EN 746 The City in American Literature and Culture (Spring: 3)
We will consider how American literature and culture has responded to the
formal and conceptual challenges posed by cities. Taking an American Studies
approach to our subject, our inquiry will include not only novels (e.g.
Sister Carrie, The Street, The Fortress of Solitude) and other literary
forms but also film (e.g., Chinatown, Blade Runner, Do the Right Thing),
painting, music, landscape, and more. We'll also read scholars like Betsy
Klimasmith, Max Page, and Catherine Jurca who offer interdisciplinary models
for relating the interpretation of texts to the social, economic, and political
facts of city life.
Carlo Rotella
Last Updated: 20-JAN-10