32114

WiSe 12/13: Race and Gender in the American Novel, 1900-2003

Laura Bieger

Comments

'Race' and 'Gender' are among the most powerful and persistent forces of social hierarchization in American culture. This course is concerned with the ways in which these forces play out in a selection of American novels written over the course of the twentieth century-a time during which ideologies of racism and sexism came under severe attack. Starting our survey with Charles Chesnutt's "The House Behind the Cedars" (1900), written by an aspiring African American novelist to address matters of race and miscegenation by turning to the conventions of realist fiction, we will work our way across the twentieth century by reading two modernist novels, William Faulkner's "Light in August" and Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God," moving on to Richard Wright's highly controversial "Native Son," written in the socio-critical spirit of the 1930s, and Tony Morrison's postmodern slavery novel "Beloved" to close with Philip Roth's Jewish-American take on the novel of passing in "The Human Stain" and Edward P. Jones' post-postmodern take on the slavery novel in "The Know World." Our main objective will be to trace the intersecting renderings of 'race' and 'gender' in each novel and assess the hierachizing work performed by them in the fictional worlds in which they operate. What effects to they have on the individuals and communities depicted in these novels? How is femininity affected differently than masculinity? Do the novels imagine ways to resist or remodel the normalizing forces of 'race' and 'gender' that they portray? How do these imaginary acts inform and/or contradict one another? - To get credit for this course you need to: (1) thoroughly read the novels and attend class on a regular basis; (2) participate in an expert group; and (3) and write a final paper (15 pages, due at the end of the semester break) or take an oral exam (20 minutes) on a topic different from that of your expert group. A reserve shelf with our novels and further readings will be provided at the library of the John F. Kennedy-Institute. Please be sign up on blackboard by the start of the semester since we will be using the platform frequently to communicate and distribute documents. - This course is reading intense! I recommend that you purchase all of the novels ahead of time and start reading once you have them. The good news is: your mandatory reading will consist exclusively of the following novels: - Charles W. Chesnutt, "The House Behind the Cedars" (1900) - William Faulkner, "Light in August" (1932) - Zora Neale Huston, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" (1937) - Richard Wright, "Native Son" (1940) - Toni Morrison, "Beloved" (1987) - Philip Roth, "The Human Stain" (2000) - Edward P. Jones, "The Known World" (2003) close