“American Progress” by John Gast (1872)
19th C American Literature
ENGL 3367 (Fall 2024)
Dr. Krista Collier-Jarvis
M/W 3:00 – 4:15
The American Declaration of Independence (1776) states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” With these words, America created its self-image, but how well did it uphold this image?
“White Buffalo Calf Woman Bringing Back the Health and Vitality of the Land and People” by Charles Hilliard (2021)
This course is a close study of American literature and culture from 1776-1900. We will examine constructions of a national identity from the Declaration of Independence onward, including a selection of Indigenous and settler poetic reactions to the Indian Removal Act, the rise of individualism reflected in the work of Whitman, the shifting relationships to nature in the works of Emerson and Thoreau, explorations of death and grief in the works of Poe, women’s agency in the works of Gilman and Dickenson, and the strong voices of abolitionism and emancipation in Sigourney, Truth, and DuBois.
For more information, email krista.collier-jarvis@msvu.ca
MSVU English Department Blog 