English 381, American Literature 1855-1916

Report Topics

In the short space of sixteen weeks, we cannot cover all the topics of interest to the student of this period of American literature.  To present information on some of the topics not covered otherwise, each student will prepare a short short (5-7 minute) oral presentation on one of the topics listed below. Possibilities for this report include any one of the following:

• Additional information about the social, intellectual, artistic, scientific, philosophical, or historical contexts for the works and authors assigned in class.
• Interpretations of works or aspects of a work not read in class.
• Introductions to authors not specifically covered in the course.
• Discussion of one or more critical works relating to the era, such as David Reynolds' Beneath the American Renaissance or Edwin Cady's The Light of Common Day.
• Background about the social and intellectual connections among certain groups of authors.

These topics are suggestions; I encourage you to modify them or to request a different topic, if a subject really interests you. You may also choose to collaborate with others and then to present the report as a group. If you work with others, you may combine the allotted time (3 presenters x 5 minutes=15 minutes total) or use less time, if you prefer.

Each presentation should include a "fact sheet," a one-page informational handout for the class. This "fact sheet" might include an outline or summary of your talk, a list of sources consulted, resources for further study, or other information that you think would be useful for your classmates.

September 20
	1. Women's realism: Alcott (Work, Hospital Sketches, or Little Women)
	2. Women's realism: Rebecca Harding Davis ("Life in the Iron Mills" or Harriet Jacobs (Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl)	Jenny Havener
	3. Twain and race	LeAnne Spragg
	4. Poetry from Axelrod, Roman, and Travisano's The New Anthology of American Poetry, pp. 469-525
	Whitman's poetics	Blair Chintella
	5. Contexts for Twain and Harte (race, westward expansion, imperialism, ethnic prejudices)
October 11	1. Sui Sin Far (other stories)	Curtis Haynes
	2. Asian-American immigration and ethnic prejudice	Matt Edwards
	3. Kate Chopin: regionalist or naturalist? (The Awakening)	Gail Ritchie
	4. Abraham Cahan or Anzia Yezierska and  immigrant experience	Bryan Nash
	5. Open topic
November 3	1. Frank Norris and naturalism	Becky Dolan
(Note: This	2. Theodore Dreiser	Stephanie Spurgetis
will take the	3. Crane and journalism (or war or race)	Bethany Prince
place of "The	4. Race in London's short stories (Northland or South Seas)	Adrienne Schofhauser
Open Boat")	5. Open topic	Carrie Ho
November 29	1. Anti-Irish / anti-Catholic prejudice	Charles Gallagher
	2. "Jim Crow" laws and racial violence	Rochelle Montgomery
	3. Open topic	Jack McNerthney
	4. Open topic	Lisa Stone
	5. Open topic	Nathan Whitworth
	6. Open topic	Tari Shields