•    Tue 14-16 C1 (SALMELA) (starting 1.9.2009)

This course provides an introduction to the naturalistic tradition in American literature, from its beginnings in the nineteenth century to some recent texts. Naturalism, as most readers know it, flourished in the USA around the turn of the 20th century in the works of writers like Stephen Crane and Jack London. In this course, however, we will establish a wider picture of naturalism as a consistent tendency in American fiction, not just a moment in literary history. We will examine various contexts and goals of naturalistic representation and consider, for example, the following questions: Why do characters so often die in naturalistic fictions? What is the significance of race and gender in this tradition? What does it all have to do with nature?

Assessment: class participation and a course diary.

http://www.uta.fi/laitokset/kielet/engf/studies/options/index.html