Mar 29, 2024  
2008 January Bulletin 
    
2008 January Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

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ENGL 192Z - Visions of Violence in Early America

Semester Hours: 3
Americans have defined themselves as much by their savagery as by their soaring ideals. In this course, we will examine the curious mixture of brutality and high-mindedness in the art and culture of early America, from the colonial period to the Civil War. Using the insights of Richard Slotkin, Judith Butler, and Rene Girard, we will explore how American violence both regulates difference and enforces order, celebrates diversity by insisting on purity. That rhythm of idealism and suppression marks the pulse of early American life. Among the texts we will consider are Mary Rowlandson’s The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, court documents from the Salem witch trials, Charles Brockden Brown’s Edgar Huntly, Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Herman Melville’s “Benito Cereno”, Walt Whitman’s Specimen Days, and Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage. We will also view Martin Scorsese’s film “Gangs of New York.” Written requirements include two papers and a final exam.

January 2008 Offering:
10333: M-Th, 4:45-8:30 p.m.; Fichtelberg; 135 Gallon Wing





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