In this course, we will study prose and poetry written in nineteenth-century America. To make our literary 
journey more exciting, we will focus on texts that contain “mysterious and monstrous” elements which include mysteries, ghosts, the supernatural, as well as eccentricity in human thoughts and behavior. We will examine these texts in an attempt to understand the period’s literary movements and the unique writing style of various writers. While examining them in the socio-political context of 19th-century America, we will also discuss how these texts are still relevant to 21st-century readers. (You may want to find out why Chief Hong in the Korean series Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha reads Thoreau’s Walden.)
Reading List:
- Two novels (TBA)
- Reading packet (short fiction, poetry, non-fiction writing (selections from Walden included))
Announcement:
- To be offered in the second semester (2021b) for third- and fourth-year students.
- Those who have not taken 2202267 Background to American Literature are welcome.
- For more information, contact Ajarn Darin (Darin.P@chula.ac.th).
