R. Reese Fuller is a writer who lives in Lafayette, Louisiana, and teaches English and American history at the Episcopal School of Acadiana in Cade, Louisiana.
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English II
Print it
PDF itShareThisWhat is American literature?
Is American literature simply literature written by Americans or about America? What are the elements that constitute an American voice in literature? Is there one unifying voice or multiple American voices? And most importantly — as readers, writers, and Americans — what role do we play in American literature? We will explore these questions as we study American novels, short stories, poems, and nonfiction.
Is American literature simply literature written by Americans or about America? What are the elements that constitute an American voice in literature? Is there one unifying voice or multiple American voices? And most importantly — as readers, writers, and Americans — what role do we play in American literature? We will explore these questions as we study American novels, short stories, poems, and nonfiction.
Materials:
Required novels and collections
Binder w/ loose-leaf paper
Pens or pencils
Required novels and collections
Binder w/ loose-leaf paper
Pens or pencils
Structure:
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ReadingYou will be quizzed on assigned readings to determine whether you understand the material discussed in class.
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WritingAnother way to gauge our understanding of the subject matter is through our own writing. We will write both formally and informally about the materials we study, as well as other related subjects.
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VocabularyYou will be quizzed on vocabulary words taken from our readings to determine whether you understand their meaning.
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GrammarWe will address the fundamentals of grammar and be quizzed on them on an as-needed basis.
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Supplemental materialThroughout the course of this class, we will take a look at art, music, and film as it relates to our studies.
Ground rules:
Assignments are due at the the start of each class. Work turned in late earns a C to start. Work received after the beginning of class the following day receives an additional 10% off the grade. Work will not be received after 48 hours from the original deadline and receives no credit.
Assignments are due at the the start of each class. Work turned in late earns a C to start. Work received after the beginning of class the following day receives an additional 10% off the grade. Work will not be received after 48 hours from the original deadline and receives no credit.
Hats will not be worn in the classroom.
Readings:
Here’s an outline of the major works we will read this year. Other readings will be provided to you as needed throughout the year.
Here’s an outline of the major works we will read this year. Other readings will be provided to you as needed throughout the year.
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1st quarter
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
Puritanism & Colonialism: Anne Bradstreet and Jonathon Edwards
Romanticism: Washington Irving
Puritanism & Colonialism: Anne Bradstreet and Jonathon Edwards
Romanticism: Washington Irving
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2nd quarter
Romanticism: Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne
Transcendentalism: Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau
Poetry: Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson
Transcendentalism: Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau
Poetry: Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson
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3rd quarter
Naturalism & Realism: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Frederick Douglass
Imagism & Modernism: T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and William Carlos Williams
Harlem Renaissance poetry: Langston Hughes and Arna Bontemps
Frederick Douglass
Imagism & Modernism: T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and William Carlos Williams
Harlem Renaissance poetry: Langston Hughes and Arna Bontemps
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4th quarter
Modernism: The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Short stories: William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Ernest Hemingway, and Richard Wright
Short stories: William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Ernest Hemingway, and Richard Wright