Literature 4553: Issues in American Literature Frederic Murray Assistant Professor MLIS, University of British Columbia BA, Political Science, University of Iowa Instructional Services Librarian Al Harris Library

Issues in American Literature Ideal Democracy Spiritual Lawful Actual/Flawed Slavery Greed Violence The American Character is...

D.H. Lawrence The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. - Studies in Classic American Literature (1923)

Research Paper Text either upholds or contradicts a cliché about the American character 6-7 Pages (plus Works Cited page) Support argument –Citations from selected Text –A Critical Secondary Source that discusses Text –A Scholarly (Critical) Secondary Source that discusses the cliché

Literature: Research Competencies Research plays an indispensable role in the textual discovery process for students Good research skills help the literary explorer learn more about the author and the author’s world Examine scholarly interpretations of the text Create new studies and interpretations to add to a body of knowledge

Research Competencies I. Understand the structure of information within the field of literary research II. Identify and use key literary research tools to locate relevant information III. Plan effective search strategies and modify search strategies as needed IV. Understand that some information sources are more authoritative than others and demonstrate critical thinking in the research process Guidelines for Literature

I. Understand the structure of information within the field of literary research Review Criticism

Absalom Review Criticism

I. Understand the structure of information within the field of literary research Understand the concept and significance of peer- reviewed sources of information Understand that literary texts exist in a variety of editions, some of which are more authoritative or useful than others Understand the authorship, production, dissemination, or availability of literary production. This includes understanding the meanings and distinctions of the concepts of editions, facsimiles, and authoritative editionseditionsfacsimilesauthoritative editions

II. Identify and use key literary research tools to locate relevant information Use reference and other appropriate information resources to provide background information and contextual information about social, intellectual, and literary culture –American Writers –Bachman’s Encyclopedia of Pop. Fiction –Handbook to Literature

II. Identify and use key literary research tools to locate relevant information Understand the uses of all available databases and services America: History and Life with Full Text MLA International Bibliography (EBSCO) JSTOR Ebrary (digital books)

Sources: Databases America: History and Life with Full Text Historical Abstracts with Full Text* MLA International Bibliography (EBSCO) JSTOR Literary Reference Center Ebrary*

III. Plan effective search strategies and modify search strategies as needed Keywords Boolean

Boolean Operators Connect keywords only Must be placed between keywords AND –Narrows your search OR –Expands your search with synonymous terms NOT –Excludes words from your search –If used too much, it can work against you!

Research Competencies Understand that some information sources are more authoritative than others and demonstrate critical thinking in the research process

Research Paper Text either upholds or contradicts one list of clichés about the American character 6-7 Pages (plus Works Cited page) Support argument –Citations from selected Text –A Critical Secondary Source that discusses Text –A Scholarly (Critical) Secondary Source that discusses the cliché

Possible Topic Bartolomé de Las Casas Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies

Authoritative Edition ?

Possible Topic Bartolomé de Las Casas Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies

Sources: Databases America: History and Life with Full Text Historical Abstracts with Full Text* MLA International Bibliography (EBSCO) JSTOR Literary Reference Center Ebrary*

Sources: Digital Books Ebrary Chapter Search Search: Las Casas Buscaglia-Salgado, Jose F.. Undoing Empire: Race and Nation in the Mulatto Caribbean. Minneapolis, MN, USA: University of Minnesota Press, 2003.

Chapter 3: Bartolomé de Las Casas at the End of Time; or, How the Indies Were Won and Lost

Needed for Paper… NEED: Citations from selected Text –Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies NEED: A Critical Secondary Source that discusses Text –Buscaglia-Salgado, Jose F. "Bartolomé De Las Casas at the End of Time; Or, How the Indies Were Won and Lost." Undoing Empire : Race and Nation in the Mulatto Caribbean. New Haven: Yale UP, ProQuest ebrary. Web. 30 September 2015 NEED: A Scholarly (Critical) Secondary Source that discusses a cliché or assumption about the American character *

What’s Needed…….. What’s really needed is a selection of one of the assumptions/ clichés surrounding the American Character What’s really needed is a working Thesis…

Discussion: Example The spiritualism of the Puritans vs. the materialism of later generations In Las Casas it could be framed as Saving Souls Vs Brutal Land Grab

Working Thesis The American character is predacious and often masked under the guise of religious temperance. Bartolomé de Las Casas Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies provides an early example of the unmasking of this characteristic.

How to Search the Assumption? Search: early Caribbean greed and violence VERBURG, RUDI. "The Rise Of Greed In Early Economic Thought: From Deadly Sin To Social Benefit." Journal Of The History Of Economic Thought (Cambridge University Press) 34.4 (2012): Historical Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 22 Sept Journal Of The History Of Economic Thought

Needed for Paper… NEED: Citations from selected Text –Casas, Bartolome. A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies. Middlesex: Echo Library, Print. NEED: A Critical Secondary Source that discusses Text –Buscaglia-Salgado, Jose F. "Bartolomé De Las Casas at the End of Time; Or, How the Indies Were Won and Lost." Undoing Empire : Race and Nation in the Mulatto Caribbean. New Haven: Yale UP, ProQuest ebrary. Web. 30 September 2015 NEED: A Scholarly (Critical) Secondary Source that discusses the cliché or assumption about the American character –"The Rise Of Greed In Early Economic Thought: From Deadly Sin To Social Benefit." Journal Of The History Of Economic Thought (Cambridge University Press) 34.4 (2012): Historical Abstracts with Full Text. Journal Of The History Of Economic Thought

Research Paper Strategies for Search –Write a working thesis –Criticism of Work/Discussion of Idea Sources to Search –Ebrary –Digital Books/Chapters –Lit Databases JSTOR/MLA/LRC –History Databases American Life/Historical Abstracts/JSTOR

Class Exercise Find three to five scholarly sources* interrogating the ideas found in the following quote. The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. - D.H. Lawrence, Studies in Classic American Literature (1923) - Find a chapter in an Ebrary - Find articles in one of the historical databases- - Find articles in a literary database Replicate this process using Discovery *A Critical Secondary Source that discusses Text A Scholarly (Critical) Secondary Source that discusses cliché

Literature 4553: Issues in American Literature 2 nd Lecture Frederic Murray Assistant Professor MLIS, University of British Columbia BA, Political Science, University of Iowa Instructional Services Librarian Al Harris Library

How do we research and write about literature?

Working Thesis Subject Specific Databases/Ebrary Select Keywords/ Boolean /Limiters

Why do we research and write about literature?

Interpretation? Creativity? Value?

Harry Wu

The study of Literature is unclassifiable….one of the few remaining fields that lie beyond quantitative analysis The world is in love with data, but good writing, what we might call literature, is about passion and emotion, not bits and bytes Good writing makes us feel something

A few notable practitioners Northrup Frye: Unified Theory of Criticism: criticism is a “structure of thought and knowledge existing in its own right.” Andrew Delbanco: critic of American literary and religious history/Director of American Studies at Columbia University Sven Birkerts: The Guttenberg Elegies/ Editor of AGNI Harold Bloom: American literary critic/Yale/twenty books of criticism/ Jedi Master of Shakespeare Helen Vendler: Critic of Wallace Stevens

Class Exercise Find three scholarly sources interrogating the idea of violence in the American character. What databases? What keywords? Bring citations to class Friday

Exercise: The idea of violence in the American character Graham, Hugh Davis. "The Paradox of American Violence: A Historical Appraisal." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 391., Collective Violence (1970): [JSTOR] Cawelti, John G. "Myths of Violence in American Popular Culture." Critical Inquiry 1.3 (1975): [MLA] Rogers-Cooper, Justin. "Righteous Violence: Revolution, Slavery, And The American Renaissance." Nineteenth-Century Contexts 36.2 (2014): America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 26 Sept [America History & Full Text]

Keywords: Slotkin and American Violence MLA – 1 ASC – 3 Bk Reviews JSTOR – 47 Graham, Hugh Davis. "The Paradox of American Violence: A Historical Appraisal." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 391., Collective Violence (1970):

Keywords: violence and American character and texts MLA – 1657 – 18 Cawelti, John G. "Myths of Violence in American Popular Culture." Critical Inquiry 1.3 (1975):

Keywords: violence and American literature American History and Full Text- 121 Rogers-Cooper, Justin. "Righteous Violence: Revolution, Slavery, And The American Renaissance." Nineteenth- Century Contexts 36.2 (2014): America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 26 Sept

Digital Tools Refworks Ebsco Folders Ebrary Bookshelf

Questions? Contact me: Frederic Murray

Thanks!