1. What, When, Why, How

2.  Welcome Back for a Semester of American Literature including Novels, Poetry, Myths, Short Stories, and More

3.  Today’s lesson will focus on:  What is American Literature? Features  Why study American Literature? Motivations  When? The course outline and style for now – Changes may occur  How to study and remember literature in the course – Means and Methods

4.  Name: Daniel Pigou  Contact Details  Mobile phone: 13971665683  E-mail address: daniel.pigou@hotmail.com daniel.pigou@hotmail.com  QQ number: 2480933151

6.  Heterogeneous mix of Indian, African, Asian, European and later American cultures  Short history as Independent American culture and literature from 1776 onwards  Previously linked to English Literature via colonies and literature from English Settlers  Later American literature started defined in 1800s in Romantic Era – in relation to: Brits, Indians, African slaves, Independent people

7.  What do you know about American Literature and how can it be defined? Characteristics?  What do you want to study in this course? What American literature are you interested in? Ideas?

8.  From old Indian myths and stories to tales of new immigrants from Asia, Africa, Europe – in spirit of equality – American spirit developed  Defined through westward expansion and conflicts but also through untouched nature and strong religious ties – nonconformists  Connected to British both for and against at different times – sometimes unclear  Later defined by many people in many ways but in American spirit of equality

9.  Benjamin Franklin Joy Luck Club  Hawthorne Farwell to Arms  Edgar Allan Poe The Great Gatsby  Herman Melville Tom Sawyer  Mark Twain Moby Dick  Fitzgerald The Raven  Hemingway Scarlet Letter  Amy Tan Autobiography

12.  Literature representing different parts of American culture and World literature in US  Improving our understanding of American language and culture for friends, business, work and study with Americans or in US  Improving our understanding of ourselves – different aspects give different ideas and improves our general language abilities  Entertaining – literature can provide good entertainment and ideas for art or movies

13.  Other reasons why you want to study American literature or why it would be good to study some American literature?

14.  - American Indian culture and literature  - Benjamin Franklin and Independence  - Romantic Poetry and novels including: Edgar Allan Poe, Melville, Whitman, etc.  - Mark Twain and American south in Civil War  - Fitzgerald, Hemingway and the early 20 th century after World War I  - American literature into the 20 th century including Arthur Miller, Joseph Heller, etc.

15.  13.33% Attendance  13.33% Presentation I  13.33% Presentation II  60%Final Exam

16.  Always come to class PREPARED and ON TIME to learn as much as possible  Always bring a notebook, a pencil or pen and dictionary for difficult words  Never worry about making mistakes – if you have any questions – just ASK  Never postpone what you can do now until later – read the literature now

17.  Wilhelm J. D. et al (Eds.); Glencoe Literature; American Literature; Columbus, 2007  Baym, Nina et al (Eds.), The Norton Anthology of American Literature; New York, 1989  Tao Jie, Selected Readings in American Literature, Higher Education Publishing House, 2002

18.  www.gutenberg.org www.gutenberg.org  Large collection of useful literature online  http://americanfolklore.net/ http://americanfolklore.net/  Collection of American tales, myths, legends  http://www.americanliterature.com/ http://www.americanliterature.com/  Collection of Classic American Literature  http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/ http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/  Collection of poetry and poets online

19.  Tips and Suggestions for Studying and Remembering American Literature  Discussion on Best ways to Study Literature  Brief Chronology of American Literature

20.  Lessons: listen carefully and note (write it in your notebooks) main ideas and meaning presented. This includes important author information, general history, symbolic meaning of text or satire.  Reading: always read the text before the lesson starts, focusing on main characters, main event or events, symbolic or satiric meaning, language, and difficult words.

21.  Focus on keywords and use abbreviations  Listen carefully and remember to ask if anything is unclear or if there is anything you don’t understand  Make notes throughout the lesson – you might miss something important otherwise

22.  What are the best ways of studying American literature and what do you need to know?  How should you read a text to get the most out of it? What should you focus on in a text?  What should you do with difficult words found in a text?

24.  THE "Red Death" had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal—the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour.  But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys. This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the "Red Death."

25.  1492 – Columbus “discovers” America  17 th -18 th century – Pilgrims and Dissidents from England and Europe arrive – conflicts with Native American Indians over land  Late 18 th century – White Americans start Revolution for Independence from Britain  Early 19 th century – attempts at defining American literature and culture take place  Late 19 th century – Civil War over Slaves  Early 20 th century – Expansion and Status

26.  Native American (Indian) myths and culture from before arrival of Europeans in America  Read ‘How the World Was Made’ and think about the relationship between the Cherokee’s relationship to Animals and Nature.