Discovering the Land of Oz: An American Narrative

If there is one element embedded forever in the American temperament, it is the need - the essential need - to determine one's own destiny. Perhaps that is why, for example, the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has been told and retold in different forms by American authors since 1939, at least. This course wants primarily to study what goes into establishing a contemporary American identity. It is pretty exciting to have new, creative texts written by different ethnic groups, different sexual orientations, different genders, different religions- all describing their particular America. It is the multitude of difference that produces what we think of as our personal America. So many Americas. Yet with all the differences, contemporary American literature shares a pride, often a disappointment, but always a will to make it better. In this course we will spend the term exploring the conflicting tensions inherent to those ideas.



Selections from texts primarily - not completely - will be chosen from the following: Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies; Michael Cunningham's A Home at the End of the World; Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye; Louise Erdrich's The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse; Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay; Anthony Giardina's Recent History; Eric Liu's The Accidental Asian, Audre Lorde's Zami: A New Spelling of My Name; Myla Goldberg's The Bee Season; Gloria Naylor's The Men of Brewster Place; and Deborah Eisenberg's All Around Atlantis. BUT, of course, we will start off the term watching the film The Wizard of Oz. There will be a weekly written response and comprehensive midterm and final exams.

-university of michigan course guide, english 317, section 001-

posted by The Wizard



Wow, this sounds like a cool class. Makes you wish you were back in Michigan hunh?

posted by Tin Man



Yeah it does. Someone take this and tell me what's it's all about. Go. Register. Now.