American Realism.

Catalog description

Examines American literature written during the period after the Civil War, a time of unprecedented change that transformed America from rural, agricultural, and homogeneous culture into its urban, industrial, heterogeneous counterpart. It investigates how the literature of this period reflected these changes and simultaneously tried to reconcile them with the values of an earlier America. The magnitude of this endeavor produced a remarkable literary heritage for the 20th century. Independent project required.