Radical Literature

Catalog description

In 2018, Dan Rather on the left and Nikki Haley on the right claimed that dissent is As American as apple pie. This course examines the roots of that statement and the repercussions of dissent on national identity and literary production. Class readings and discussions address dissenters who are known for their political positions, such as Thomas Paine and Frederick Douglass, and those who known for their dissent from literary norms, such as Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Explore questions of literary style, its connection to politics, and how dissenting politics call for rethinking literary norms while also connecting to time-honored literary values. Through discussions, papers, and a research project, you can discover what values Americans share around political and stylistic dissent that continue to resonate today.