THE CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN-AMERICAN NOVEL

Catalog description

Prerequisite: LITT 1101 and LITT 2123. Cross-listed as LITT 3122. International/multicultural course (I).This is a 20th-century course.This course will begin with readings on the aesthetic and cultural traditions constructed within the process of adaptation of West African aesthetics. It will focus on the African American novel from the middle of the 20th century to the current period. Students will explore culturally constructed themes such as the importance of communal connections, the destabilization of received notions of good and evil, beautiful and ugly. The examination of cultural images constructed out of vernacular traditions such as the blues motif and language performance stylistics, i.e., call and response and signification, will also enhance the students' understanding of the authors' intentions. In addition to the novels represented, students will read at least one collection of critical essays, including anthropological studies of African American culture, which explores black aesthetic traditions, and the ways in which postmodern theoretical analyses have helped to articulate their direction. The assigned readings will likely include the following authors: Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, Ntozake Shange, and Octavia Butler.Faculty: L. NELSON