20th-Century American Women Writers 3301-LA131
This course will provide a survey of works by major American women writers. The reading list will consist of novel and short stories (no poetry). The compilation of primary texts is aimed to encourage students to go beyond the reading list and explore themes signalled by the works discussed in class. The selection of texts is supposed to encourage discussion of the specificity of women's writing, as related to the choice of genre, form and content. We will focus on the major themes explored by American women writers, including marriage, motherhood, relationships between women, economic independence of women. Special emphasis will be placed on acknowledging the diversity of American women (ethnic, class differences) and presenting writers from different areas of the United States.
Attention: The course will end with an in-class final exam.
Type of course
Learning outcomes
The student will acquire basic information about: 20th-Century American Women Writers and will develop his/her analytical skills.
B2 level language training
Assessment criteria
active participation
presentation
final test
Bibliography
Willla Cather, My Antonia
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland
Zora Neale Hurston, "Sweat", "Spunk"
Katherine Anne Porter, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall"
Eudora Welty, "A Worn Path"
Flannery O'Connor, "A Good Man is Hard to Find", "Good Country People"
Hisaye Yamamoto, stories from Seventeen Syllables
Gish Jen, stories from Who's Irish?
Tillie Olsen, "I Stand Here Ironing"
Grace Paley, "A Subject of Childhood"
Alice Walker, "Everyday Use"
Sandra Cisneros, stories from Woman Hollering Creek
Leslie Marmon, Silko "Lullaby"
ZZ Packer, stories from Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
Aimee Bender, stories from The Girl with the Flammable Skirt
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: