Course Contents

Historical survey of American Literature till date. Major literary trends of American Literature: Native American lit, Early Settlers and Puritanism, American Renaissance, Romanticism, transcendentalism, Realism regionalism, naturalism, Harlem Renaissance, Beat movement, Post Modernism and Contemporary lit. Introduction to Robert Frost, his life and works. Major themes in his works: alienation, nature, god, lack of communication, imagination, reality, balance desires and passions etc . Major stylistic devices in her poetry. Analysis of “Mending Wall” and “Stopping by the Woods in a Snowy Evening” as poet of dramatic monologue and lyrical poet Robert Frost’s analysis as a modern and romantic poet through analysis of Home Burial and Birches along other poems. Stylistic analysis of natural imagery, animal imagery, sensuous imagery and metrical forms of selected poems Introducing Sylvia Plath her life and works. Discussion on major thematic and literary techniques in her works Analysis of “Daddy” as best representation of autobiographical and psychological elements (Electra complex, Nazism, oppression, feminism, etc) Feminist elements in Sylvia Plath’s “Mushroom” , “Edge”, and “Lady Lazarus” . Discussion on her use of imagery, symbols, irony etc Introducing Eugene o Neil his life and works, Analysis of major modern literary trends themes and stylistic devices in his works. Introduction and analysis of First Act Long Day’s Journey into Night , autobiographical elements, plot, themes symbols stylistic devices and psychology of characters analysis of Second Act Long Day’s Journey into Night , autobiographical elements, plot, themes symbols stylistic devices and psychology of characters analysis of Third Act Long Day’s Journey into Night , autobiographical elements, plot, themes symbols stylistic devices and psychology of characters Introducing Ezra Pound his life major poetic works along with themes and stylistic analysis Thematic and stylistic analysis of selected poems “Hugh Sedwayn Mauberley” and “Romance to Sextus Propertius” An introduction of war literature lost American Generation and Earnest Hemingway. Analysis of his life and works. Introduction of Farewell to Arms an autobiographical novel Analysis of Book I through description of theme of love and war. Discussion on Hemingway hero Code hero and Hemingway heroine Analysis of Book II through description of theme of religion, existentialist nothingness and demystification of war. Analysis of Book III & IV through description of symbols, imagery motifs and other stylistic devices Analysis of Book V on realism and naturalist approaches