American literature: What to teach?
Gassim H. Dohal
Independent Researcher, Gizan, Saudi Arabia
e-mail: dr_waitme@hotmail.com
AGATHOS, Volume 15, Issue 2 (29): 253-259, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.13949321
© www.agathos-international-review.com CC BY NC 2024
Abstract: When the opportunity arises to teach American literature, and whoever sets the curriculum has the opportunity to choose the course content, s/he will discover that there are many challenges. Among these challenges are what should be included in this course, and which poems, plays, stories or novels to be taught. There are a lot of literary works, but time, the level of the students, and the goals of the intended curriculum may affect all of this process. In this short article, I will present some suggestions that should be taken into consideration, and to provide an overview of the worth of American literature, I will also highlight a few of the numerous works from which a thorough, varied, and representative course can be assembled.
Keywords: canon, American, college, literature, minority
Introduction
American literature ought to feature a wide range of diverse literary authors from various backgrounds. It’s time to fully integrate “minorities” writers into the canon and expand curricula. The renowned masterworks in the field should be integrated with works by women, people of color, and other minorities. Students will learn about humanity, other people’s lives and feelings, and patterns of human existence outside of the classroom through literature. Since the emphasis was on the writings of white men, students are expected to learn about various historical eras as represented by a range of writers rather than by a particular genre. This essay will deal with this conundrum.
Any anthology meant to introduce students to literature should avoid placing undue emphasis on any one author, genre, theme, or race in favor of presenting a variety of literary works across the genres of fiction, poetry, and drama. Different cultures should be understood and appreciated in the modern world, especially in light of the development of Internet technology, which has made the entire world a small village. I'll talk about what literature college students should read and how to introduce them to it in this essay.
Discussion
American literature: what is it? What should college instructors attempt to teach their introductory literature course students? Are there specific standards for what gets introduced? Will students independently research their culture if they aren’t given the opportunity to do so in introductory literature courses? What about the literature of minorities? Do their races need to be represented? Do educators have an obligation to consider the needs of their students? And how can introductory courses at the university be made more engaging for students? There are a ton of questions that need to be answered. I will attempt to address these queries in the pages that follow.
In fact, the term “literary canon” designates authors and works that are deemed “major,” typically by a specific group within a society. Hence, the values and interests of the strong dominant class are reflected in the canon of American literature. Therefore, Harte (1997, 94) asserts that, due to what he refers to as “great books”, “we were constructed as passive students who imbibed literature unquestionably”.
It is a grave error to restrict the definition of “American Literature” to the writings of white American men. Lauter (1994, 81), the Heath Anthology of American Literature’s general editor, points out that “the New World community [is] multi-racial and multi-cultural”. Furthermore, American literature does not only refer to works that are written in the country. For her part, Greene (1997, 113) contends that “American literature is not bound by the borders of the United States” where readers explore “race, ethnicity, class, and gender”.
However, we must acknowledge that every tradition has political and historical underpinnings. Gates, Jr. (1990, 107) refers to “the hegemony of the Western tradition” that indeed does sustain the prevalent social order and excludes a larger part that belongs to the tradition for social, political, and ideological reasons (Dohal, 2021).
Studies by women and minorities like African Americans are not included in the traditional canon. Some writers edit anthologies that contain in an effort to redefine the canon as “the commonplace book of our shared culture” (Gates, Jr. 1990, 92). However, any anthology intended to introduce students to literature should avoid placing undue emphasis on any one author, genre, theme, or race in favor of presenting a variety of literary works through the provision of different genres (dramas, fiction, and poetry). The anthologies have recently included works by Native Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, and women. College students nowadays need to be aware of and able to comprehend various cultures, such as the ones that were just mentioned. Students will learn about other cultures with diverse values in our world and may encounter them in the future by recognizing those cultures.
Study questions, however, typically follow each anthologized work. The purpose of these questions is to support students as they examine literary works. They fulfill assignments for both in-class and out-of-class use. Nonetheless, educators ought to allow pupils to ask questions. By posing questions, you kept them responsible and engaged in the learning process. Teachers might also have to put together a packet in addition to the assigned anthology.
English-language translations are valuable, in my opinion. Students will be able to learn about and comprehend various cultures in general as well as the heritage of their immigrant ancestors in particular through these works. Additionally, students may read works by literary non-American authors who wrote about America in an introductory course. Students will have the opportunity to see how other people view their culture and values through such an assignment. Minority authors may, in fact, bring up conflicts and cultural differences in their works. Additionally, the conflicts and differences found in those writings ought to be introduced to college students. Graff (1992, 44) argues that “the dispute itself becomes part of what educated persons should know”. Indeed, Graff makes the case for teaching conflicts to students in his book Beyond the Culture Wars. Given that a lot of today's issues stem from moral, religious, and ethical convictions, discussing these issues and conflicts in the classroom may be appropriate.
But now is the moment to completely broaden curricula and give minority writers—especially those from the US—their due in the canon. The renowned masterworks in the field should be integrated with works by women, people of color, and other minorities “so that the common intellectual culture of America includes representation from all its constituent people” (Ryan 1997, 173). It is imperative that we exhibit fairness by granting minority groups the freedom to express themselves, practice equality, and have their voices heard.
Whatever form history takes, it ought to be taught. Gates (1990, 106) contends “You can’t opt out of history. History may be a nightmare”.
Teachers should also keep the word “introductory” in front of them when creating curricula and instructing students. Additionally, a syllabus ought to feature a wide range of writers with distinct voices and styles. Students will examine other works by the same author independently, using one piece as a model from which to construct their own readings.
A comprehensive introduction to literature should address every genre. There could be four sections to the works to be introduced: 1. Fiction (short stories); 2. Poetry; 3. Drama (primarily short plays); 4. General Section (short essays, theoretical approaches, and some parts of autobiographies if possible). Since the course is an introduction to literature, it will concentrate on short works in both the drama and fiction sections. Students will be able to independently analyze and discuss long works if they comprehend short works and can apply theories to them.
An introduction to literary theory with examples should be given in order to assist students in examining and debating the texts of an introductory literature course from various, theoretical, and critical perspectives. Students will benefit from having sample essays to help them understand the format, organization, focus, and other elements of a critical essay. These essays will help students organize and generate their writing tasks. It is true that students will be better writers in the future, regardless of the subject, the more skillfully they learn to write about literature during their literature classes.
It’s difficult to separate theories from literature these days. As Graff (1992, 250) contends that “any teacher of literature is unavoidably a literary theorist”. Allowing them to ask questions and making an effort to respond to them will pique their interest in reading the material and encourage both critical and creative thought. Even though the text has been selected and assigned, the class discussion and ideas should center on the concerns brought up by the students.
Last but not least, introductory literature courses ought to be created to provide substitutes for the conventional approaches to teaching college literature. The author’s gender, multiple cultures, modern theories, and thematic categories that speak to the needs of the students inform these alternatives (Dohal 2022). They will be able to establish an educational environment by utilizing a variety of strategies and tactics, including question-and-discussion formats, presentations, group discussions, and cooperative learning assignments. Discussions and group projects should be promoted since students can benefit from one another's knowledge.
A sample of literary works
Fiction
a) Basic terms: character, structure, theme, tone, setting, style, etc.
b)
Margaret Atwood (Canadian). Rape Fantasies
Robert Olen Butler. Snow
Willa Cather. Paul’s Case
Kate Chopin. The Story of an Hour
Sandra Cisneros. The House on Mango Street
Stephen Crane. The Blue Hotel
William Faulkner. Burn Burning
Charlotte P. Gilman. The Yellow Wallpaper
Ernest Hemingway. Soldier’s Home
Zora Hurston. Sweat
Shirley Jackson. The Lottery
Sarah Orne Jewett. A White Heron
Tim O’Brien. The Things They Carried
Akhil Sharma. If you Sing Like That for Me
Amy Tan (Chinese American). Two Kinds
Michel Tremblay (French-Canadian). The Thimble
Alice Walker. Everyday Use
Hisaye Yamamoto. Seventeen Syllables
Poems
a) Basic terms: imagery, symbolism, figures of speech, myth, and other relevant topics
b)
Maya Angelou. Africa
Imamu A. Baraka. Ka’Ba
Earle Birney (Canadian). Canadian Literature
Elizabeth Bishop. The Fish
Anne Bradstreet. To My Dear and Loving Husband
Gwendolyn Brooks. We Real Cool
Emily Dickinson. I’m Nobody! Who Are You?
Nikki Giovanni. Nikki-Rosa
Linda Hogan. Song for My Name
Langston Hughes. Theme for English B
Li-Young Lee (Chinese). A Final Thing
Amy Lowell. Patterns
Claude McKay (Harlem). The White City
Peter Meinke. The ABC of Aerobics
Mary Oliver. The Black Snake
Linda Pastan. Ethics
Octavio Paz (Mexican). The Street
Sylvia Plath. Daddy
Muriel Rukeyser. Myth
Sonia Sanchez. Right on: White America
Wallace Stevens. Disillusionment of Ten O’Clock
Jean Toomer. Reapers
Judith Viorst. True Love
Phyllis Webb (Canadian). Poetics against the Angel of Death
Walt Whitman. Facing West From California’s Shores
Williams Carlos Williams. The Dance
Plays
a) Basic terms: comedy, tragedy, structure of plays, and other related dramatic concepts
b)
Maria Irene Fornes. The Conduct of Life
Susan Glaspell. Trifles
Beth Henley. Am I Blue
Petty Keller. Tea Party
Langston Hughes. Mulatto
LeRoi Jones. Dutchman
Jane Martin. Rodeo
Arthur Miller. Death of a Salesman
Eugene O’Neill. Before Breakfast
Anna D. Smith. From Twilight: Los Anglos, 1992
Luis Valdez. Los Vendidos
Conclusion
After this quick overview of some important elements related to the presentation of American literature, the reader can understand the workload undertaken by the teacher who takes care of teaching such a course. The teacher can also take into account what has been mentioned here, and discover what s/he should do. In addition, the presentation of some literary works in this paper will make the reader and teacher aware of what this introduction may contain and its importance in a literature of the value of American literature.
References:
Brannon, L. and Brenda M. Greene (Eds.). 1997. Rethinking American Literature. Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English.
Dohal, G. H. 2020. Susan Glaspell’s ‘Trifles’: A Suggested Lesson Plan. TECHNIUM Social Sciences Journal, 8: 22-25. https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v8i1.504.
Dohal, G. H. 2021. Factors to Consider while Teaching English to Arab Students. Scientific Bulletin of South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University Named after K D Ushynsky, 3 (136): 142–145. https://doi.org/10.24195/2617-6688-2021-3-19.
Dohal, G. H. 2022. Education and academic freedom. Revista EDUCARE - UPEL-IPB-Segunda Nueva Etapa 2.0, 26(2): 438–445. https://doi.org/10.46498/reduipb.v26i2.1637.
Gates, H. L. 1990. The Master’s Pieces: On Canon Formation and the African-American Tradition. The South Atlantic Quarterly. 89(1): 89-111.
Graff, G. 1989. “The Future of Theory in the Teaching of Literature.” In Ralph Cohen (ed.), The Future of Literary Theory, pp. 250-267. New York: Routledge.
Graff, G. 1992. Beyond the Culture Wars. New York: Norton.
Greene, B. M. 1997. “Remembering as Resistance in the Literature of Women of Color.” In Lil Brannon and Brenda M. Greene (Eds.), Rethinking American Literature, pp. 97-115. Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English.
Harte, J. C. 1997. “Teaching and Learning across Cultures: The Literature Classroom as a Site for Cultural Transactions.” In Lil Brannon and Brenda M. Greene (Eds.), Rethinking American Literature, pp. 81-96. Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English.
Kafka, P. 1991. “A Multicultural Introduction to Literature.” In James M. Cahalan and David B. Downing (Eds.), Practicing Theory in Introductory College Literature Courses, pp. 179-188. Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English.
Lauter, P. (Ed.). 1994. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. 2nd edition. 2 Vols. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath.
Ryan, M. B. 1997. The American Canon Wars: A View from Mexico. Journal of American Culture, Vol. 20, Issue 2: 171-77.
Trimmer, J. F. 1997. “Teaching Others: A Cautionary Tale.” In Lil Brannon and Brenda M. Greene (Eds.), Rethinking American Literature, pp. 249-256. Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English.