ENGL 052D. Twenty-First Century Narrative

In this class, we will examine some of the major texts, media, and themes of U.S. literature of the twenty-first century. What can we say about the history we are ourselves living through? What fears and anxieties distinguish our moment? What perspective (or lack thereof) do we have on our own time? In order to organize these disparate and difficult questions, we will organize our readings around an industry that quietly shapes where and how we live. It also organizes the themes of belonging, segregation, migration, the weight of the past, and the uncertainty of the future that are characteristic of U.S. life in this century: real estate. Texts may include Angela Flournoy’s The Turner House, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, Colson Whitehead’s Zone One, and Kim Stanley Robinson’s New York 2140.
GATEWAY English Literature.
Humanities
1 credit.
Catalog chapter: English Literature
Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/english-literature

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