(Part 2 of A Nation of Mourners Series)
“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Tragedy speaks twice from one mouth, bewailing our frailty in light of our splendor. American literature has memorized both refrains. Early modern authors seem to reel from a special exposure to human folly, yet peer through the fog at a distant light. In Part Two of this course, we will discuss whether it is better for American literature to cling to the promise of greatness or acknowledge the reality of failure.
This is the second of three seminars in a series (548, 549, 550). They are ideally taken together, but each may be taken independently if so desired.
The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald
The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway
The Bear: Part 1-5, Faulkner
Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck
The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway
The Bear: Part 1-5, Faulkner
Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck
