Spring 2024
Prof. Thomas Austenfeld
Proseminar: American Essays—Art and Voice, Part Two: 1950
to the Present
Last updated March 18, 2024
Description: The essay, a central literary genre in
English, developed its own characteristic shape in the United States. After
World War II, the essay increasingly became the tool that allowed Americans to
address the world changing around them: topics of national significance--from
war to baseball, from family life to psychedelic trips, from minority rights to
sexual liberation, from “nature writing” to animal essays--were raised in
essays published in nationally distributed magazines throughout the twentieth
century and into the first part of the twenty-first century.
In this proseminar on the essay,
students will learn to use the technical vocabulary for the discussion of prose
texts of the so-called "Fourth Genre" (nonfiction prose) and assess
the effectiveness of American essays in giving expression to the self and in
shaping the national discourse on social and political topics.
House Rules: Active class participation and
occasional class leadership, as assigned, are expected and will find their way
into the final grade. You must register
separately for the paper associated with this proseminar. You may miss two meetings without excuse if
it’s necessary, but additional absences must be explained and documented.
Texts: will be provided
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February 19 |
Introduction. And: “A Personal Essay by a Personal Essay,” by Christy Vannoy (2011) |
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February 26 |
Traditional concepts of the “post-War” essay: Philip Lopate, ch. 14 of The Edinburgh Companion (Line and Sarah G.) |
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March 4 |
Martin Luther King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (1963) (Cosmina and Emma) |
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March 11 |
Rebecca Solnit, “Men Explain Things to Me” (2014) (Alicia and Liù) |
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March 18 |
Atkins, “Tracing the Essay” (45 minutes) (Océane and Alessia) Then: Minot, Literary Nonfiction, chapter 2 (Elisa T.) and 3 (Sarah G.)
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March 25 |
James Baldwin, “Stranger in the Village” (1953) and excerpt from Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Julie and Cosmina) One-page
paper due (300 words): How does the essay’s voice produce empathy in the
reader? |
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April 1 |
EASTER HOLIDAY |
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April 8 |
Nathan Heller, “The End of the English Major” (45 minutes) (Sara F. and Alessia) Also: Writing workshop (critique of one-page papers from March 25) |
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April 15 |
Beth Peterson, “The Lyric Essay and Truthtelling,” ch. 23 of The Edinburgh Companion (______________________) |
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April 22 |
Terry Tempest Williams, “47 Days in Extreme Heat” (NYT 2023) (45 minutes) (Elisa) Also: Minot, Literary Nonfiction, chapter 4 (Julie P.) |
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April 29 |
Austenfeld, The Essay’s Voice (___________________________) Also: Minot, Literary Nonfiction, chapter 5 (Line) and 6 ( Emma) |
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May 6 |
Sarah Allen, The Essay and the Ecological Turn,” ch. 18 of The Edinburgh Companion together with Rachel Carson, “The Marginal World” and Elena Passarello, “Animals Strike Curious Poses” (___________________________________) |
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May 13 |
Richard Hofstadter, “The Paranoid Style in American Politics” (1964) (everyone) |
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May 20 |
NO CLASS: Pentecost Holiday |
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May 27 |
TBA Discussion of seminar paper topics |