LST 538 - Reading the Roaring Twenties: An Interdisciplinary Approach

From the Harlem Renaissance, to The Lost Generation, the Algonquin Roundtable and the Provincetown Players, writers were prolific and on the move in the 1920s. Using a broadly interdisciplinary approach, this course will examine how the literature of the 1920s addressed artistic, social, historical, and political concerns while life “roared on” between two World Wars and before the Great Depression. How were the issues such as the growth of urbanization, concern over immigration, and the rise of consumerism reflected in literature? What were the personal and aesthetic connections that brought together literature, music, art, and dance? The primary focus of the course will be on fiction, poetry, and personal narratives, with critical readings, selected outside media, and guest lectures from a variety of scholarly perspectives. In addition to weekly writing assignments, an independent interdisciplinary research project will be one of the major course requirements.

Credits: 3