#  English 62. Migrations: Castaways and Renegades 

 



 Instructor: [John Stauffer](/people/john-stauffer)  
Mondays & Wednesdays, 12:00-1:15 pm | Location: Emerson 104  
[Website](https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/61915)

 *Enrollment: Limited to 27 students.*

 This course traces the extraordinary rise of American literature from the nation's founding through the early twentieth century. Focusing on the "outsider," we examine how American literature gave definition to a culture that was distinct from Europe. Along the way we explore a number of themes: the dilemma of democratic ideals co-existing with slavery and oppression; women as symbols of America; and the relationship between domestic and national fictions. Authors include Irving, Douglass, Melville, Stowe, Whitman, James, Twain, Chesnutt, Wharton, others.

 *Note:*  *Be sure to attend first class meeting to be considered for admittance.*