American Literature

Black and white portrait of Mark Twain in shadow.

Mark Twain, the father of the great American novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This course explores the historical, biographical, and literary contexts of his work. (Public Domain. Library of Congress.)

Instructor(s)

MIT Course Number

21L.006

As Taught In

Spring 2013

Level

Undergraduate

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Course Description

Course Features

Course Description

This course studies the national literature of the United States since the early 19th century. It considers a range of texts - including, novels, essays, and poetry - and their efforts to define the notion of American identity. Readings usually include works by such authors as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass, Emily Dickinson, and Toni Morrison.

Related Content

Wyn Kelley. 21L.006 American Literature. Spring 2013. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu. License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.


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