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Industrialization and modernity brought a unique dynamic into the discourses about class and gender. Class definitions and connotations had been in turmoil since the Civil War, gender definitions since the appearance of the New Woman in the 1900s. The 1920s accelerated these processes, the Great Depression since 1929 made them all the more visible. In this class we will look at class and gender in historical and theoretical way and read 5 novels of the time, looking at class and gender representations, enactments and negotiations. The five texts are Ann Petry’s The Street, James M. Cain’s Mildred Pierce, Tillie Olsen’s Yonnondio, Nathanael West’s Miss Lonelyhearts, and Cora Ball Moten’s, Hell. Apart from this, we are going to look at photographs from the time in order to detect the discontinuities and disruptions in class and gender. There will be a moodle site for this class: keyword “Mildred”. No registration through Agnes! Readings: - Ann Petry, The Street (1946)
- James M. Cain, Mildred Pierce (1941)
- Tillie Olsen, Yonnondio (1930s)
- Nathanael West, Miss Lonelyhearts (1933)
- Cora Ball Moten, Hell (1929)
Course Requirements: Apart from active participation, you will have to formulate some theses on a topic relating to one of the texts or the photographs. The module exam (MAP) is a term paper. |
