On Thursday, we will wrap up the semester, and I would like to ask you to reflect back on the reading you’ve done – the novels and the handouts of poems and essays to accompany them. So let us return to these related ideas from the syllabus – to understand literature not just as a reflection of culture but also as an active agent of culture, that art is not apart but a part of [public discourse] – and begin with this overarching question:
- In what ways have the novels we’ve read this semester been active agents of culture?
- And a follow-up: how have they continued to be active agents? That is, what do you think they continue to offer readers of American literature?
Consider how the six novels we’ve read have been active agents in your own social, political, and/or intellectual lives over the last four months.
- Which novel had the greatest effect on how you look at the contemporary world around you? Why?
- Which novel most contributed to, or changed, your understanding of American history? How did it change it?
- Of the novels we read, which one did you struggle with the most and why?
- Which novel would you most recommend to a friend of yours? What makes you want to pass the experience of that particular novel on?
- Which author’s work would you be most likely to read more of? Why?
The Literary Works 