This course will explore a range of texts written during or about the time period sometimes dubbed, “The Roaring Twenties.” We will move from glittering Long Island parties to the Nebraska prairie, from the fashionable streets of Chicago and Harlem to the floor of a Tampa cigar factory to learn how some of the celebrated novels and dramas in that era converse with one another about place, identity, and responsibility. Where do the characters in these stories find worth or meaning? How does the notion of progress fit with values based on tradition? What do we notice in the passions, limits, and possibilities of stories written and dreamed during this era? Texts may include My Antonia, The Great Gatsby, Anna in the Tropics, and Passing, among others.

This course is only open to students in the Class of 2026.

Offered Spring 2024