American Dream, American Nightmare: A History of the United States in Art and Literature

Studying the American past, a person could despair or dream or both. In this course, we will move chronologically from the Revolutionary War to the present to consider artists and writers--some famous, some obscure--who've portrayed hope, who've portrayed anger and grief, who've taken it upon themselves to make contact with life as they've experienced and imagined it. Throughout, we will treat art and literature not as an illustration of facts, and not as a solution to social problems, but as a touchstone to who Americans have been and who they might become.