ENG-299T.33 The Literature of Slavery 3 credits
Prerequisites: FYS-101
This course focuses on the literary history of chattel slavery, particularly as it pertains to the United States, and on how slavery and its legacy have shaped--and functioned within--literary and cultural traditions. We will concentrate on the period of 1700-1861 in American literary history, and readings will include letters, poetry, fiction, and autobiographical narratives about the slavery experience, as well as various writings that both denounce and support the institution of slavery. As we will see, the literature of slavery and the issues it raises are both political and personal, both historical and contemporary.