“Rosa” and The Formation of an American Literature

by Matthew Teutsch

At first, teaching Rosa, or American Genius and Education (1810) in an early American literature survey course seemed somewhat daunting. I frame my courses around conversations, typically beginning with David Walker and Thomas Jefferson then moving around through time and region back and forth from the colonial to the early nineteenth century. I do this to show students that even though these texts appear … Read More “Rosa” and The Formation of an American Literature

October 12, 2017 + african american literature, american literature, comics, deborah whaley, house unamerican activities committee, jackie ormes, jackie robinson, joseph mccarthy, langston hughes, Literature, nancy goldstein, patty-jo 'n' ginger, paul robeson, pittsburgh courier

Jackie Ormes, the FBI, and “Patty-Jo ‘n’ Ginger”

by Matthew Teutsch

A few months ago, I wrote about Jackie Ormes’ Patty-Jo ‘n’ Ginger single panel gags that appeared in the Pittsburgh Courier. In preparation for a talk I am giving on comics and race, I started looking back at some of these panels and read Nancy Goldstein’s and Deborah Whaley’s discussions of Ormes and her various comic strips and panels. Today, I want to take … Read More Jackie Ormes, the FBI, and “Patty-Jo ‘n’ Ginger”

October 10, 2017 + african american literature, american literature, early american literature, louisiana literature, mixtape, music, Pedagogy, slave narrative, solomon northup, soundtrack, southern literature, twelve years a slave

Soundtrack Assignment in the Literature Classroom

by Matthew Teutsch

Every semester I try something new in the classroom. Sometimes this may involve adding activities such as the fish bowl, working in the archives, or having students write on the board to generate ideas. I take these ideas and tweak them as I go along because, as we know, every class is not the same. What works in one class may not necessarily work … Read More Soundtrack Assignment in the Literature Classroom

October 5, 2017 + american literature, avengers, black panther, Literature, marvel, marvel cinematic universe, marvel comics, monica lynn, monica lynne, t'challa, wakanda

“Why haven’t you let anyone know?”: Monica Lynne First Appearance

by Matthew Teutsch

Typically, when we talk about origin stories in comics, we focus on superheroes. Rarely do we focus on supporting or secondary characters. David Taft Terry writes about the introduction of Bill Foster and his role working with Hank Pym; however, that is the only real discussion, so far, I have seen on supporting characters. After reading Sam Wilson’s (Falcon) origin story, I decided to … Read More “Why haven’t you let anyone know?”: Monica Lynne First Appearance

September 28, 2017 + african american literature, american literature, an appeal to the colored citizens of the world, comte de buffon, david walker, early american literature, just teach one, king philip, native american literature, Rosa; or, American Genius and Education, william apess

Refuting Europe in “Rosa, or American Genius and Education”

by Matthew Teutsch

Over the past few class sessions, we have looked at Rosa, or American Genius and Education (1810). Published anonymously, the satirical novel presents an interesting examination and discussion for my early American literature survey course. There is a lot that can be looked at in regards to this novel; however, today, I want to focus specifically on the Peruvian Sol who enters the narrative mid-way through … Read More Refuting Europe in “Rosa, or American Genius and Education”

Interminable Rambling

“Rosa” and The Formation of an American Literature

Category: american literature