Category: Literature

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Memos in the Literature Classroom

For my literature courses this semester, I am tweaking a previous assignment and starting a new practice that will hopefully assist students in learning the material throughout the semester. Today, I want to briefly cover the ways I plan to change my discussion board and my incorporation of post-class memos after each class.

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What to Expect in 2018!

Welcome to 2018! Back in August 2015, I started Interminable Rambling as a space for me to flesh out thoughts I had concerning texts I was reading, pedagogy, and culture. Since that first post, I have published 236 posts for this site on a myriad of topics such as Mary Rowlandson and Sarah Kemble Knight to Star Wars: The Force Awakens and court cases such … Read More What to Expect in 2018!

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Patriotism and Surveillance in Frank Yerby’s “Salute to the Flag”

As a student at Paine College in the mid-1930s, Frank Yerby published “Salute to the Flag” in the November 1936 issue of the school’s newspaper The Paineite. Eight years later, Yerby won the O’Henry prize for his short story “Health Card,” a story that focuses on a Black serviceman and his wife during World War II. I mention this story because “Salute to the … Read More Patriotism and Surveillance in Frank Yerby’s “Salute to the Flag”

Interracial Intimacy and “Loving v. Virginia” Syllabus

Over the past year, I have been thinking about a project that am currently working on. The project involves examining African American texts from the 1960s and 1970s that center on interracial relationships. I chose this time period because the Supreme Court struck down anti-miscegenation laws in 1967 in Loving v. Virginia; however, even forty years later, racist individuals still disapproved of interracial relationships. … Read More Interracial Intimacy and “Loving v. Virginia” Syllabus

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Chronicling the Rise of A Distinctly American Literature in the Survey Course

Every semester, I discuss how American authors sought to carve out their space in a early-nineteenth century world that countered European cultural and artistic influence. As we read throughout the semester, we encounter numerous authors who either explicitly or indirectly address the question, “How do we construct a distinctly American literature?” For me, this topic arises from the outset of the semester due to … Read More Chronicling the Rise of A Distinctly American Literature in the Survey Course