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

by Matthew Teutsch

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

December 13, 2016 + american literature, andrew jackson, captivity narrative, early american literature, henry david thoreau, mary rowlandson, native american literature, ralph waldo emerson, samson occom, transcendentalism, tumblr, Uncategorized, william apess

Tumblr Projects in the Literature Classroom

by Matthew Teutsch

Last month, I published “Tumblr, Blogger, and Wikis in the Literature Classroom.” Today, I want to briefly discuss that post then share with you some of the products that students created in my literature survey courses. For the assignment, I gave each group (two students each) a term or historical event. Each group had to have three aspects to their presentation/Tumblr post.

December 1, 2016 + american literature, bartleby the srivener, civil disobedience, early american literature, henry david thoreau, herman melville, ralph waldo emerson, transcendentalism, Uncategorized

Herman Melville’s Bartleby and Civil Disobedience?

by Matthew Teutsch

When I asked students what they thought of Herman Melville’s Bartleby, the Scrivener, most expressed frustration with Bartleby because they did not know his motivations. Truthfully, we never really know for sure what drives Bartleby to continue to tell his employer, “I would prefer not to.” However, I would argue, as some have done, that we should read Melville’s story, as we do Rebecca … Read More Herman Melville’s Bartleby and Civil Disobedience?

November 15, 2016 + african american literature, american literature, don share, donald trump, early american literature, election, election 2016, ernest j gaines, hillary clinton, jacqueline woodson, james baldwin, Literature, louisiana literature, phillis wheatley, plato, poetry magazine, ralph waldo emerson, Uncategorized

Why We Teach: Literature and the Presidential Election

by Matthew Teutsch

In the Republic, Plato famously claims that there is a longstanding quarrel between philosophy and poetry, even stating that poets are nothing more than imitators and cannot relate truth to their audience, thus perverting them: “the tragic poet is an imitator, and therefore, like all other imitators, he is thrice removed from the king and from the truth.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, in Nature (1836), … Read More Why We Teach: Literature and the Presidential Election

November 10, 2016 + american literature, civil disobedience, early american literature, henry david thoreau, ralph waldo emerson, the unknown citizen, transcendentalism, Uncategorized

Are We Just a Number? Henry David Thoreau and W.H. Auden

by Matthew Teutsch

Ralph Waldo Emerson concludes his essay “Self-Reliance” (1841) with the following words: “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles” (660).About seven years later, Henry David Thoreau delivered his lecture “Resistant to Civil Govermnet,” which would eventually be renamed “Civil Disobedience” after his death. Thoreau’s lecture, essentially, elaborates on the closing lines of Emerson’s essay, … Read More Are We Just a Number? Henry David Thoreau and W.H. Auden

Interminable Rambling

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

Category: ralph waldo emerson