The American Novel Since 1945 (ENGL 291)
At the very beginning of the course, Professor Hungerford offered students the opportunity to pitch a novel of their choice to fill the final spot on the syllabus. Today six students rise to that challenge, presenting their arguments for why each book would complete the intellectual trajectory established thus far. While the Teaching Assistants tally the results of the class vote, Professor Hungerford provides some final thoughts about the theme of loss in Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping. The effacement of the body in this novel, and the beauty of absence and hunger, result in what Hungerford terms an "anorexic aesthetic" that raises problems for feminist interpretation.
00:00 - Chapter 1. Novel Pitch Day
02:03 - Chapter 2. Emma's Pitch: "Giovanni's Room"
06:44 - Chapter 3. Kelsey's Pitch: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
12:25 - Chapter 4. Miranda's Pitch: "Play It As It Lays"
18:06 - Chapter 5. Will's Pitch: "Jesus' Son"
22:31 - Chapter 6. Eli's Pitch: "Everything Is Illuminated"
28:03 - Chapter 7. Roger's Pitch: "What Is the What"
36:30 - Chapter 8 Back to "Housekeeping": The Logic of Absence
Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: open.yale.edu/courses
This course was recorded in Spring 2008.