American Literature II
The Theme: "Mything America"
On our first day of class, August 29, we talked about seeing beyond the superficial aspect of literature, moving past the Wikipedia definition. Instead we want to find the myth that is the basis if the work, thus the theme "Mything America." If we were to make a pyramid out of the various levels of interpretation for a novel the myth would be the solid foundation holding up the entire work. In contrast, the Wikipedia or Google deffinition would be at the top of the pyramid, representing the basic surface understanding. To this triangle we can then add the other levels of understanding a literary work: historical, psychological, etc.
Marilyn