ENG-331 Gardens of American Literature
Vita Sackville-West once said, "The more one
gardens, the more one learns." If this is the
case, then a number of American authors must have
been very wise individuals, since they were avid
gardeners. In this course, we will consider the
relationship between gardening, expression, and
American literature. We will read a range of
texts, including herbaria, records of natural
phenomena, and "traditional" literature such as
poetry and prose. We will also read scholarship
devoted to literature and gardening. Authors may
include Nathaniel Hawthorne, Susan Fenimore
Cooper, Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson,
Celia Thaxter, and Alice Walker.(Literature
Seminars)
Prerequisites: 200-level Introduction to Literary
Studies course (any version).