ENG 858 American Fiction from World War II to the Present

This course focuses on the American novel from the beginning of World War II to the present. We will consider writers' work in tandem with historical developments from 1939 to 2024, including civil rights, the Cold War, existentialism and Christianity, the War in Vietnam, and transformations in conceptions of political conservatism and liberalism. Students are expected to demonstrate their knowledge of the development of the American novel since 1939 through class discussion and two major writing assignments.