Alright folks, it is almost that time once again. You know where you start having more frequent panic attacks, eating leftover pizza for breakfast, and writing checks you HOPE will clear at Starbucks. Okay, forget that last part, who writes checks anymore? Cross your fingers and hope your approved.
What I'm trying to say is, well it is time for Midterms!
Ok, let's calm down and think, I'm sure we can come up with a strategy.
Why Am I talking to myself?
Here's what I'm thinking...
I'm going to take an idea that we brushed up against early in the semester which is the idea of the death of romanticism in America at the time and duration of the Civil War. Also, the beginning of a realistic approach in literature and art.
Here's a possible thesis statement...
"The Civil War caused the inevitable death of romanticism in America, and shifted the country towards realism."
What do you think? Can I prove this?
I would use the following texts:
1) Bierce's Chickamauga, to show how the stark reality of war contributed to the aging of youth.
2) Twain's A Private History, to show how the Civil War became a traumatic event in the consciousness of America, crippling the will to fantasize.
3) Dickinson's poems, 448 and 479, to show her portrayal of death as a reality the people faced in the shadow of the war.
Is this feasible?
If this doesn't sound good, I will just go with topic #5 about the role of death within multiple texts.
Yah, how does this sound?
Now this sounds like an essay I would like to read! I think examining death post-CW is a great idea, especially given the texts you've mentioned.
ReplyDeleteAs far as finding outside sources, you might would to do a quick Ebsco search for Drew Faust. Although she's a historian, she might be useful because she examined just this question: what was the cultural impact of the CW on the American conception of death.
In fact, I've got a copy of her book "This Republic of Death." You might not be able to read the whole thing obviously, but the intro and first couple of chapters might be useful. Let me know if you want to borrow it. I'm happy to lend it out.
If you remember to bring it to class tomorrow, I would love to borrow it.
ReplyDelete