English 275-002
The Forms of Folk Literature: The Fabricating American: Shaping a National Identity through Folk Ideas in American Literature
Instr: Clark, Rikki
Office: CRT 502; 229-3302
e-mail: rikki@uwm.edu
Office hours: TBA
Course Information: TR; 8:00-9:15am; MIT B14
Course Description
This is a folklore in literature class that incorporates ideas from the fields of Folkloristics, American Studies, and Literature to examine American literature for evidence of American worldview called folk ideas. The five folk ideas that will be addressed in class are: "America as a Land of Opportunity"; "All Men are Created Equal"; "God-Blessed Nation"; "American Innocence"; and "The Wild West." These folk ideas and their variations are the traditional building blocks used by American writers to fashion national identity.
