The American Novel: Stranger and Stranger
A survey of major American novelists from the late eighteenth century to the present, offered by MIT through OpenCourseWare. Readings emphasize close literary analysis while also situating novels within their historical, intellectual, and political contexts. Authors commonly included are Susanna Rowson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Henry James, and Toni Morrison, though the syllabus shifts by term and has previously organized readings around themes such as the American Revolution or novelistic adaptations and reinterpretations of American classics. Course materials include the syllabus, reading schedule, and assignment prompts as posted by MIT; there are no video lectures. The course can be repeated for credit under a different topic with instructor permission. Materials are free to access under MIT's open license, with no certificate offered.