ENGH 340: Early American Literature

ENGH 340-001: Early American Literature
(Spring 2026)

12:00 PM to 01:15 PM TR

Aquia Building 219

View the schedule of classes

Section Information for Spring 2026

ENGH 340 - 001: Early American Literature

Phrases like “Taken from her mouth” and “The True Narrative of…” are splashed across innumerable texts written in the early American period.  Readers in both Europe and the Americas were eager for first-hand accounts of experiences and emotional ordeals that they found both strange and familiar.  And though they often claimed to be factual accounts, these narratives reflected the assumptions and interests of those writing, publishing, and reading these texts. In this class we will read the works of cons, criminals, and captives as well as explorers, founders, and “saints,” considering as we do so how different ways of engaging the land and social space called the “New World” or the “Americas” during the colonial and early national periods shape various literary representations of America.

Tags:

Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Works of first 200 years of American literature, including Edwards, Franklin, Irving, Cooper, and Bryant. Offered by English. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: Satisfaction of University requirements in 100-level English and in Mason Core literature.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.