TELEVISION

A Literary Tour of the United States

Series: Literary Tour of the United States
(0)
Episodes
24
Rating
TVPG
Year
2025
Language
English

About

In A Literary Tour of the United States, you'll take an epic excursion across America, from the wide expanse of the continental states to Alaska, Hawaii, and beyond, delving into the writing that distinguishes our nation's literature across three centuries.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 24

1. Hitting the Road

27m

Begin the course by considering core themes of American life that figure in the nation's literature, exploring the theme of travel and the road trip as seen in works by early American writers as well as later writings by Jack Kerouac, Vladimir Nabokov, Cormac McCarthy, and others. Grasp how notions of self-discovery and self-reinvention have characterized the American imagination.

2. Poets and Novelists of Boston

26m

Beginning with poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, trace the remarkable legacy of Boston's literary artists. Among many, sample the work of African American poet Phillis Wheatley, novelist Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins, and the "confessional" poets Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, and Robert Lowell. Note the ways in which Boston's writers have used their creative powers to heal and unite the nation.

3. Transcendentalism in New England

27m

Here, take the measure of the wealth of literary giants who emerged within Massachusetts in the 19th century. Learn about the ideological movement of Transcendentalism in the work and influence of Ralph Waldo Emerson and others. Experience the work of Emily Dickinson, Margaret Fuller, Louisa May Alcott, and William Dean Howells.

4. Wild Spaces of New England

26m

Encounter a group of New England writers with particular connections to nature and the wild. Begin with transcendental philosopher Henry David Thoreau. Then, explore the life of Herman Melville and the experiences underlying his masterwork, Moby Dick; dive into the maritime tales of "regionalist" writer Sarah Orne Jewett; and experience the lyric poetry of Robert Frost.

5. New York's Elites

27m

Enter the rarified world of New York's high society in the 19th and 20th centuries. By examining the classic novels of Washington Irving, Edith Wharton, and Henry James, you'll see how writers used satire to skewer New York's monied class. Then chart the unruly spirit of the Jazz Age in the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and New York's latter day social elites feted by Truman Capote.

6. New York Through the Eyes of Immigrants

27m

Track the literary expression of New York's immigrant communities, beginning with Abraham Cahan's The Rise of David Levinsky and Stephen Crane's Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, stories of social rise and the hardships of assimilation. In works by Julia Alvarez and Esmeralda Santiago, witness the struggle for freedom and identity in the writers' experience of bridging cultures.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists