English: The Great American Novel, c. 1850-1987

This course centres on the concept of the Great American Novel, a long-debated term often used to describe American novels that in some way capture the essence, identity, or contradictions of the United States. During the course, you read six American novels published between approximately 1850 and 1987 and examine how these works represent the nation, what they suggest about American identity, and to what extent they can be understood as candidates for a “Great American Novel”.

At the same time, the concept itself is critically examined. You discuss whether the Great American Novel can be considered a genre in its own right, what assumptions about nation, culture, and the literary canon the concept is built upon, and which perspectives it includes—or excludes. The course also offers a broad introduction to the development of the American novel from the mid-nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century.

Course syllabus

The syllabus contains the formal and legal details of the entire course. It’s a legal document outlining the course structure and requirements, intended mainly for administrative use.

Course literature

The course literature listed may be updated up to eight weeks before the course begins.

The course is based on active participation, discussion, and reflection. The teaching consists of seven scheduled sessions combining lectures with group discussions and close readings of the course texts. Through seminar discussions and short reflective writing tasks, you practise formulating your own interpretations and placing the novels in their cultural and historical contexts.

A key component of the course is the ongoing work with short reflective texts, which help you engage critically with the literature and test different analytical approaches. The course concludes with an independent essay of approximately 2,000 words. You choose the topic of the essay in consultation with the course teacher, allowing you to explore a particular novel or theme in greater depth.

After completing the course, you will have a solid understanding of the Great American Novel as both a literary and critical concept, and you will be able to use it to analyse and discuss American fiction in both spoken and written English. You will have developed the ability to relate literary texts to their historical and cultural contexts and to compare, evaluate, and argue for different interpretations of a novel.

The course also helps you identify your own needs for further knowledge and skills development in literary studies. It may be included in a general degree at both first-cycle and second-cycle levels and provides a strong foundation for further studies in English literature, American studies, and the humanities more broadly.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements and 30 credits in the subject English.

Selection criteria

Seats are allocated according to the following: The general average (GPA) of your higher secondary school leaving certificate: 34 %, The Swedish national university aptitude test: 34 %, number of previous ECTS at the application deadline (up to 165): 32 %.

Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA citizens

Citizens of countries outside:

• The European Union (EU)
• The European Economic Area (EEA) and
• Switzerland

are required to pay tuition fees. You pay an instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each
semester.

Tuition fees, payments and exemptions

Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 15,625
First payment: SEK 15,625

Convert currency – xe.com

Note that you may also need to pay an application fee, or provide proof of exemption.

Application fee

No tuition fees for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland

There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.