LIT 3383 - Spring 2026 - Mariano

From the haunted women of Gothic fiction to the defiant heroines of contemporary novels, how have women been depicted in American literature, and what do these depictions reveal about the relationship between culture, power, and lived experience? This course explores how literature has constructed, reflected, and challenged societal ideals of femininity and womanhood through the use, among other things, of gendered metaphors (e.g. “motherland,” “virgin wilderness”), feminine archetypes like the femme fatale, the tragic mulatto, and the feminine grotesque; and allegorical cultural symbols (e.g. Statue of Liberty, Columbia, Lady Justice). In addition to studying works by authors such as Kate Chopin, Zora Neale Hurston, Flannery O’Connor, Toni Morrison, Claudia Rankine, and Jesmyn Ward, coursework includes analysis papers, an annotated bibliography, and regular participation. Meets diversity requirement.