ENG231

Was the '50s woman a radical? By brazenly exploring taboo identities of family, race, class, religion, sexuality and gender in their work, how did women writers of the post-war era reject and/or ironically embrace the confines of social conservatism to advance their art? This discussion-based course reads expansively from women writers around the country during the post-war period, examining both individualized and shared characteristics of their disparate voices. Did women writers of the 1950s create a foundation for social justice movements to come, such as Women’s Lib, #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter? Can or should we consider them to be a school as codified as, say, the Beat Poets? Readings may include Brooks, Childress, Hansberry, Jackson, McCullers, O’Connor, Paley, Plath, Porter. Prerequisite(s): one 100-level English course.