ENGL 2603

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  • Schedule of Classes - August 2, 2023 12:50PM EDT
  • Course Catalog - April 3, 2023 12:59PM EDT

ENGL 2603
The Novels of Toni Morrison

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2022-2023. Courses of Study 2022-2023 is scheduled to publish mid-June.

Each year this seven-week, one-credit course focuses on a different novel by Nobel Laureate and Cornell alumna Toni Morrison. We read and discuss each novel in the context of Morrison's life and career, her place in African American, US, and world literature, and her exploration of crucial questions regarding identity, race, gender, history, oppression, and autonomy. For Fall 2022, the topic of the course will be Morrison's third novel, Song of Solomon. Students will read the novel closely, with attention to its place in Morrison's career and in literary and cultural history.

When Offered Fall.

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Syllabi: none

  •   Seven Week - Second. 

  • 1 Credit Stdnt Opt

  • Topic: Song of Solomon

  • 11983 ENGL 2603   LEC 001

  •  
    • M
    • Oct 12 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Adams, A

      Gilbert, R

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    “You wanna fly, you got to give up the s—t that weighs you down.” Toni Morrison (MA ’55) invented this aphorism in her third novel, Song of Solomon, to articulate the search for what matters in an individual’s definition of self and, by extension, of family and community. In trying to track down a hidden sack of gold, the protagonist—ironically named Milkman Dead—finds other treasure, including the unknown history of his own family and its ties to the legend of flying Africans. Through lectures and discussion groups, students in this course will read Morrison’s epic novel closely, exploring its rich amalgam of folklore, racial politics, and vivid characterization through informal written responses and a final essay.