This course delves into the divergent perspectives of America as depicted by Edward Hopper and Norman Rockwell. Rockwell captures the nation’s warmth and unity, while Hopper exposes its solitude. We will examine how their portrayals of color, class, and gender mirror wider American stories. Our analysis will be informed by literature such as “Winesburg, Ohio” by Anderson, Hemingway’s “In Our Time,” “Little Women” by Alcott, “Going to Meet the Man” by Baldwin, and “Beloved” by Morrison. Additionally, inspired by Horace’s concept of “ut pictura poesis,” we will explore the symbiosis between painting and poetry, enhancing our grasp of America’s cultural fabric through the works of these iconic artists and seminal texts.
American Narratives: Contrasting Visions in American Art and Literature
Spring 2025
Required Reading
Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio (1919)
Ernest Hemingway’s In Our Time (1925)
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women (1868-69)
James Baldwin’s Going to Meet the Man (1965)
Toni Morrison’s Beloved (1987)
Meet Your Instructor
CHARLES SCRUGGS is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of American literature at the University of Arizona. He has written books and articles on African-American Literature and film, and he is presently working on a book on Claude McKay, a Harlem Renaissance novelist and poet. He has also published articles on Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Ernest Hemingway, John Fowles, Raymond Chandler, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, and American film.
Location
POETRY CENTER
Dorothy Rubel Room
1508 E Helen
Tucson, AZ 85721
United States
Located on the SE corner of Helen Street and Vine Avenue, one block north of Speedway and three blocks west of Campbell Ave.
