ENG 104 - War Literature

Semester Hours: 4

“War is all Hell.” So said the great Union Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman. Indeed, warfare, humankind’s oldest pastime, depicts the human animal in its worst light. War also, paradoxically, presents the human being with opportunities to perform amazing acts of bravery and heroism. This semester we will focus on the literature and film of the American Civil War. We will read such classics as The Red Badge of Courage and the modern novels The Killer Angels and Cold Mountain. We will also watch excerpts from Ken Burns’ series The Civil War and several feature films, including Glory, Gettysburg, and Gone With the Wind.

Intellectual Perspective: HC