English

The study of literature fosters critical thinking about the relationships among literature, culture and history. Students of English become adept critics of poetry, novels, essays, and plays. They develop knowledge of the history of literary culture and about the evolving genres, forms, and ideologies of literary expression. They study the relation of literary texts to their historical contexts, and they learn to read critically in political speech, popular culture, and the discourses that structure everyday life. As they develop their knowledge, students of English hone their skills as critical writers and explore their potential as creative voices. At Wesleyan, English faculty and students work together to produce new knowledge about literature and to create new literary texts.

 

 

Recent Publications

The Way a Line Hallucinates its Own Linearity

Danielle Vogel

Red Hen Press, 2020

Recent Publications

Wolf

Douglas A. Martin

Nightboat Books, 2020

Recent Publications

Black Cultural Life in South Africa:

Reception, Apartheid, and Ethics

Lily Saint

University of Michigan Press, 2018

Recent Publications

America's Vietnam:

The Longue Durée of U.S. Literature and Empire

Marguerite Nguyen

Temple University Press, 2018

Recent Publications

Jacob's Shipwreck: Diaspora, Translation,

and Jewish-Christian Relations in Medieval England

Ruth Nisse

Cornell University Press, 2017

Recent Publications

Surveyors of Customs:

American Literature as Cultural Analysis

Joel Pfister

Oxford University Press, 2015

Faculty News

WesScholar: English Department Publications

Department News from The Wesleyan Connection