Major American Writers I

1
Major American Writers I

• Introduction
• Professor Engber

2
How to begin?

• Surprise your students.
• Take them seriously.
• Listen.
• Be Kind.

3
How do you see America?
4
Thomas Hariot "A Briefe and True Report of the
New Found Land of Virginia." Frankfort Theodore
De Bry (1590)
John White "Indian Man and Woman Eating"
Watercolor drawing (created 1585-1586).
5
On Being Brought from Africa to America

• 'Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan
  land, Taught my benighted soul to
  understand That there's a God, that there's a
  Saviour too Once I redemption neither sought
  nor knew.5 Some view our sable race with
  scornful eye, "Their colour is a diabolic
  die." Remember, Christians, Negros, black as
  Cain, May be refin'd, and join th' angelic
  train.
• http//www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Wheatley/brough
  t.html

6
Meeting Goals, Setting Expectations

• Things I usually do first
• Tell students what to call me.
• Pose a question.
• Some things I usually don't do
• I often don't take attendance or hand out the
  syllabus first. (I hand it out near the end of
  the first class, and I post it to Blackboard.)
• And I sometimes don't begin with a literary text.