Advanced Course                                                                                                         קורס בחירה

Dr. Maya Merlob                            merlobma@post.tau.ac.il                                 ד"ר מאיה מרלוב     

 

Late 18th- and early 19th-century America is known as the "Era of Paper, and the Age of Print." With the possibility of publication made cheaper and more accessible, early America is experiencing a gush of literary productivity, a surge of textual production, which shapes, and ultimately constructs, an American book industry.

Focusing on what can be called print fiction, a metafictional writing that treats the various facets of this newly-born industry, this course will explore the advent of print and its impact on literary style, the rise of newspaper literature, as well as the consequent shift in the figuration of the Author and the commercial figures surrounding him- editors, publishers, booksellers, and literary critics. Looking into the aspects of the publication of texts, we will also address the emerging tradition which puts emphasis on the material conditions of writing and views the book as no more than a physical object, a product made for mass consumption.

Requirements: short reading responses, take-home exam.