Why American Literature Today? Class, Pathos, and History
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Made by Anna Beringer: this podcast episode explores the concept of reading American literature as a means to educate readers on less represented parts of our nation’s history. Though history textbooks can educate on dates, important figures, and political agendas, literature gives readers more perspective on the nuances and details of life in different eras. Literature can also give readers more empathy and a more emotional response to historical events so that we can learn from them and grow our country into a better place more every day.

Works Cited

Crabtree, Zoe. “THE HISTORY AND CONTEXT OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT’S ‘LITTLE WOMEN.’” University of Texas at Austin, 2 Nov. 2016, sites.utexas.edu/theatredance-blog/2016/11/02/the-history-and-context-of-louisa-may-alcotts-little-women/.

Foster, Malcolm. “The Black Crepe Veil: The Significance of Stephen Crane's The Monster.” The International Fiction Review, Concordia University.

McMurray, Price. "Disabling Fictions: Race, History, and Ideology in Crane's "The Monster"." Studies in American Fiction, vol. 26 no. 1, 1998, p. 51-72. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/saf.1998.0009).

Puronaho, Jenni. “Innocent, Yet Ambitious - Childhood in 19th Century America as Depicted in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women Series .” University of Jyvaskyla , 2010. https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/23033/URN%3aNBN%3afi%3ajyu-201003151320.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y)

Sands-O'Connor, Karen. "Anything to Suit Customers: Antislavery and Little Women." Children's Literature Association Quarterly, vol. 26 no. 1, 2001, p. 33-38. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/chq.0.1428).