This course examines significant literary works by the following writers who have used Paterson in their major literary works: William Carlos Williams, John Updike, Allen Ginsberg, Junot Diaz, Rosa Alcala, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Emma Goldman, Maria Gillan, and others. Students will learn techniques of close reading, literary interpretation, and will enhance their writing and speaking skills. Williams is a major poet whose urban imagism transformed modern poetry while Ginsberg’s poetry added an anguished lyricism to themes of madness, sexuality, and protest. Updike’s and Diaz’s novels center on conflicts of identity and immigration. Poets Maria Gillan, Judith Ortiz Cofer, and Rosa Alcala use intimate female voices to describe ethnicity and family. Emma Goldman writes about politics, freedom, and feminism. Texts for the course include various genres, genders, and time periods. Field trips to sites in Paterson will be arranged.
ENG 122: Literature of Paterson
Class Program