For the Fall 2021 term, we're offering a mix of virtual and in-person classes. Although we are still primarily virtual, you will find a smaller selection of in-person seminars in the schedule. For more information about the Newberry’s virtual seminars, including a Zoom tutorial, please see our Virtual Seminars FAQ page. Registration opens on September 1st at 9am (Central time). Registration will take place through our online platform, Learning Stream.
Seminar Description
In this discussion-based seminar, we will explore the role of distinct Chicago neighborhoods in contemporary American fiction, asking whether 1940s Bronzeville, 1980s Pilsen, and 1980s Boys' Town provide more than literary stages for narratives and act as key players in their own right. We will explore this process through Gwendolyn Brooks's A Street in Bronzeville, Sandra Cisneros's House on Mango Street, and Rebecca Makkai's Great Believers.
Four sessions. Registration – $195
Brian Lynch holds an MA in English literature from Northwestern University and a BA in comparative literature from Brown University. He is currently active as an independent scholar.
Materials List
Required:
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Rebecca Makkai, The Great Believers (Penguin, 2018). ISBN: 9780735223523
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Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street (Vintage, 1991). ISBN: 9780679734772
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Gwendolyn Brooks, Selected Poems (Harper Perennial, 2006). ISBN: 9780060882969.
First Reading: