Describe in detail and with a clear sense of the continuities and discontinuities, the development of American fiction in the period studied, in terms of changes in form, genre and theme.
Relate American novels in specific cultural, social, historical, and political contexts.
Assess and apply relevant literary criticism and theory to novels in order to show the relation between text and context, and form and genre to content and theme.
Construct coherent interpretative arguments and substantiate them with primary textual evidence and detailed references to critical and contextualizing material.
Demonstrate expert command of an adequate and relevant critical language.
