The course investigates the role of literature in the formation of national identity, tracing the development of the USA as a nation through a set of representative texts. We will explore how certain historical and cultural developments from the first English colonies to the late 19th century contributed to the emergence of an independent literary tradition in America and how literary texts in turn have influenced national and cultural identities. In addition, the course demonstrates how various 20th-century debates have re-evaluated the literary canon.