Topsy and Eva, respectively, two characters from Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. The quote below the illustration is said by Eva to Topsy, "I love you, because you haven't had any father, or mother, or friends;-because you've been a poor, abused child!" (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction number: LC-USZC4-2974 [color film copy transparency].)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Sandy Alexandre
MIT Course Number
21L.501
As Taught In
Fall 2006
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
This course explores the metaphorical, historical, social, and psychological value of ghosts in the American novel. Using the theme of "haunting" as a flashpoint for class discussion and a thematic center for our readerly attention, this course examines the American novel in the context of the various histories which might be said to haunt fictional characters in the American novel, to haunt the American novel itself, and ultimately to haunt us: America's colonial past, its slave past, and other memorable and painful chapters in its past.
Other Versions
Other OCW Versions
OCW has published multiple versions of this subject. 