Four Masterpieces of Modern American Fiction Between the World Wars (Zoom)

Mark Schenker of Yale College returns in a continuation of his 2021-2022 lectures on classic novels. This series will be offered via Zoom but with a bonus: the final session will be in-person in the Brubeck Room (as well as on Zoom) with a short reception after the lecture to chat with Mark and each other at the series conclusion.

Mark will lecture on four celebrated novels, books that illustrate how the American novel expanded to include the experience of urban immigrants and rural African-Americans; the devastating effects of the Great Depression and its testing of the promise of the American Dream; and in general a more inclusive consideration of just how varied are the people in “We, the People.”

Attendees are not expected to read or reread all or even any of the novels, but a familiarity with them will of course make the lectures more meaningful. Here are the novels for each week: June 2 – Henry Roth – Call It Sleep; June 9 – Zora Neale Hurston – Their Eyes Were Watching God; June 23 – John Steinbeck – The Grapes of Wrath; June 30 – Carson McCullers – The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

This lecture series is made possible with the support of the Literary Series in Memory of Amy Quigley. Advance registration required. You will automatically be registered for all four sessions in the series. To register, visit the Wilton Library website.