"Music is awareness flowing in through the ear. And nothing is more terrifying than being aware."
Richard Powers' statement is unnerving, but there is more to music with which we can consider. Can music capture the present and recover the past? Does music confer a shared sense of closure? How is music valuable to fictional worlds? In this course, we will sound out diverse perspectives of American narratives by considering the globally connected but imperiled rhythms of our culture’s corresponding musical and literary heritage. From solo pianists to accompanists and players of various mobilities, as well as audiences for these musical spaces, we will investigate fictional representations of music and musicality together with their impact on narrative through a variety of American voices here and abroad. We will consider topics in coming-of-age narratives regarding the intricacies of gender, race, domesticity, and social belonging to the emerging anxieties and culture of panic in connection with new technologies, fears of global annihilation, and the rise of the security state.
Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30am–10:45am
Dr. Ryan McGuckin
English 2350 / Section 103: Studies in American Literature: “Imperiled Rhythms: Music, Memory, & Uncertainty in American Fiction” - McGuckin (Spring 2023) flyer
