PBS http://www.pbs.org/americannovel/index.html The AMERICAN NOVEL site offers a comprehensive exploration of 200 years of the American novel, including in-depth information on more than 50 American novels and authors, along with the literary movements they inspired. You'll also find interesting tidbits abound, ranging from the literary influences on a Southern gothic author who suffered from lupus and raised peacocks to the way different authors have influenced each other and, in some cases, used each other as characters in their novels. In addition, six scholars explore some of the central themes in American literature via essays. The many interactive features include a literary timeline, quiz and games, where users can test their literary know-how by deciphering literary symbols or guessing characters in To Tell the Truth. Thur, 5 Apr 2007 18:00:00 EST Thur, 5 Apr 2007 18:00:00 EST A comprehensive web site on the American novel A comprehensive web site on the American novel, covering over 50 books and authors. en-us Copyright 2007 THIRTEEN/WNET. All rights reserved. mckennac@thirteen.org (THIRTEEN - PBS) THIRTEEN/WNET mckennac@thirteen.org http://www.pbs.org/americannovel/images/rss_banner.gif http://www.pbs.org/americannovel/rss/media/index.html 144 46 AMERICAN NOVEL on PBS TV news, politics, television, culture, society no AMERICAN NOVEL Skin color and the American Dream In this interview, Scholar Dr. Thadious M. Davis addresses the topic of the American Dream and discusses the work and life of Harlem Renaissance author, Nella Larsen. Davis reveals how the events in Larsen's life would influence her work, most notably, her 1929 novel PASSING. The novel takes a brutally hard look at the issues of race, shades of skin color and "passing for white." Davis explains how the lives of the novel's characters reflect the aspirations of many African Americans at the time and the lengths some felt they had to go in order to obtain the promise of the American Dream. In this interview, Scholar Dr. Thadious M. Davis addresses the topic of the American Dream and discusses the work and life of Harlem Renaissance author, Nella Larsen. Davis reveals how the events in Larsen's life would influence her work, most notably, her 1929 novel PASSING. The novel takes a brutally hard look at the issues of race, shades of skin color and "passing for white." Davis explains how the lives of the novel's characters reflect the aspirations of many African Americans at the time and the lengths some felt they had to go in order to obtain the promise of the American Dream. http://www.pbs.org/americannovel/index.html Thur, 5 Apr 2007 18:00:00 EST 32:30 PASSING, Thadious Davis, Harlem Renaissance, Nella Larsen no Arts & Culture mckennac@thirteen.org AMERICAN NOVEL Social mobility in the U.S. In this interview, author Gish Jen discusses the paradox of the American Dream, and the ways in which its promise of social mobility has been both true and untrue for different groups of Americans. Jen offers her opinion of the ways in which various American writers -- among them Ben Franklin, Ann Petry, and Edith Wharton -- have addressed this theme, and also elaborates on her own sources of inspiration for her work. In this interview, author Gish Jen discusses the paradox of the American Dream, and the ways in which its promise of social mobility has been both true and untrue for different groups of Americans. Jen offers her opinion of the ways in which various American writers -- among them Ben Franklin, Ann Petry, and Edith Wharton -- have addressed this theme, and also elaborates on her own sources of inspiration for her work. http://www.pbs.org/americannovel/index.html Fri, 18 May 2007 18:00:00 EST 24:46 Gish Jen no Arts & Culture mckennac@thirteen.org