Final Exam- Considering Major American Authors

When I chose this class, I was curious as to what would constitute a major American author. Previously, I believed that someone was considered a major author, because their work was considered major or impacting/popular. In other words, the author was famous because their piece of work had become famous. Their work would not have to be classified under any certain category, but it would have to be popular among many and I automatically assumed that most of the time such works would be awarded. So my notion going into this class was that we would be focusing on popular authors such as Fitzgerald or Faulkner; authors whom I have heard a lot about and who I have known to be taught widely. This class however completely changed my point of view on the topic of major authors. I do believe that major authors are authors that have become popular and are widely known, but this class helped me answer why for several reasons. Firstly, it is evident that major authors help relay an important message to an audience. We have seen this in Benito Cereno as well as in Heroic Slave. We were exposed to the central messages of the importance of slavery and the need for the abolishment of slavery. Secondly, all the books we have read during this course take on a historical role. It seems likely that in order to be an important piece of literature, their must be some historical information. This was evident in all the books we have read this semester. In Douglas and Melville's books, the topic discussed was slavery. We were given an inside look into slavery from two different perspectives. With the poetry we focused on, we discussed poems that dealt with the Civil War. With Gertrude Stein we discussed an important historical/social moment and that was the coming about of various art forms. In Henry Adams, we discussed different historical aspects such as his background, and the technological boom and advancement of American society. Thus, all the literature we focused on this semester had a historical background. However, I don't believe that this is true or is necessary for all great works of literature. In other words, history played a huge role in our literary class, but doesn't always play a huge role in other major authors work. I think that their are different aspects or things that authors can focus on and provide great works. Our class, however, focused on literary pieces that offered historical content. It was up to Kelly to choose the major American authors and she chose them based on the historical peices they provided. After this course, while reflecting, I feel that what makes an author "major," really depends on the reader. I don't think it is necessarily fair to say that one author is major and another is not. I have read many works from various American authors, whom I think should be considered major, yet they are not. I think it's a personal opinion. I do believe that this course should be taught at the university because it has certainly opened up my eyes. I think that "major American authors" is so broad, and their are so many authors that can be found under this title, that this course helps in focusing in on some. As I said earlier, I would not have read these texts on my own time, nor would I have considered them to be works from major authors. Yet, now I can truly say that they are important reads and I do consider them major authors. I think that this class is essential at UNC because it helps individuals such as myself break the stereotypes of what makes an author important, and helps further enhance ones understanding of why pieces of literature hold such value. I have really enjoyed this class and I think it is beneficial for all to take because it truly helps one understand what a major American author is, and it helps illustrate that various individuals think authors are major for one reason or another. Quite frankly, their is no wrong or right response when answering what makes a major American author, it's all a personal opinion.