midwestern literature
a website featuring the literature of america's heartland
IllinoisIndianaIowaKansasMichiganMinnesotaMissouriNebraskaNorthDakotaOhioSouthDakotaWisconsin
About This Site
Background and Purpose
This site was developed in winter 2002 to showcase the literature of America's midwest. It was also developed to provide an alternative final project for students enrolled in English 217:002 at The University of Michigan. The site currently consists of a listing of the literature read in the course and a set of individual or collaborative student projects which somehow illuminate those readings. The students have been asked to create a multi-media learning resource, one which provides an extra dimension to their understanding of the literature and the Midwest. The site promises to expand exponentially: new readings and projects in future semesters will in turn provide additional resources for future students.
Credits and Sponsorship
This site was inspired by David Porter's "Eighteenth Century England" website. Extensive technical support was provided by the Knowledge Navigation Center and in particular Nancy Sims. Additional support was provided by the Department of English Language and Literature and James Mitchell, doctoral student in the Department.
Midwest: Definition
As defined by this class, the Midwest consists of the states listed below on the map.
Midwest Literature
And the literature which this class has read is listed under the divisions pictured below.
Student Projects:
Beloved: The Printed Word vs. the Silver Screen
Chicago Authors and Their Neighborhoods
Chicago Department Stores and Retail Entrepreneurs
Chicago: Entertainment and Women on the Rise
Chicago Literature: Critical Writers of the 20th Century
Chicago World's Fair: Invention Exposition
The City of Big Shoulders: Carl Sandburg's Chicago
Construction of the White City
Esperanza's Journal: An Exploration of Sandra Cisneros's Pilsen
Ethnic Neighborhoods in Chicago
External Factors That Impact Families in Midwestern Literature
Film, Jazz, Theater in Chicago
Here Comes the Good Guy: Mayor William E. Dever
A History of Rivalry: Chicago and New York
The Impact of Organized Crime in the City of Chicago
Late 18th Century Midwestern Farm
A Michigan Farm: The Memmer Family Farm
The Nobel Prize and Midwestern Literature
On Stage in Chicago: Behind the Scenes of Chicago's Theatres
Profiles of Michigan Farm Women
Rebuilding Chicago After the Great Fire of 1871
Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio
Stories of Experience: Authors of the Midwest