LIS 590AB*/ENGL 564**:
20th-Century American Bestsellers

Spring 2006

Instructor: John Unsworth, Dean and Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science and
Professor, Department of English, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
-unsworth, at uiuc.edu-
Class Meetings: LIS 109, W 4:00pm-5:50pm
Office hours: 3:30pm-5pm Monday, LIS 112A, and by appointment
Reading Radar -- current New York Times Bestsellers

* Advanced Problems in LIS, Topic: 20th Century American Bestsellers
**Seminar in Literary Modes and Genres


Browse the Bestsellers
Database

Choose a Bestseller
(access restricted)

Bestseller Lists by Decade:
1900-19091910-19191920-19291930-19391940-1949
1950-19591960-19691970-19791980-19891990-1999

Course Description:

In this course, we will use bestselling 20th-century American literature as a means of understanding publishing, bibliography, and popular culture in 20th-century America. This semester, the assigned reading will focus on representations of Christian religion in popular 20th-century novels, and we wil read bestselling novels on this subject and analyze the causes and components of their popularity. Supplementary reading will focus on the publishing industry and the profession of authorship in America. Students will choose a title from the bestsellers database at the beginning of the semester, read that book, and contribute into the database five assignments: a bibliographic description of a first edition, a publishing history, a reception history, a biographical sketch, and a critical essay. Assigned reading will be the basis of the midterm and final exam.

Required Reading:

Readings should be completed by the dates specified in the schedule below.

A linked title indicates full text of the novel is available online. next to a title indicates that a completed entry already exists for this book in the bestsellers database: if such an entry exists, it should be considered required reading.

Assignments:

See: Grading Policy

Students will be required to submit a series of assignments into the bestsellers database during the semester, focused on a single best-seller (chosen from the lists of bestsellers by decade, above, but not a book that has already been chosen by someone else, nor any of the required readings for the course). These assignments will comprise a bibliographical description of a first edition, a publication history (including performances in other media, if any), a biographical sketch of the author, a reception history, and a critical analysis of the work in its cultural and literary contexts. All of these assignments will be submitted online, using Web-based submission forms: they will become part of an ongoing project to compile a Web-accessible database of information about bestselling 20th-century American literature.

For each database assignment, students must also submit a list of the sources consulted in completing each subsection of that assignment, whether or not the source produced information. These sources can be submitted through the Sakai site, or by email to the instructor, or in hard copy. Please do include the names of sources that produced information for a particular assignment in the database submission as well.

In addition to the database assignments, students will work in small groups to present each of the books that we read in common. These presentations must provide an overview of the following:

  1. History and cultural significance of the book's publisher
  2. Analysis of how this book relates to the theme that connects all the books we read in common, and what it tells us about that aspect of American culture and current events at the time of its publication
  3. Points of connection on the fiction or non-fiction lists around the same time
Presentations may also include:
  1. Highlights or oddities of the book's publication history
  2. Highlights or oddities of the book's reception
  3. Highlights or oddities of the author's biography

Schedule:

Due DatesSubmission FormsHelp Docs
January 18First class meeting: Pre-registered students must attend (or lose priority).
January 25Choose a bestseller to work on for the five database assignments
February 1Finish Dixon, The One Woman for today.
Presentation by Nectoux, Stille, Suni
February 8Finish Churchill, The Inside of the Cup for today.
Presentation by Doskey, Trolard, DeBrock
February 15Assignment 1: Bibliographical DescriptionSubmit Sources to -unsworth, at uiuc.edu-Help Documentation and Examples for Assignment 1
February 22Finish Lewis, Elmer Gantry for today.
Presentation by Gilmore, Fuller, Sledge
March 1Assignment 2: Publication and Performance HistorySubmit Sources to -unsworth, at uiuc.edu-Help Documentation and Examples for Assignment 2
March 8Finish Douglas, The Robe for today.
Presentation by Goodhue, Holguin
March 15Receive Take-Home Midterm.
Movie Day (Elmer Gantry, 1960)
March 22Spring Break
March 29Take-Home Midterm Due in class today.
Finish West, The Shoes of the Fisherman for today.
Presentation by Schar, Oliverio
April 5Assignment 3: Biographical Sketch of the AuthorSubmit Sources to -unsworth, at uiuc.edu-
Help Documentation and Examples for Assignment 3
April 12Finish Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Presentation by Optie, Peeples
and
Sagan, Contact
Presentation by Johnson, Unger
April 19Assignment 4: Reception HistorySubmit Sources to -unsworth, at uiuc.edu-Help Documentation and Examples for Assignment 4
April 26Finish LaHoye & Jenkins, Left Behind for today.
Presentation by Filkins, Hommel
May 3Assignment 5: Critical AnalysisSubmit Sources to -unsworth, at uiuc.edu-
Help Documentation and Examples for Assignment 5
May 10Final Exam, 7-10 PM
Any TimeAdd Supplementary MaterialsHelp on Formatting Entries
Any TimeUpdate Assignments or Supplementary Materials

Web Resources

Theme-Related Reading

Supplemental Reading

Credits and AcknowledgementsRave Reviews: Bestselling Fiction in America
An interview describing this class (from the MLA's radio show "What's the Word")
downloadable in in MP3 format (7.3 MB) or as streaming audio, in RealAudio format

Bestsellers
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Maintained by -unsworth, at uiuc.edu-