1. Introductions

In this inaugural lecture of "American Novel Since 1945," Professor Amy Hungerford introduces the course's objectives, which include exploring compelling novels from the latter half of the 20th century and early 21st century, examining thematic concerns like war, love, politics, identity, and stylistic innovations post-modernism. The course aims to analyze how writers grappled with modernist techniques and will allow students to nominate a novel for the final reading. Requirements include papers and a final exam, with an emphasis on reading, thinking, and discussing the novels. The lecture also touches on the filming of the course for Yale’s Open Courses Initiative and delves into a discussion about the act of reading itself, contrasting a 1934 advertisement for James Joyce's "Ulysses" with Vladimir Nabokov's essay "Good Readers and Good Writers" to highlight differing perspectives on the reader's role. The lecture concludes with an introduction to Richard Wright's "Black Boy," exploring its publishing history, critical reception, and the complex relationship between autobiography, fiction, and the writer's identity.