HN 385 - Literary Biography

(3.00 cr.)

Restricted to Honors students. An examination of biography as a literary art form. Has biography changed over time? Has it grown more or less "true"? Do biographers tend to favor their subjects? Or have they become debunkers primarily? And, what rights do public figures maintain? These are some of the questions addressed while examining biographical writings about such diverse public figures as Mohandas Ghandi, Ulysses Grant, J. D. Sallinger, and Edgar Allan Poe. In addition to a critical paper, students produce a biographical essay of their own. Counts as an Honors humanities seminar. Closed to students in the Class of 2018 and beyond.