Six New Trends in American Literary Studies

This essay offers an overview of critical trends in America based on the author's personal observations. Specifically, it discusses six key trends: the popularity of interdisciplinary approaches; a renewed interest in traditional critical methods; an increased attention to popular literature; a continued popularity of gender studies; an emphasis on under-represented people groups; and the rise of whiteness studies. Materials for this essay come from the UPenn English department's calls for papers website, select English course syllabi, and some of the recent academic and creative publications. In the author's view, literary studies in the United States will continue to maintain balance between traditional and postmodern views of literature. In general, doctorate-granting English departments will favor postmodern/poststructural approaches to literature, while English departments at hundreds of small Christian liberal arts colleges and universities will embrace more traditionally oriented critical methods.