Public drunkenness, prostitution, sex trafficking, arson, homicide: these are just a handful of the crimes that became increasingly prevalent in the long-nineteenth-century U.S. We examine many of the novels, stories, and films that reflected a culture of never-ending vice. Whether studying urban dens of sin or the often lawless Western frontier, we engage debates regarding gender, immigration, Native American removal, and slavery. Texts include short fiction by Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen Crane, Charles Chesnutt, and Annie Proulx; films include 12 Years a Slave, Gangs of New York, and True Grit. Evaluation: 75% writing (weekly response posts, medium-length formal papers), 25% participation. No tech in class.
