Describe in detail and with a clear sense of the continuities and discontinuities, the development of American fiction in the period studied, in terms of changes in form, genre and theme
Relate American novels in specific cultural, social, historical, and political contexts
Assess and apply relevant literary criticism and theory to novels in order to show the relation between text and context, and form and genre to content and theme
Construct coherent interpretative arguments and substantiate them with primary textual evidence and detailed references to critical and contextualising material
Demonstrate expert command of an adequate and relevant critical language
