Peter Conn

Vartan Gregorian Professor of English Emeritus

pconn@english.upenn.edu

School: Arts & Sciences 
General Topic Areas: 19th-Century American Literature,
20th-Century American Literature

Sample Talk Topics or Titles:

• American Bestsellers
  From The Last of the Mohicans to Gone With the Wind to the thrillers of Richard Patterson: over the past two centuries, these are among the novels that have entertained millions of readers. In this talk, I will examine several of these books and offer suggestions for their popularity. I will also discuss the divide between popular novels and what are considered more serious works of literature.
• The Poetry of Emily Dickinson
  Emily Dickinson is widely regarded as one of America’s finest poets. The session will begin with a brief account of her life and the cultural setting in which she lived and wrote. Prior to the meeting, I will provide a small anthology of poems for us to discuss. Participants are urged to send me suggestions for poems they would like to include in our discussion.
• Detective Fiction
  It has been estimated that detective novels make up ten percent of the books published in the U.S. each year. In this talk, I will trace the history of detective fiction, examine the work of a half-dozen mystery writers, and address the question: why are these books so popular?