Gangster Fiction: Rise of an American Antihero

This four-week course explores the American gangster novel as a distinctive literary genre that reveals the complexity of American identity, ambition, and moral drive. Centered on W. R. Burnett’s Little Caesar (1929), one of the foundational texts of gangster fiction, the course examines how fictional gangsters emerge as uniquely American antiheroes—figures who are admired and condemned, charismatic and isolated. Through close reading and literary analysis, students will explore characterization, narrative structure, language, religious symbolism, and public persona, while situating the gangster within broader cultural conversations about power, masculinity, and immigration. Designed for multiple ways of engaging with literature, the course offers tracks in academic analysis, book-club discussion, and creative reflection, treating gangster fiction not as a static genre but as a living form that continues to shape how we understand ambition, identity, and storytelling in American culture

• Academic Track: Analyze how fiction uses literary techniques examine American values related to power, identity, class, and morality
• Community Track: Lead conversations that connect moral tensions in gangster fiction to your experience and explain why the genre remains compelling
• Creative Track: Create original stories using gangster fiction techniques, adapting its language, symbols, and dynamics to contemporary settings

• No deep prior experience is required, but basic computer and internet skills are helpful
• Ability to read course instructions in English and complete short practice activities