OLINVENT - Inventing New Orleans: A Look at Lafcadio Hearn's Work

Course Description

After the Civil War, Lafcadio Hearn traveled to New Orleans and recorded what he discovered there in lines of beautiful prose. While he was in New Orleans, he served as a correspondent for multiple newspapers, including Harper's Weekly. His descriptions of New Orleans, including its nightlife and voodoo rituals, captured the nation and created the notion of "The Big Easy." Today, historians credit Hearn with convincing the American public that New Orleans was an alternate reality to the rest of the country. In this course, we will examine his work and discuss his historical context.

Required Supplies: Inventing New Orleans: Writings of Lafcadio Hearn, edited by S. Frederick Starr ISBN-13: 978-1578063536

For more information about this course, contact: OLLI at LSU at 225-578-2500 or email OLLI@outreach.lsu.edu