--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In my first class at the University of…" description: "\"In my first class at the University of Kentucky, my American Literature professor came in, and the first sentence out of his mouth was \"The central the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/sam-abell-7768_american-literature_in-my-first-class-at-the-university-of-k_2126139.png" --- # In my first class at the University of Kentucky, my… ![“In my first class at the University of Kentucky, my American Literature professor came in, and the first sentence out of his mouth was "The central theme of American Literature is an attempt to reconcile what we've done to the New World." wrote that down in my notebook, and thought, "What is he…” quote by Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/sam-abell-7768_american-literature_in-my-first-class-at-the-university-of-k_2126139.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/sam-abell-7768_american-literature_in-my-first-class-at-the-university-of-k_2126139.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/sam-abell-7768_american-literature_in-my-first-class-at-the-university-of-k_2126139.png) > “In my first class at the University of Kentucky, my American Literature professor came in, and the first sentence out of his mouth was "The central theme of American Literature is an attempt to reconcile what we've done to the New World." wrote that down in my notebook, and thought, "What is he talking about?" But that's what I think about now. The New World and what we've done to it.” [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. American literature often grapples with the moral consequences of colonizing the New World, reflecting on past actions. **In simple terms:** Literature examines the impact of colonization on the Americas. Key Takeaway Explore how history shapes cultural narratives. Themes literature history colonialism identity Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type reflective academic When to use this quote - college coursework - book clubs - public lectures - writing workshops Key Concepts narrative analysis ethical reflection cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do writers have in addressing historical harms? - How does this theme appear in contemporary works? A Different Perspective Interpretations can vary widely; consensus is rare. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-literature/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [First class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-class/) [Kentucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kentucky/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [New world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-world/) [Notebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notebook/) [Professors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professors/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“The only distinguishing characteristic of a literature professor at the millennium was that he or she wrote about other people's writing. Apart from that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hynes/the-only-distinguishing-characteristic-of-a-literature-professor-at/) James Hynes > [Our central theme is, How good you can get? How hard can I go to see how good you can get?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quinn/our-central-theme-is-how-good-you-can-get-how-hard-can-i-go-to-see/) [Dan Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quinn/) > [“Human beings, you see, fall apart all the time. In many different ways. That is the central theme. There is no need to disguise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-somerville/human-beings-you-see-fall-apart-all-the-time-in-many-different-ways/) [Patrick Somerville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-somerville/) > [From the inception of this series, Mike and I were very interested in exploring the theme of tradition versus progress. We always like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-konietzko/from-the-inception-of-this-series-mike-and-i-were-very-interested-in/) [Bryan Konietzko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-konietzko/) > [I try to construct each of my novels around one central theme - core tensions shared by the characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/i-try-to-construct-each-of-my-novels-around-one-central-theme-core/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [I think the central theme about black society is that it has got elements of a defeated society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/i-think-the-central-theme-about-black-society-is-that-it-has-got/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [“Beauty and death, so closely knit together. This seems to be the central theme of my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-khoury/beauty-and-death-so-closely-knit-together-this-seems-to-be-the/) [Jessica Khoury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-khoury/) > [For example, in my dorm, at the University of Kentucky, I had the only camera. I don't think anyone came to college with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/for-example-in-my-dorm-at-the-university-of-kentucky-i-had-the-only/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Throughout African-American literature, the writer has, in a sense, been burdened by the necessity of pleading the case for the whole race. For example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/throughout-african-american-literature-the-writer-has-in-a-sense-been/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I think most Native American literature is unreadable by the vast majority of Native Americans. Generally speaking Indians don't read books. It's not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/i-think-most-native-american-literature-is-unreadable-by-the-vast/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [It is one of the paradoxes of American literature that our writers are forever looking back with love and nostalgia at lives they couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/it-is-one-of-the-paradoxes-of-american-literature-that-our-writers/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [Héctor Tobar's accomplished first novel affords a perspective that is overdue and urgently needed in North American literature- -an insider's vision of L.A. as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-dybek/h-ctor-tobar-s-accomplished-first-novel-affords-a-perspective-that-is/) [Stuart Dybek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-dybek/) > [Janet Mock's honest and sometimes searing journey is a rare and important look into la vida liminal, one that she manages to negotiate remarkably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/janet-mock-s-honest-and-sometimes-searing-journey-is-a-rare-and/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [“I have seen them stagger out of their movie palaces and blink their empty eyes in the face of reality once more, and stagger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fante/i-have-seen-them-stagger-out-of-their-movie-palaces-and-blink-their/) [John Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fante/) > [American literature was enriched with Men Who Loved Allison … Of the actual and eventual worth of this romance I cannot pretend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-branch-cabell/american-literature-was-enriched-with-men-who-loved-allison-of-the/) [James Branch Cabell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-branch-cabell/) ## More by Sam Abell > [Photography, alone of the arts, seems perfected to serve the desire humans have for a moment - this very moment - to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/photography-alone-of-the-arts-seems-perfected-to-serve-the-desire/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I did it once, and National Geographic recruited me. I did it primarily out of curiosity. A lot of legendary photographers had worked on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-did-it-once-and-national-geographic-recruited-me-i-did-it-primarily/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I can't speak for other photographers, but the photographers who went forward strongly when the so-called "official" part of their career ended, to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-can-t-speak-for-other-photographers-but-the-photographers-who-went/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Actually, ambition won't get you that far. You'll shift gears. You'll see something that's shinier. But if you believe... then you're the long-distance runner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/actually-ambition-won-t-get-you-that-far-you-ll-shift-gears-you-ll/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [A mad, keen photographer needs to get out into the world and work and make mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/a-mad-keen-photographer-needs-to-get-out-into-the-world-and-work-and/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I have this awareness that the more dynamic the situation is, the more on guard I need to be that the dynamic isn't controlling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-have-this-awareness-that-the-more-dynamic-the-situation-is-the-more/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [What I'm interested in is modern American history. I'm taken with the changes that have occurred in America in my lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/what-i-m-interested-in-is-modern-american-history-i-m-taken-with-the/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Essentially what photography is is life lit up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/essentially-what-photography-is-is-life-lit-up/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Life rarely presents fully finished photographs. An image evolves, often from a single strand of visual interest - a distant horizon, a moment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/life-rarely-presents-fully-finished-photographs-an-image-evolves/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Photographs that transcend but do not deny their literal situation appeal to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/photographs-that-transcend-but-do-not-deny-their-literal-situation/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I wanted life to be episodic. I wanted to be a magazine photographer and I was willing to do what it took to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-wanted-life-to-be-episodic-i-wanted-to-be-a-magazine-photographer/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [ That statement \[ Stephen Ambrose:'You, Sam, have the hardest job, which is, pretend like nothing has happened in the last 200 years.'\] woke me… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/that-statement-stephen-ambrose-you-sam-have-the-hardest-job-which-is/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [The unusual wins out over the usual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/the-unusual-wins-out-over-the-usual/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Even though I teach with 35mm, my method takes people by surprise, because it isn't fast, and it isn't about hardware or software, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/even-though-i-teach-with-35mm-my-method-takes-people-by-surprise/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [The class that I teach is called "The Life of a Photograph." It takes up the question, of the billion photographs that were taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/the-class-that-i-teach-is-called-the-life-of-a-photograph-it-takes-up/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) [Explore all 87 Sam Abell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) ## More American literature quotes > [American literature was enriched with Men Who Loved Allison … Of the actual and eventual worth of this romance I cannot pretend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-branch-cabell/american-literature-was-enriched-with-men-who-loved-allison-of-the/) [James Branch Cabell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-branch-cabell/) > [“I have seen them stagger out of their movie palaces and blink their empty eyes in the face of reality once more, and stagger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fante/i-have-seen-them-stagger-out-of-their-movie-palaces-and-blink-their/) [John Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fante/) > [Janet Mock's honest and sometimes searing journey is a rare and important look into la vida liminal, one that she manages to negotiate remarkably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/janet-mock-s-honest-and-sometimes-searing-journey-is-a-rare-and/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [Héctor Tobar's accomplished first novel affords a perspective that is overdue and urgently needed in North American literature- -an insider's vision of L.A. as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-dybek/h-ctor-tobar-s-accomplished-first-novel-affords-a-perspective-that-is/) [Stuart Dybek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-dybek/) > [It is one of the paradoxes of American literature that our writers are forever looking back with love and nostalgia at lives they couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/it-is-one-of-the-paradoxes-of-american-literature-that-our-writers/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [I think most Native American literature is unreadable by the vast majority of Native Americans. Generally speaking Indians don't read books. It's not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/i-think-most-native-american-literature-is-unreadable-by-the-vast/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [Throughout African-American literature, the writer has, in a sense, been burdened by the necessity of pleading the case for the whole race. For example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/throughout-african-american-literature-the-writer-has-in-a-sense-been/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [“Don Raimondo tells me what he can’t tell them. “The emptiness on the surface of a wall left by a sold bookshelf is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erri-deluca/don-raimondo-tells-me-what-he-can-t-tell-them-the-emptiness-on-the/) Erri DeLuca > [What had brought me to New York in the autumn of 1972 was a letter of recommendation written by Norman Mailer, the author of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/what-had-brought-me-to-new-york-in-the-autumn-of-1972-was-a-letter-of/) [James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/) > [Here is one of the fundamental defects of American fiction--perhaps the one character that sets it off sharply from all other known kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/here-is-one-of-the-fundamental-defects-of-american-fiction-perhaps/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-reckon-i-got-to-light-out-for-the-territory-ahead-of-the-rest/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“Sociologically, politically, psychologically, spiritually, it was never enough for James Baldwin to categorize himself as one thing or the other: not just black, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/sociologically-politically-psychologically-spiritually-it-was-never/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [Dagwood Bumstead was a great unrecognized hero of American literature. He showed up every day, he got knocked down every day, he never got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-brooks/dagwood-bumstead-was-a-great-unrecognized-hero-of-american-literature/) [James L. Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-brooks/) > [All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/all-modern-american-literature-comes-from-one-book-by-mark-twain/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Still, it strikes me that, taken together, they do make an argument, and it is this: the rise of American democracy is bound up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/still-it-strikes-me-that-taken-together-they-do-make-an-argument-and/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) [Browse all 144 American literature quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-literature/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In my first class at the University of Kentucky, my American Literature professor came in, and the first sentence out of his mouth was \"The central theme of American Literature is an attempt to reconcile what we've done to the New World.\" wrote that down in my notebook, and thought, \"What is he talking about?\" But that's what I think about now. 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