Hello, students: 

I am honored that you have enrolled in English 2327: Survey of American Literature.  As you read this letter, I am entering my 35th year of college teaching and my 29th year at Mountain View College. 

I have been a student of American studies for more than three decades, beginning my own higher education at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, in 1962, as a student of Dr. Fred W. Lorch, at that time, the world's foremost scholar on Mark Twain and the canon of his literature.  The writings of Mark Twain opened the whole field of literature for me.  Because of Samuel Clemens' keen sensitivity to various causes ranging from racism in American society to political corruption and social injustice, I came to understand early on the relationship between imaginative literature and the great universal themes that define us as human beings in our unique cultures. 

It is my hope that your excursion into the selections of literature I have chosen for you will quicken your enjoyment of reading, trigger deep personal reflection, and stimulate your academic growth.  I am open to help you any day at just about any hour, so don't hesitate to contact me. 

Geoffrey A. Grimes, Ph.D. 
Professor of English 

 

---

This page was last modified on December 17, 2000,