In his apocalyptic novel, The Day of the Locust, Nathanael West's main character surmises that most people ". had come to California to die." The state's literary inheritance, however, is alive and well, and this class will launch forays into its unmatched diversity in the context of California's complicated, enduring mythologies and history. Reading across genres - avoiding the "usual suspects" - we'll explore new or missing voices and essential topics: from invasion to immigration, from the rise of the military-industrial complex to the natural beauty of Big Sur, from Hollywood "noir" to Japanese-American internment camps, from water wars to surf culture, from Disneyland to the Native American communities of Oakland. Authors might include Toshio Mori, Chester Himes, D. J. Waldie, Tommy Orange, Joan Didion, Brando Skyhorse, Fae Myenne Ng, Juan Felipe Herrera, Marisa Silver and Robert Hass, with supplementary contextual/sociohistorical readings by Mike Davis and Kevin Starr. Students will produce short analytical writing assignments.