Many are discussing binge watching during the current crisis, but what about binge reading? Outsiders are often astonished to discover that California has such a rich literary history, yet those of us who live here appreciate that we inhabit a region abundant with gifted writers. What is so distinctive about California authors and how did they differ from their contemporaries elsewhere? This course, designed and modified exclusively for the Fromm Institute's summer session, will explore the dramatic adventures of Gold Rush-era storytellers including Dame Shirley, Bret Harte and Mark Twain; progressive-era bards such as Frank Norris and Jack London; and depression-era novelists such as Dashiell Hammett and John Steinbeck, among many others.