English 251: The Study of Literature II Spring 2000: T Th 2:00-3:40pm, 172 Millett Barry Milligan: 472 Millett; 775-4805 (messages: 775- 3136); barry.milligan@wright.edu Office Hours: T Th 12:30-1:15 and 4:00-5:00; other times by appt.
| The process of interpretation is neither arbitrary nor
abstract; it is a central and necessary vital function, by which we seek so to understand our environment that we can live more successfully in it. --Raymond Williams |
Objectives: The English 250/251 sequence is designed to develop a firm foundation in interpretive, analytical, communicative, and argumentative skills that are essential not only for the study of literature but also for functioning in the world as a sophisticated critical thinker. Our goals this term will be to build upon the groundwork laid in English 250 (close-reading skills, critical vocabulary, facility with basic forms of written literary argument), by:
further honing close-reading skills and broadening their applications;
expanding a precise vocabulary for discussing poetic forms and techniques to include terms applicable to narrative;
becoming conversant with several important critical trends of the twentieth century and learning how they are applied in literary critical arguments;
learning how to incorporate secondary sources (that is, criticisms of a literary work and/or historical or biographical background as opposed to the work itself, the primary source) in advanced literary critical arguments.
Prerequisites: The prerequisite for this course is English 250 or one of the 255/256 sequence (no longer offered). If you accidentally registered for English 251 without having successfully completed one of these prerequisites, then you need to drop English 251 and enroll in English 250 instead. Texts:
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 5th ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 1999.
Griffith, Kelley. Writing Essays About Literature: A Guide and Style Sheet. 5th ed. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown and Other Short Stories. New York: Dover, 1992.
de Maupassant, Guy. The Necklace and Other Short Stories. New York: Dover, 1992.
Murfin, Ross, ed. Heart of Darkness: Complete Authoritative Text with Biographical and Historical Contexts, Critical History, and Essays from Five Contemporary Critical Perspectives. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford-St. Martin's, 1996.
Murfin, Ross and Supriya M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. Boston: Bedford, 1997.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Gold-Bug and Other Tales. New York: Dover, 1991.
Ward, Candace, ed. Great Short Stories by American Women. New York: Dover, 1996. Requirements:
Interpretive Exercises: For most reading assignments listed on the schedule below, you will see there are corresponding "interpretive exercises," which are designed to increase your understanding of key concepts and ability to apply them to specific interpretive situations. These exercises will include short written responses (written before we meet on the day for which the exercise is assigned), which will be collected at the end of class. They also will often require that you mark examples of a specific concept in your text (always read with a pencil in your hand!), so you should be prepared to provide such examples promptly if called upon during class discussion. Only those written responses completed on time and submitted in class will receive credit, which will figure as a portion of your participation grade (see below). "Right" answers are not necessarily as important as a solid grasp of the concepts covered. You should of course attend to grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. (as always), and your responses should be typed, but my written comments after the first assignment will usually be limited to a check, check-, or a 0 at the top of the page, indicating full credit, half credit, or no credit. If you find that you still do not understand a concept addressed in an interpretive exercise after we have discussed it in class, you should see me as soon as possible (in some instances, I will indicate on your written response that you need to see me); much of the material covered in these exercises is cumulative and the chain will be only as strong as its weakest link, as the cliché has it.
Examinations: An examination covering concepts related to the formal analysis of fiction will be given at approximately mid- term (see the schedule below). A sample exam will be distributed and discussed in class before the actual exam as a study aid. Toward the end of the term, you will be given a selection of essay topics regarding critical approaches from which you will choose two as the subjects of short essays (approx. 500 words each) to be submitted as a take-home exam on the day scheduled for the final exam.
Essays: The first assigned essay, due the fifth week of the term, will analyze a particular formal aspect of a short story (details will be discussed in class and on a separate handout). The final essay will make use of (a) one or more of the critical perspectives we have explored together, (b) the vocabulary for discussing formal aspects of narrative developed in the early portion of the course, and (c) the kinds of secondary sources emphasized in the library and research component of the course (again, more details will follow). The final essay will be due on the due date indicated (see the schedule below). Drafts of both papers will be submitted for credit. My written comments on these drafts will focus on the viability of your thesis and appropriateness of the support you offer. For consultation on matters that reach beyond these basics, I will be available for individual conferences both inside and outside of class.
Annotated Bibliography: As partial preparation for the final critical essay, you will read and evaluate works of literary criticism pertaining to the work of fiction you plan to write about. Your entries (at least five) will be expected to meet the criteria explained in a separate handout.
Participation: You will begin the term with a participation grade of 100 points. However, 10 points will be deducted for (a) each failure to submit a satisfactory written component of an interpretive exercise in class (see above) and/or (b) each clear instance of unpreparedness (e.g., failure promptly to provide a suitable example, when called upon, of a concept addressed in the dayís interpretive exercise). Up to 25 points will be deducted for failure to submit a satisfactory preliminary draft by its due date (i.e., failure to submit a draft at all by the due date will result in a full 25-point deduction; a draft submitted on-time but displaying other shortcomings will result in partial deductions). Anyone with a participation grade of zero or less at the end of the term will automatically receive an F for the course. Grades: Final grades will be based on the following weights: In-Class Exam: 15% Take-Home Exam: 15% Analysis Essay: 20% Final Essay: 25% Annotated Bibliography: 10% Participation: 15% Schedule: Note: all assignments are to be completed before class on the day for which they are listed. Tu 3/28 Course Introduction Th 3/30 "What is Interpretation?," etc. (Griffith 8-13); "Analyzing Fiction" (Griffith 27-35, 40-48 [i.e., skip "Theme" for now); "point of view" (Murfin and Ray 291- 93); Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart" (74-79); "Writing About Literature" (Griffith 153-55) Interpretive Exercise: complete the following exercises with regard to "The Tell-Tale Heart": nos. 1, 3 (Griffith 32); no. 7 (Griffith 35); nos. 5, 7, 10 (Griffith 44); no. 1 (Griffith 48). *** TOPICS FOR ESSAY #1 DISTRIBUTED *** Tu 4/4 "Irony" and "Symbolism" (Griffith 48-55); "irony," "metaphor," "symbol" and "symbolism" (Murfin and Ray 176-83, 210-11, 391-93, 393-94); Hawthorne, "Young Goodman Brown" (24-34); "Documentation: Preparing the List of Works Cited" (Gibaldi 104-182; skim the samples but know what they are and where to find them again when you need them) Interpretive Exercise: complete the following exercises with regard to "Young Goodman Brown": nos. 2-3 (Griffith 51); nos. 1-3 (Griffith 54). *** SAMPLE EXAM DISTRIBUTED *** Th 4/6 **** CLASS CANCELLED **** Tu 4/11 "Theme" (Griffith 35-39); "theme" and "motif" (Murfin and Ray 400, 224-25); "Specialized Approaches. . ." through "Biographical Criticism" and "New Criticism" (Griffith 123-26, 133-35); "formalism" and "New Criticism" (Murfin and Ray 132-33, 237-38); "Choosing Topics" (Griffith 157-68); "Documentation: Citing Sources in the Text" (Gibaldi 183-205; again, skim the samples) Interpretive Exercise: (a) complete the following exercises with respect to "Young Goodman Brown": nos. 1, 5, 7 (Griffith 39); (b) identify a prominent motif, mark its appearances in the text, and briefly explain how it contributes to the development of a theme (support your assertions with specific examples cited parenthetically in MLA style); (c) write a short paragraph briefly explaining in your own words the defining points of the New Criticism NOTE: begin brainstorming, freewriting, etc. on one of the topics for essay #1 Th 4/13 **** CLASS CANCELLED **** Tu 4/18 Hurston, "Sweat" (Ward 182-93); "The Argumentative Nature of Interpretive Essays" and "The Structure of Essays About Literature" (Griffith 175-80); "Guidelines for Writing First Drafts" (Griffith 180-91); sample student essays (Griffith 272-74 and handout) Interpretive Exercise: Briefly analyze one of the following elements in "Sweat," supporting your claims with specific examples from the text cited parenthetically according to MLA style: 1) character 2) external conflict 3) internal conflict 4) setting 5) point of view 6) irony 7) a specific motif as a metaphor or symbol Th 4/20 **** EXAM **** Tu 4/25 "Psychological Criticism" (Griffith 128-30); "What Is Psychoanalytic Criticism?" (Beidler 207-16); Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher" (14-29) Interpretive Exercise: Using "The Fall of the House of Usher" as a basis, answer the following questions: a) As both overview essays make clear, Poe has figured prominently in various strains of psychological criticism. How would you account for this? b) If Freud is right that creative utterances are packed with displaced unconscious material much as dreams are, what specific things does Roderickís very strange song (21-22) tell us about his unconscious? c) The narrator himself suspects that his impressions "must have been a dream" (16). If you equate the narrator with Poe himself (always a dangerous line of argument but a potentially fruitful line of inquiry), what hypotheses are you led to formulate about Poeís unconscious? Many readers have been convinced that Roderick and Madeline have been involved in an incestuous relationship. What does such an interpretation potentially tell you about the readers who offer it? Writing Workshop: bring 2 copies of your completed first draft (formatted in MLA style, with parenthetical citations, headings, works cited page, etc.; use MLA sample pages, Gibaldi 264-65, for review and guidance) for conferences with peers and instructor NOTES: (a) remember that failure to submit a substantial and correctly formatted first draft today will count against your participation grade (see ìRequirementsî above); (b) begin reading Conrad, ìHeart of Darkness" (Murfin 17-95), which is long and due to be finished Th 5/4. *** FIRST DRAFT OF ESSAY #1 DUE *** Th 4/27 "Reader-Response Criticism" (Griffith 139-41); "What Is Reader-Response Criticism?" (Murfin 115-27); Fish, "Literature in the Reader" (excerpt in handout); Freeman, "A New England Nun" (Ward 62-72); handout: final essay assignment Interpretive Exercise: Read the first paragraph of "A New England Nun" one sentence at a time, imagining, if you can, that you have read no further. Pay close attention to what the text does to you by answering the following questions after finishing each sentence: (a) What questions does the sentence raise? (b) What answers to those questions does it suggest and/or how does the current sentence modify/reinforce the impressions you had after concluding the previous sentence? (c) Where would you have believed the story was going had you read no further than this? What aspects of your education, socio-economic profile, gender, ethnicity, etc. might make you more likely to see these questions and answers in the text than a reader with a different background? *** IN CLASS: INTRODUCTION TO LIBRARY RESEARCH *** Tu 5/2 "Research Papers . . . ," etc. (Griffith 193-208); "Using the Library . . ." through "Taking Notes" (Gibaldi 2-25); handout re: annotated bibliography; "Revising and Editing" (Griffith 241-61) NOTE: revise your essay #1 for final submission. X CLASS MEETS IN 241/242 DUNBAR LIBRARY TODAY W *** FINAL DRAFT OF ESSAY #1 DUE *** Th 5/4 Conrad, "Heart of Darkness" (Murfin 17-95) Interpretive Exercise: (a) Do a slow-motion analysis of Conrad's first paragraph as you did with "A New England Nun" (i.e., referencing Conrad's text instead of Freeman's, answer the questions posed in the interpretive exercise for 4/27) Tu 5/9 Rabinowitz, "Reader Response, Reader Responsibility" (Murfin 131-47) Interpretive Exercise: what points do you find especially (a) convincing and (b) unconvincing in Rabinowitz's argument and why? *** ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE *** Th 5/11 "New Historicist Criticism" (Griffith 141-46); "new historicism" (Murfin and Ray 238-44); "What is the New Historicism?" (Murfin 221-38); Maupassant, "Mademoiselle Fifi" (63-72); handout on Franco-Prussian War, etc.; "Sample Research Paper" (Griffith 231-39) Interpretive Exercise: Answer the following questions with respect to "Mademoiselle Fifi" and its accompanying handout: a) How does the thumbnail information in the handout illuminate the story? b) How does the story illuminate the information in the handout? c) What questions are you still left with after reading the texts together? d) What answers to those questions might you hypothesize from where you stand now, and how would you go about verifying them? e) How do you think your position with respect to history, socio-demographics, ethnicity, gender, etc. has influenced the questions and answers you have raised here? How might your questions and answers have differed had you read this story as a French citizen when it was first published in 1882, as a German one at the same time, as an ethnic Albanian in modern Kosovo . . . ? Tu 5/16 "Structuralism and Post-Structuralism" (Griffith 135- 39); "What Is Deconstruction?" (Murfin 185-205); review "Drafting the Essay" (Griffith 175-91); Maupassant, "The Horla" (100-19) Interpretive Exercise: answer the following questions with respect to "The Horla": a) What binary oppositions figure prominently in the narrative (e.g., visible/invisible, conscious/unconscious)? b) How are those oppositions established (e.g., where in the narrative is something visible directly opposed to something invisible)? c) How are they broken down (e.g., where is the distinction between consciousness and unconsciousness blurred)? NOTE: you should now be drafting your final essay. Th 5/18 Miller, "Heart of Darkness Revisited" (Murfin 206-20) Interpretive Exercise: what points do you find especially (a) convincing and (b) unconvincing in Miller's argument and why? NOTE: continue drafting your final essay. *** TAKE-HOME ESSAY TOPICS DISTRIBUTED *** Tu 5/23 "Social Criticism" (Griffith 126-28); "What Is Cultural Criticism?" (Murfin 258-77); handout Interpretive Exercise: Answer the following questions with reference to the texts on the handout: a) How does each represent and/or respond to the idea of childhood? b) What does each text suggest about the culture from which it emerges? Does it seem to support or oppose the norms you would usually impute to its culture? In what ways? NOTE: continue drafting your final essay. Th 5/25 Brantlinger, "Heart of Darkness: Anti-Imperialism, Racism, or Impressionism?" (Murfin 277-98) Interpretive Exercise: what points do you find especially (a) convincing and (b) unconvincing in Brantlinger's argument and why? NOTE: continue drafting your final essay. Tu 5/30 "Feminist and Gender Criticism" (Griffith 146-50); "What Are Feminist and Gender Criticism?" (Murfin 148- 69); Gilman, "The Yellow Wall-Paper" (Ward 74-88); review "Revising and Editing" (Griffith 241-61) Interpretive Exercise: answer the following questions with regard to "The Yellow Wall-Paper": a) What gender stereotypes do you find in the narrative and where do you find them (if gender stereotypes donít immediately come to mind, see Griffithís second paragraph on 148)? b) Are those stereotypes endorsed or critiqued by the narrative and how? c) Is there an example in Gilman's text of especially feminine writing/language? If so, what is the example and what about it is especially feminine? If not, point to an example that might question the idea of feminine writing/language. d) What about your experience of this story might suggest you are "reading like a woman" or "reading like a man?" (Note: you might believe you are a man reading like a woman or vice versa.) Writing Workshop: bring a clean copy of your completed first draft (formatted in MLA style, with parenthetical citations, headings, works cited page, etc.; use MLA sample pages, Gibaldi 264-65, for review and guidance) for conferences with peers and instructor *** FIRST DRAFT OF FINAL ESSAY DUE *** Th 6/1 Smith, "'Too Beautiful Altogether'" (Murfin 169-84) Interpretive Exercise: what points do you find especially (a) convincing and (b) unconvincing in Smith's argument and why? *** FINAL DRAFT OF FINAL ESSAY DUE *** ****: (final exam date; no class) *** TAKE-HOME ESSAYS DUE BY 5 PM IN MY MAILBOX ***