DOCUMENT RESUME HE 000 346 ED 025 224 24 By-Robertson, Robert T. Literature for AmericanCollege Students.Final Report. A Planned Survey Course inBritish Commonwealth Virginia Polytechnic Inst.,Blacksburg. Washington, D.C. Bureau ofResearch. Spons Agency-Office ofEducation (DHEW), Report No-CRP-S-471 Bureau No- BR-5-8302 Pub Date Mar 68 Contract- OEC-6- 10- 195 Note- 53p. HC-$2.75 EDRS Price MF-$0.25 Literature, *LiteraturePrograms, *LiteratureReviews, Descriptors-*English Literature,*Higher Education, Poetry, Short Stories,Student Participation,Surveys, *Teaching Identifiers-*British CommonwealthLiterature teaching of BritishCommonwealth literatureto American To encourage the designed in whichthe material university students, abroad ranging survey coursewas of literature fromthe 13 countries was wasthematically organized.A great body for an select 147 representativepoemsand short stories scrutinized in order to for students toparticipate inthe anthology. An effectivemethod was devised anthology: a of the literature.In addition tothe new selection and evaluation countries wascompiled and "Handbook" ofbackground materials onthe authors and incorporated into a newpublished college text onWorld both works willbe largely research concentratedmainly Literature in English.The course thatemerged from this countries--Canada, Australia,New Zealand,South Africa--and on theliteratures of 4 literature but a coursein the tended to become_not asurvey coursein British Although the projectcould have been more comparative studyof those literatures. body of writing inEnglish complete. much waslearned about thislarge but neglected teachingtool--thethematicanthologywas and aneffectivestudent-tested anthology selection, The appendicesinclude a preliminary developed and used. outlines, and classthemes, proposed thematicorganization, coursebook lists and tests and exams.(JS) f*- cA10..5'4111 0E-(312
FINAL REPORT
Project No. S-471
Contract No. OE-6-10495
A PLANNED SURVEY COURSE IN BRITISHCOMMONWEALTH
LITERATURE FOR AMERICAN COLLEGESTUDENTS
£0025224
March 1968
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION &WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION
THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLYAS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICEOF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY.
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
Office of Education Bureau of Research Final Report
Project No. S-471 Contract No. 0E-6-10-195
A PLANNED SURVEY COURSE INBRITISH COMMONWEALTH
LITERATURE FOR AMERICAN COLLEGESTUDENTS
Robert T. Robertson
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Blacksburg, Virginia
March 1968
The research reported hevein was performedpursuant to a contract with the Office of Education, U.S. Departmentof Health, Education, and Welfare. Contractors undertaking such projectsunder Govern- ment sponsorship are encouraged to expressfreely their professional judgment in the conduct of the project. Points of view or opinions stated do not, therefore, necessarilyrepresent official Office of Education position or policy.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
Office of Education Bureau of Research PREFACE
in British Common- Planning, teaching andevaluating a survey course of that subject. wealth Literature is of particularinterest to teachers and fewer abroad,but At present these are few innumber in this country contract), they.are increasing (as describedin Appendix A tothe project courses are now especially in secondary schoolswhere the World Literature the Humanities. strongly affected by developmentsin English that stress English Literatures This interest is being promotedby the Conference on teaching of worldliterature of the World (CELW) which exists topromote the about this in English in Americanschools; the membershipof CELW knows research project and has assisted inevaluating itsconclusions. teachers of Although the project is of primeinterest to college school British Commonwealth Literatureand in a modifiedform to secondary teachers of the teachers, it is also interesting toscholars and college The individual literatures which make upBritish CommonwealthLiterature. have encouraged strong interest expressed byCanadians, for instance, may in Canadian univer- the planning and teaching of"Commonwealth Lit." courses known to the sities. When the project began, onlythree such courses were Director; since then seven moresuch courses have beenregularly established the project on theintroduc- in Canadian universities. Since the impact of universities will notbe tion of these courses can nevtrbe estimated those meetings in 1965, named here. But it should be pointed outthat the national Written in English, 1966, and 1967 of what is nowEnglish 12:World Literature Association of America,have been kept a formal Groupin the Modern Language attended by Canadian informed of the progress of theproject, and have been scholar-teachers. scholars and teachersthe To a third and muchlarger group of English raising three large methods and progress of the project maybe of interest in questions: which we depend What principles organizethe teaching anthologies on 1. classes? so much forthe actual daily organizationof our survey (used in the 2. Can we extend the thematicprinciple of organization popularity anthology devised in thisproject) beyond its present anthologies in freshman rhetoric andintroduction-to-literature What are to the survey coursesin English andAmerican literature? the themes of thoseliteratures? and prove to Can we actually test oneanthology against another 3. If we another's satisfaction that oneis superior in theclassroom? commitOes we should could, how many fruitlessdebates in curriculum be able to dodge! is directed to Chap- The attention of scholarsinterested in these questions where it is shown how thethree ter 2, "Methods Used In The Project," psychology, and responsibility greater areas of personaltaste, educational original problem andeffected a to the body ofliterature impinged on the shift in the methodology anddirection of the project. Technical Note: by the shift The project has been alteredfrom its original direction 1966 to March, referred to above and by extendingthe time limit from June, justified in the 1968. These alterations aredescribed and to some extent June, 1967, but Technical Report, February, 1966,and the Interim Report, portions of those since this report surveys thewhole project the relevant is made to the pre- Reports are included in this,and no further reference liminary reports. still continuing Since the project, thoughofficially terminated, is Commonwealth," at VirginiaPoly- in English 309, "Literatureof the British be expected; the technic Institute, further resultsand publications may existence of this Report assistance of the Office ofEducation grant and the will be acknowledged in thosepublications.
Acknowledgements: the completion of the pro- The following have bothhelped and hindered suggestions which inlarge ject by taking a livelyinterest in and offering since their suggestions and small detail havecontributed to its success; whole subject of teach- often occurred in informalconversation about the is made to recognizeall ing British CommonwealthLiterature, no attempt that those suggestions individual contributions, butthey may rest assured publication of theanthology not yet used willbe utilised in contemplated to in Chapter4, and the curriculum unit forsecondary schools referred "The Future of World LiteratureCourses."
Dr. Wystan Curnow, Universityof Rochester South Wales, Sydney, Dr. Harry Payne Heseltine,University of New Australia Dr. Joseph Jones, Universityof Texas and ComparativeStudies, Dr. John P. Matthews,Institute of Commonwealth Queen's University, Canada Dr. Blair Rouse, Universityof Arkansas Dr. Bruce Sutherland,Pennsylvania StateUniversity Dr. R. E. Watters, RoyalMilitary College, Canada
who took English 309in I am especially grateful tothe sixty-two students enthusiasm supported the the Spring Quarters of 1966and 1967, whose in Commonwealth director in his experiment, andwhose continuing interest I especially literature after the classesended has been mostuseful. Terra Incognita thank Miss Linda Staiger, whoundertook to help revise of Books, Strings for trade publication, and Ht.Richard Walters, manager additional texts forthe and Things, who has helped inthe selection of course in 1967 and1968.
Robert T. Robertson, March 31, 1968 CONTENTS
Preface
Summary 1
Chapter One: THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM 2
Chapter Two: METHODS USED IN THE PROJECT 7
Chapter Three:RESULTS OF THE PROJECT 15
Chapter Four: THE FUTURE OF WORLDLITERATURE COURSES 17
Appendices ---
Appendix A Preliminary Anthology Selection 20
Proposed Thematic Organization 23
Consultants' Addenda 31
Appendix B Initial Press Release 33
Dr. Htseltine's Visit 34
NCTE Presentation 35
Appendix C Course book lists,outlines: 1963-5 36 1966 37 1967 38 1968 39
Appendix D Class Themes, Tests, Exams: 1966 40 1967 44
Appendix E Terra Incognita (not bound in the Report)
Appendix F Handbook (not bound inthe Report)
(iv) SUMMARY
significantly the The problem wa8 to presentadequately, equably, and Literature" to a college body of literature known as"British Commonwealth Comparable sophomore class in a one-quarter(ten-week) survey course. for twenty universities have beenoffered in this country courses et reputable and its years but the organizationof the material hasbeen highly selective by country. The presentation piecemeal andgeographical --- i.e. country selected from the problem was resolved by creating ananthology and handbook approach if the course larger number of anthologies demandedby the piecemeal the various was to cover what itproposed to teach.An organic unity among the literatures was discovered in the thematicorganization of material; student response actual poems and stories selected werelargely determined by taught at VirginiaPolytech- in the admittedly piecemeal coursein the subject Commonwealth." nic Institute, 1963-5:English 309, "Literatureof the British 1967 was a comparative The new version of English 309taught in 1966 and and applied to the study of the six themes establishedin the anthology of the accompanying novels prescribedfor the course. The discovery and use altered the kinds of thematic nature of the material andhence its teaching There is thus little course being taught to onein comparative literature. correlation possible of student responseto the old andthe new versions of establishing pragmatic- English 309. In effect the success ofthe project in the instructor ally a good teaching tool restsfinally on the happiness of of students (the director of the project) withthe more meaningful responses to the new course,especially in their sense that itmakes an intelligible so many whole and not a disparate collectionof pieces of writing --- as survey courses seem tobe in the hands of unimaginativeinstructors. under Obviously, much larger questions are nowinvolved in the question Literature to discussion -- the effective teachingof British Commonwealth conclusion to this reportthat the American students. It is suggested in the the teaching tool, the success of the project rests atpresent in polishing organization of thematic anthology and consequentthematic selection and the larger additional texts. But it may well rest inthe.future on raising The' questions which have botheredthe project director inthe latter stages. third large body of writing inEnglish, British CommonwealthLiterature, looks insignificant set beside themuch larger quantitiesof British and Amer- when the latter was ican literature, but olderteachers will recall the time large and regarded as not worth teaching whenthe former was considered so the cuckoo in important and valuable.. The newfledgling may in turn become the nest of literatures inEnglish.
1 Chapter One: tri NATURE OF THEPROBLEM
of his subject as an English familiarwith the history Any teacher of the knows that at onetime his subjectdid not exist in academic discipline coupled with the school curricula. He knows alsothat social pressures his'subject intothe cur- efforts of pioneer teachersgradually introduced classics, it becamethe staple ricula until, with thedisappearance of the, true of theteaching of school instruction. These generalizations are as though moreobviously of British literature asof American literature, traceable in thelatter's school history. be estab- subject can be taughtin school it must But before a literary of scholars; we may saythat until thefirst history lished as a corpus by body of published there was nosuch thing, only a American literature was history If we use thedefinition of thefirst published American writings. the school cur- for the introductionof a subject into as the sine qua non in English riculum, we may claimthat there are nowfifteen literatures recent, andhence are which have publishedhistories, most of them very Apart from Britishand ready for introductioninto the schoolcurriculum. American literature, theseliteratures are:
Australian Canadian Caribbean Ceylonese East African Ghanian Indian Malaysian Nigerian New Zealand Pakistani Philippines South African
originates college Within the countriesfrom which each literature literature, just as inthis country thevarious courses maybe found in that of the South, orof Texas, regions offer college coursesin the literature American colleges, But the Commonwealthcountries, unlike or ofCalifornia. two in all Commonwealthliteratures, though one or do not offer courses that country are for instance, haveoffered and more in colleges in Canada, In such courses alongwith courses inCanadian literature. now offering taught in a sepa- of the thirteenliteratures has been this country no one course tendency has been tolump them all together as a rate course; the countries are Commonwealth Literature, eventhough some of the in British observing that the twonewly not in theCommonwealth. (Here it is worth teachers interested inthese litera- established organizationsof scholars and "Commonwealth" and preferthe term "World tures haveabandoned the term the current courses tobe Literature inEnglish"; this will probably cause renamed eventually.)
2
viiiiAtWeilicatimorseat F.77-17,7.W project, there are a As was stated in theproposal for this research material number of difficulties accompanyingthe introduction of any new Commonwealth litera- into the college English curricula;the introduction of by this project was ture is especially difficult. The difficulty resolved in two ways: one the lack of suitable teachingmaterials; it was resolved of these was the provision of ateaching anthology; theother,partly, dealt significant textsfrom- with in consequence, was thechoice of relevant and The nature of theantho- the limited choice in paperbacksin this country. thus the kind logy and its handbook would determinethe choice of texts; formula: of "planned survey course" envisaged wasthe reasonably common one teacher, thirty students,ten weeks meetingthrice weekly for fifty minutes a meeting, one anthology,between four and sixadditional texts, Into this one or two tests, two pieces ofwriting and a finalexamination. formula the thirteen new literatures were tobe fitted. Obviously an imposw; selec- sible task, it could be approached if notaccomplished only by highly significant tive text material fitting into aunified design so as to make some common patterns in all theliteratures comprehensible tothe college sopho- more almost totallyunacquainted with the geography andhistory of the countries originating the new literatures. Chapter 2, "Methods Usedin the Project," is in essence a report on theselection methods and howthe selected materials were tested in class.
The initial problem in the project wasto survey first thematerials available in the thirteen literatures inthis country, and secondthe use of those materiels in current courses in1965. Two extracts from a paper presented by the project director tothe Conference on BritishCommonwealth Literature at the MLA Annual Meeting inChicago in 1965 illustratethese two problems:
The amount of primary material inthe whole subject isindicated in the standard bibliographies forthe individual literatures,such as R. E.Waters' A Check List of CanadianLiterature and Back round Materials. l628-1.90, University ofToronto Press, 1959, 7 9 pp;it would be little exaggeration to saythat the total number ofvolumes involved in the subject(including periodicals) must now beapproach- ing the one hundred thousandmark, and that number israpidly increas- checklist ing. For the purposes of teachingthe subject a preliminary by Joseph Jones and R. T. Robertson waspublished by the University of Texas Press in 1959: Resources For TheStudy_oLCommonwealth Literature in English; the followingtable clarifies the position i(according to that list):
3 4 . .
Aus. N.Z. Pac. Total Clth. Can. W.I. Ind. S.A. 139 8 26 27 28 9 Bibliog: 6 33 2 560 52 118 55 79 57 Blground: 89 42 68 155 13 51 20 6 Anthols: 44 10 11 613 148 104 94 17 Poetry: 170 41 39 1175 304 230 83 41 Fiction: 327 69 121 2 8 6 12 9 99 Drama: 45 17 562 175 82 57 34 Non.fict: 79 75 60 222 42 4 88 23 Criticism: 61 4
794 649 393 166 : 3,21 TOTALS: 95 801 286 341 of West and East This table excludesthe English writing which are included Africa, Pakistan,Ceylon and Malaysia, Reading Lists"appended to TheCommonn in the "Selected Press, E141th Pen, ed. A.L. McLeod,Cornell University 19ol, pp. 219.231.
of Arkansas under course offeringsat the University The Newsletter, No. 2, Dr.Blair Rouse arelisted in the CBCL table sets out the course: Nov1962, p. 4; the following
(Date of originalpublication) New Zealand Canada South Africa Australia 1888 (US) novel 1941(NCL) 1883 (uS) 1931 " 1944 " 1948 " (3 vols) 1953 " s. stories 1836 " 1944 1958 (0 1960 (L) Verse(anthol) 1958 (0 1959 (L) criticism 1961 (NcL) (anthol.) cf the text used: The parenthesesindicate the source (McClelland and Stewart,Toronto), NCL: New CanadianLibrary (Penguin or Oxford). US: United States,and L: London and modes will be A similar diversityof dates, sources in this country. found in the booklists of other courses
4 (Robertson, R. T. "British Commonwealth Literature:An Introduction to the subject and a Report onits Teaching," unpublished report from the minutes ofthe Conference on British Commonwealth Literature, eighth annual meeting, Chicago, Dec.28, 1965)
From the first table above it can be seen that41e first problem in the project was to reduce the number of literatures involved tofour (Canadian, Australian, South African, New Zealand) and then reduce the number of possibie anthologies from 128 to 1, or, if this one was to be a newantho- logy, of selecting material from 516 volumes of verse. It was decided to restrict the possible anthologies to the seven collections of poetryand short stories numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 15, 19, 20 on the "BookList" (Appen- dix B0 p.36), consistingof those used in previous courses.Furthermore, it was decided to exclude all drama and include a minimum ofnon-fiction. But these exclusions, though drastically reducing the areaunder considers- tionineeded the next step of reducing the anthologies to one, if room were to be available in the course for representing the novelsof the literatures; this is clear from the second table above:combining the eight anthologies used in the Arkansas course would leave reasonable time for teachingthe six novels, instead of tryil-q to cover fourteen books in one semester.
To the making of antholidzies there is no end, we are told. The second problem, reducing the number oi anthologies from eight to one,could have been solved simply by the Project Director's choosing about one-eighthof the material in the published anthologies, mimeographing it, and usingthat as the class text. But the real problem here was the principle ofselecting one story or poem in eight. It was solved by using the written work of students in previous classes, especially where they had beenallowed free choice of questions, to determine the preferences of the student -- notthe instructor -- in selecting the material for the composite anthology.The resulting anthology, Terra Incomita, and its Handbook are thus student- tested and studente.oriented compilations, and this factor has contributed to at least half the success of the project.
The other half of that success belongs to the principle oforganizing within the anthology the materials selected by student preferences,that of selecting the dominant themes in the selected material and groupingit, accordingly. The selection of the six themes eventually used is described in Chapter 2; they are:
THE NATIVE RACE EMIGRATION, COLONISATIONt EXILE THE LAND TIME PEOPLE ON THE LAND NATION-MAKING
5 This thematic principle hadbeen tentatively used by the projectdirector in previous classes of English 309 and wasenthusiastically endorsed by the consultants. Its immediate value was togive the anthology form and continu- ity and thus in turn develop the samecharacteristics in the whole course, since the additional texts were selected toshow theexittence of the themes not only in the short stories and poemsof the anthology but also in the novel. Thus the course became an organic entity, notthe kind of scattered coverage that seems to exist inthe Arkansas course.
The principle had an added virtue: it disposed in one fell swoopof the three questions that the project was set up to answer:
1. How much background information is necessaryfor American students studying Commonwealth literature? 2. Should the material be organized geographicallyand historically, as heretofore? materials can handle the 3. What kind of anthology or other course answers to 1 and 2 above?
By using the thcmatic approach the historicaland geographical background and organization become of secondary importance, and the formof the anthology becomes obvious: a comparative studyof the six chosen themes wherever they are evident in the short stories and poemsfrom the selected anthologies. Thus the original contents of seven anthologies(together with whatever others were considerednecessary) would be reshuffled accord- ing to student preferences and presented regardlessof chronology, authorship, or country of origin. A poet whosewofk is grouped under his name in one anthology might appear in three different sectionsof the new thematic antho- logy according to the theme that the poem, not the poet,exhibited.
This solution disposed of the necessity to understandthe background of the poet's life and works, the larger contextof the national literature in which he wrote, or the history ofthe country from which he came. But in order to meet the obvious objections toand dangers from such a high- handed procedure the Handbook was published inmimecgraphed form. It contains information about the authors in the anthology(43 pages, with the authors given approximately the number of words their statraiedemands), a chrono- logical outline of the four principal literatures,1830-1930 (7 pages), and glossaries of New Zealand and Australian terms(12 pages). Although the students could use the Handbook for backgroundand also for comparative study of the authors (e.g. whether they wrote intheir home country or not), not much significant use was made of it,largely because, in the opinion of the project director, the success of the comparativethematic study of original works in the anthology made the secondaryinformation irrelevant to the main work of the course. Dr. Heseltine, however, on his visit tothe class to teach an Australian novel, was disappointedthat the members did not know enough Australian history toappreciate the historical references in the first part of that novel. In the opinion of the project director, Dr. Heseltine was treating the American students asif they were Australians reading their own literature. This approach is not possible here.
6 of this disparatematerial-rest The objections tothe thematic ordering of the material --- on possibledistortions of theoriginal significance because the formerbetter exhi- e.g. that a poor poemdisplaces a good poem the anthologyform, Some distortionis inherent in bits one of the themes. For example,it of large or smallrepresentation. in the varying emphases director's precautions, that Canadian poetry,in spite of the may be admitted between Canadian what is exhibitedis the similarity is not fairly exhibited; subject -- all poetry in thetreatment of a common and other Commonwealth showing9 for the literatures have poems orstories of thebest quality pity) toward the indigene. attitude(admiration cum instance, an ambivalent English 309 is no The objection would have tobe answered bysaying that etc. literature longer a survey course inNew Zealand,Canadian, Australian, the comparative (i.e. British CommonwealthLiterature) but a course in this shift arebriefly study of those literatures. The implications of noted in Chapter4. thematic headingsis that The danger of thecomparative study under the themes. There is little the anthologiser orthe instructor sets up training and hisresponsi- check on his imaginationexcept his professional director was unable bility to his subject matter.Furthermore, the project satisfactory tests ofhis choice ofthemes, or of to discover or create the students' work, without acontrol group; since their effect on the between offered for credit, it wasimpossible to discriminate course was is discussed two groups ofstudents in the same class. This consideration implications of whatthe project in Chapter 4 togetherwith the larger of teaching survey courses. director now sees as apilot study of a new way
7 Chapter Tam: METHODS USED IN THEPROJECT
which the first four The research was conductedin six periods, of separated from the formerand from each were continuous;the two latter are begin and is therefore other by some months, and thelast is only about to spent in not included in this finalreport. The first three periods were the Handbook; selecting the anthology material,organizing it, and preparing consist of ten weeks the last three periods are similarin that they each 1967, 1968) and evaluating of teaching the course(Spring Quarter, 1966, the results:
Period Research
select material A 1965 Oct-Nov Analysing student response to
B 1965-6Dec-Jan Organizing the material inthe anthology
C 1966 Peb4lar Preparing the Handbook
Apr-June Teaching English 309 usinganthology, Handbook July4Lug Evaluating results
1967 Apr-June Teaching English 309 August Evaluation
1968 Apr-June Teaching English 309 August Final Evaluation
The methods used in all periodsdiffered from each other;they are described under each period inthree section4:Materials involved; steps in research; results.
Period A
Materials:
by 89 students in coursestaught 1. 356 themes and taxaminationa written 1963-5 (see Appendixes"Book List," p.36) 2. The anthologies onthat "Book List" numbered2,3,4,5,15,19,20. offer- 3. Fifteen setsof theme topics plus five final examination papers, ihe anthologies ing in all187 different questions in which the material in might be used.
Sttal: All the themes and examinationswereread and hand-carded for references to and titles of poems orshort stories in the seven..anthologies.2221 references were noted.
8 Step 2: Each reference was gradedaccording to this formula: using a 4-point Reference x2 (fortitle) x final grade of the student, scale: A 4 B 4"4 3 C wawa- 2 D 1 The total number ofreference-grade points was6644.
at12.3.: attempted Computer analysis in order to refinethe gross results above was actual grade or at this point, but it provedimpossible to evaluate the gaining a final grade quality of the reference.For instance, a student of B could quite easily refer to awork pointlessly(F) or very effective- correla- ly (A). Since refining proved impossibleand so many avenues of tion opened out, it was decided tocontinue with hand-cardingand by students. calculating the gross preferences oreffective use of material
Step 4: (2,3,4,5 on One hundred and forLytwo poems inthe four poetry anthologies the "Book List") whtch achieved thirtyplus reference grade points were chosen as the basis of the new anthology;this list wassent tothe consultants (see Period B). The short stories were handleddifferently because there were many fewer referencesby title to them: all student work involving a short story from theanthologies numbered 15,192and 20 on the "Book List" was reread and gradedregardless of the final grade of the student. A short list wasprepared of 17 short stories which had been used effectively by studentswriting A and B answers. This number was added into the secondlist prepared(see Period B).
Results: In spite of coarseness of the criteriaand the inability to refinethem, the validity of the first short-listis suggested in thefollawing figure's:
New Zealand poems 34 Canadian poems 33 Australian poems 44 South African poems j/
These proportions adequately reflect thedifferent sizes of the four anthologies of poetry, one from each ofthe countries above.
Period B
Materials: 1. Two shortsaists of 142 poems, 17short stories 2: Two consultants' reports 3. Seven additional anthologies used tobalance the final selection
9 Step 1: to theconsultants; The short list of poems(see AppendixA pa0) was sent second list wasprepared (see Appen- to their suggestions a stories, organized dixA ), including the shortlist of 17 short the number of poemsfrom 142 in nine thematicsections, and reducing to 112.
Step 2: by suggesting sixinstead The consultants responded tothe second list 24 additional suggestedtitles of nine thematic unitsand by submitting of intense com- (see AppendixA, "Addenda,"p.31). This was a period involving personalvisits munication among consultantsand director, informal consultants by the latter to the formerand to those acting as debate was infor- and so acknowledged inthe Preface. Since much of the consultants' reportsincluded. mal it is not recordedhere, nor are the
step3: of the secondlist of From the consultants' reports onand discussions final.list of147 works 129 titles (112 poems, 17short stories) the Typing of the copy, by 102 authors was preparedfor the anthology. had been completed. however, could not proceeduntil the next step
Step 4: u4s as follows: The 147 titles weredtvided into the sixthematic
Works Pages Unit Authors 24 80 I THE NATIVE RACE 19 26 85 II EMIGRATION, ett. 20 22 THE LAND 18 III 11Vol. I
15 29 IV TIME 15 83 V PEOPLE ON THE LAM 31 33
31 VI NATION41AKING 29 162vol.11
reputable texts of The project director atthis time had to secure concerned), balance the the material(sometimes from the embassies balance the amount of representation of the fourliteratures involved, verse and prose, etc.This was a verybusy time. Terra Incognita The final shape of theanthology may be seen in statistics can be drawnfrom attached as Appendix E. Many fascinating of interest mainly to its selection of materialbut since these are included here. It teachers and scholars in thefield they are not 142 poems preferred bystudents should be observed, however,that of the 49 were lost during the 93 are included in theanthology; the other better work of the same selection process, generallyby the inclusion of of one aspect; all kind or by eltmination becauseof overrepresentation original 17 stories were finallyincluded.
10 Step photo-ready The 360 pages of copy weretyped, proofed and set up as copy, divided into twovolumes.
Results: preferences of the A teaching anthology wasprepared combining the of the director students (approximately66 o/o) and the considerations and consultants(approximately 34 o/o).
Period C
Materials: 1. The 356 pieces of studentwork 2. Seven anthologies 3. Eight additional referenceworks
Step 1: To accomodate the suggestionsof the consultantsabout background mate.» The student rial a handbook to accompanythc anthology was prepared. work was reread for backgroundreferences, use of lecturematerial, desiderata for each quotations from referenceworks. A short list of entry in the handbook wasprepared.
Step 2: director, generally The handbook material wascollected by the project b) short along the lines of thedesiderata: a) biographical notes, This pattern bibliography, c) some criticalcomment on majorwriters. is generally followed inthe Handbook(see Appendix F attached).
Step 3: The Handbook, was typed,collated, bound, etc. andthe anthology printed. for English 309, along At the same time thelist of additional texts selected and ordered the thematic lines suggestedby the anthology, was 1966, p.37). for students(see Appendix C, course outline for
Results: course had been This concluded the firsthalf of the project. A survey achieved by analysingprevious students' work,using consultants' that for the handbook, suggestions, organizingthe anthology material and embark on the and selecting theadditional texts. It now remained to second half, the testingof this course.
Period D teaching for Like Periods F. and F,this period consists of two parts: ten weeks, evaluatingfor six weeks.
11 Materials: 1. Thirty students enrolledin English 309 correspondances, final exam. (See 2. Four exercises: class theme, test, Appendix D, 1966 exercises, pp.40-3) work on the exercises 3. One hundred and eighteenpieces of student 4, Statistical results from PeriodA
Step k: 30 . June 6,1966. The class was taught for30 meetings, Mare.h course. The class exercises weregraded as in a regular survey weeks, the additionaltexts The anthology was taughtfor the first four of Dr. Heseltine, a con- for the remaining six,including the visit thi effect of sultant, to teach an Australiannovel and to.examine teaching the anthology(see Appendix B9 0.34). The final grades were: A 8 B 12 C7 D 2 F 1
Step 2: analysed the 110 For six weeks in July-Augustthe project director The failure of onestudent pieces of writing resultingfrom the class. the two D was caused by hisdropping the coursewithout due process, students placed on grades may be explained asthose achieved by two three academic probation at the endof the quarter. The work of these students was excluded from thematerial.
step 3: All references and titles werecarded in the 130 piecesremaining. The same formulawas followed asin Period A, Step2. 4321 reference-grade points wereaccumulated. 140 of the 142 works in the anthology wererepresented. original 93 works achieved more thanthirty grade points, the criterion in Period Al Step2. 70 works achieved more thanfifty grade points.
for the 110 works Aa attempt was made tocorrelate the grade-points Although some interest- used in previous courses andin the anthology. and ing variations were noted(e.g. a poem popular in previous courses hence included in the anthology wasless popular than anotherintro- duced into the anthology bythe director and notpreviously used in that line of enquiry the course) there seemedlittle point in pursuing But the so as to produce asecond revised editionof the anthology. for use in director noted the generaldirection of the new statistics teaching the course in Spring1967.
12 Step 5: of In an attempt to acknowledge Dr.Heseltine's criticism of the lack background information among the students,the director reread the written work to note use of the Handbookmaterial. His notes showed very little use made of that material.An attempt was made to correctthis in Spring 1967.
Results: Although the previous and new statistics wereset up for computeranaly- computed by sis it proved impossible to getresults other than those already with the the director; computer analysis wasabandoned for the second time, suggestion that it might be effective whenthe new course hadbeen taught would three times (Spring 1967 and 1968) so thatthe amounts of statistics balance each other. This line of enquiry is beingpursued by the director after the project concludes, but it willstill be difficult.
The increase in the amount ofreference was startling: 89 students in five previous coursesproduced 6644 points (average per student ---74.5) 27 students in the new course produced4321 points (average per student --- 160.0) This increase sufficiently justifiedfor the director the two mainresults: they 1. Students showed greater familiaritywith the material because were using one anthologyinstead of four. 2. The use of the thematic units made thematerial more interesting and memorable. 3. Because of the change in direction inthe course -- from a survey course to one in comparativestudy of themes -- it was notpossible justly to compare further the workof students in the old and new courses. This meant that the work of studentsin the new course in 196*should be compared with that of students in the same coursein 1967; this was done in the next period. No attempt was made to ana- lyse use of the additional texts inthe light of the anthologythemes. tba 4. The director was able to present asample teaching lesson from courae at a study groupduring the NCTE Annual Conventionin Houston, Texas, in November 1966 (seeAppendix B, p.30. The reception by the teachers there encouraged him to prepare asix-week unit in World Literature in English for grade 10; thisis being tested inschools in Montgomery County and Roanoke City(Virginia) at present.
Period E
Materials: 309 (see Appendix C, Course 1. Thirty-two students enrolled in English Outline 1967, p.38) final exam (the same 2. Four exercises: theme topics, test, term paper, as in Spring1966), (see Appendix D, 1967 exercises, pp.44-6) 3. Statistics from analysis in Period D
13 Step_1: Teaching the course, devising and gradingexercises and final exam, etc. as for Period D, Step 1. Final grades correspond to those achieved in Spring1966: A --- 9 B ---15 C --- 8 D --- none F --- none g112.2.: The 128 pieces of writing were analysed as in PeriodD, Step 3; 4111 reference-grade points were achieved, averaging 128.1 perstudent. The drop in these points from Period D was caused bymuch greater use of the Handbook material and more integration ofreference to the additional texts in answering questione involving theanthology themes.
Results: 1. The course was more balanced than in Spring1966 by integrating the additional texts and Handbook into the themes ofthe anthology. 2. The statistical material was held over for use with thatcoming out of the class of Spring 1968. 3. The Handbook is being revised to incorporate backgroundcritical material both on the literatures involved and on theadditional texts (e.g. passages from a history Of Australianliterature, reviews of one of the texts). 4. More attention is being paid to choosing texts to accompanythe anthology and revised handbook (within the limited butimprovivg range of paperbacks available). The 1968 course should be the best of the three and should be immediately useful tocollege teachers. 5. An expanded version of the anthology, including extractsfrom novels and non-fiction prose works, is being edited for tradepublication in December 1968. This ultimate weapon should, through itsselection, organization and ancillary matetial, help to establisheasily more competent and unified courses in World Literaturein English at college and secondary school level.
Period F This period is outside the scope of ehis report(for a course outline see Appendix C, 1968, p.39). The period is included here only to estab- lish the fact that the project is continuingindependent of USOE support. The further steps contemplated after this period involve: 1. the publication of the anthology in revised form 2. the publication of school curriculum units 3. the encouragement of the use of these materialsthrough the national organizations interested in this subject.
14 Chapter Three: RESULTS OF THE PROJECT
into the hands ofthe The main result wasgetting a new anthology used which weretrade students of English 309 inplace of those previously of the editions not intended for college use. The detailed presentation how the results of one project methods in Chapter2 is intended to show chain of practical period became the starting pointfor the next, creating a These results are sum- results ending in the class useof the anthology. marized below:
A. Practical Results: to select 147 poems 1. A great body of literaturehas been scrutinized literature, and theselected and short stories asrepresenting that materials have been publishedand used in twoclasses. allow student pre- 2. A coarse but effective methodhas been devised to selection of two-thirds ference and performance todictate the final of that material. student response tothat 3. The same method has beenused to evaluate material. taught the new course,and thirty-four 4. Sixty-two students have been This total enrollment more areenrolled this quarter,Spring 1968. comparison with that of 96 in the new courseprovides material for held from 89 students infive earlier courses. critical materialfrom A rough but ready-madedraft anthology of 5. anthology is now availa- 14 sources on 102 authorsrepresented in the ble in the Handbook. been subjected to Eighteen independent texts,mainly novels, have 6. headings to greater or incorporation in the courseunder thematic method of teachingthe works needs less degree. The results of this hand, and contains further analysis but thematerial for that is to a great dealof student reaction tothose texts. with Dr. Joseph Jones The director has enteredinto an agreement 7. World and a New York publisherto produce acollege anthology of Literature in Englishof approximately500 pages, representing period 1830-1960. This the work of 148 authorsand covering the its authors and anthology is based on TerraIncognita (using 89 of much material from all but 17 of itsselections) and incorporates this anthology isthe logical con- the Handbook. The publication of clusion of the researchproject.
analysed here for thefollaW- These practical results arenot further ing reasons: preferences has beensuf- The method devised toestablish student 1. with the periodicresults. ficiently described inChapter 2, together has been described in The making of theanthology and handbook 2. in Appendices E and F. Chapter 2 and theresults can be examined preferences in the old courseand The method ofestablishing student 3. refined enough to permit student performance inthe new is not yet much more analysisof quality ratherthan quantity.
15 larger questions 4. The refining mentionedabove involves the three much is, raised in the Preface; computingthe quality of freshman themes as we know, beingattempted now, but the moreinvolved matter of computing student work insophomore survey courseswill have to wait some considerable timefor attention. Meantime a systematic com- parative study of collegeanthologies of British andAmerican litera- ture might be illuminating. of World 5. Certain important theoreticalconsiderations for the study Literature in English have arisen inthe course of this project; they affect the research conductedand are discussed in thefollowing chapter.
B. Less Obvious Results: These are largely incapable ofstatistical analysis and aresimply listed here as indicating the widening scopeof a project which began with the simple task of preparing ananthology which did not existwhen the project began and remains unique whenit ended. 1. A side-effect was the impression made onthe Department of Engliih by the granting of the project, this isindicated in the press release in Appendix B, p.33. 2. The project director learned a greatdeal more about his subject in preparing the anthology andhandbook, and a great dealabout his teaching methods and the learning situationhe created in the class- room by analysing closelythe responses of students --far more closely than is done in normal grading. Hence the difference between the method used to establish thepreliminary selections of poems and of short stories. It can be said that thedirector is a better teacher for having undertakenthis project. those scholars in this 3. Knowledge of the project has heartened country and abroad who areinterested in its promotionand develop- ment in this country. The Office of 'Educationofficials responsible for the grant should be aware thattheir interest in a very new subject has encouraged the formation ofthe two national groupsof scholar-teachers involved in this buddingdiscipline, and it is to be hoped that the Office will continue toshow an interest in the development of the teaching of WorldLiterature in English insecond- ary schools andcolleges in this country. 4. The representation of the four literaturesmainly used varied from theme to theme in the anthology.Although these proportions maybe suspect, they could probably bejustified in each literature as a whole, and this was attemptea in the NCTEpresentation summarized in Appendix B. The question of why oneliterature should have more and better writing on one themethan the others raises interesting speculations about the nature of thatliterature. Is it possible to say, for instance, thatNew Zealand literatureexhibits a stronger sense of exile thanAustralian literature, and if so,why? The Director of the project will go onleave for two years in September 1968 to examine such questions atthe Institute for Comparative and Commonwealth Studies, Queen'sUniversity; the research he con- templates is a direct result of thisproject and is connectedwith the conclusions and recommendationsin Chapter 4.
16 COURSES Chapter Four: THE FUTURE OFWORLD LITERATURE
findings and long onresults which to The previous chapteris short on here. The detailed some extent preemptthe material moreproperly belonging "Dirge" achieved 234reference- findings, such as thatUrsula Bethell's poem are largely grade points in the old courseand 318 in the new course, and the buildingof the irrelyvant except to themaking of the anthology the scholar andteacher they have course. Fascinating though they are to in the compilationof been omitted from Chapter3. The project resulted students to totally newmaterial, a practicalanthology for introducing they had to learnthe and the novelty may beindicated by the fact that less than ten weeks. The result names of over onehundred new authors in anthology, and thus toproduce of the project was to basethe course on the conclude that a"Survey Course a good, mnified course. It is fair enough to and is now available. in British CommonwealthLiterature" has been planned attended to There are, however, several matterswhich could have been implications that canusefully in greater detail, andthere are some further curious reader --- thenotion, for be listed here forthe benefit of the should be renamed instance, that the survey courseestablished by the project both of alteration "Survey of World Literature inEnglish" and is capable in senior college courses. for secondary school useand expansion for use out had thedirector known A more com lete projectwould have been carried he knows now, four yearslater, in 1964 when he submittedthe proposal, what about doing fixed not only abouthis subject and itsteaching but also The project shouldhave been conductedfull-time, contract research. after as before instead of quarter-time;it should haveallowed as-much time have provied for acontrol the teaching of the newanthology; and it should the same time as the new.Had group of studentstaught the old course at criterion betweenquanti- the director been workingfull-time a compromise probably have beenestablished. tative and qualitativestudent response could mterials would havebeen Thus the validity of thechoice of anthology loose ends or clearly justified to suspiciousscholars, and a number of interesting avenues couldhave been tied up orexplored. anthologies are compiled When we look, however, atthe way most college by experienced teachers we mayfeel happier about the oneindubitable built round a tested achievement of this project: the creation of a course Most editors have tocompromise between theirclass experience anthology. students and the canons of theliterary tradition; theyknow that sophomore to rub thestudents' find Milton or Pope difficult toread but they continue publish an anthologyof.that noses in thepoets' work because they dare not What is at period without fhose poets. What would theircolleagues say? the fault here is not theineluctable demands ofthe literary tradition or Pope or Milton sen- reluctance of the students, butthe inability to frame this project has sibly in a meaningful context. The cra.se devised by fit into a patternwhich sought to make every poem,short story, and novel
17 simply a reasonfor readingit) without gives the worksignificance (or work as a workof art. The three marring the student'srecognition of the examining in detailand at length; questions posed in thepreface are worth blindly acceptedthe anthology the director feels that wehave too long and bothering to honeits edge to ourpurpose, as a teachingtool without trade and collegeanthologies. especially in notdistinguishing between in the shapeand conduct There could be and therewill be improvements English," but thesewill "Survey of WorldLiterature in of the new course, problem of and meaning. There remains the tend to strengthen its unity appendices, information to thestudent (byfootnotes, getting enough background but prerequisite courses,prior reading?), introductory notes, lectures, in fhe study question where suchinformation comes this in turn raises the that it ispointless to extreme itcould be claimed of any work --- at one incomprehensible, the covert politicalallusions are read Swift today because worth footnoting or those allusions arethe only things at the other that this projecthas been of Swift. The solution in lecturing on in the study political, of a themewithout any other to create astudent's comprehension geographicalinformation. .A historical, anthropological,psychological or student on thework. The justifi- super-identity has beenimposed by the study of literaryarchetypes, and cation for this liesultimately in the introduce intothe college that is what this coursecould well serve to curricula. additional texts neces- lesser problem isgetting the An ancillary but and to allow of World Literaturein English sary toround out the picture valid outsidethe discover whether theanthology themes are the student to read more this new survey coursewill want to anthology. Every teacher of literatures inEnglish which it and more literaturefrom the thirteen better texts and as he doesthis he willdiscover much attempts to represent, This problem available in paperbackin this country. than those annually popular; afterall, itself as the coursebecomes more will probably solve available prize not oneof his books was when Faulknerreceived the Nobel hardbound. in paperbackand only one or two respectfully drawn of interestedscholars is Finally, the attention suggested in thelast this new coursein a way to thepossibility of using Zealand When television wasintroduced into New paragraph of theSummary. visited American sociologistsand educators in 1961 and1962 a number of to take the last whollyEuropean country that country tostudy its impact on in teaching but alsothe study ofthe new course that step. Not only the of the intro- opportunity towatch the effect the classroomoffers similar American. This materialis duction of totally newmaterial on the young correspond closely tothose in his own in his native tongue;its themes those correspondanceshe will under- history and literature;if he can see country is aworld power.The oppor- stand in a new andbetter way why his only into thelearning process, tunity exists forcontrolled research not into the processof thestudent's realis- using unfamiliarmaterial, but also context thanhe might havethought ing his Americanidentity in a larger possible.
18 introducing American There is at present muchattention being paid to of the Negro and the Negro writing into the schoolanthologies for the sake While the White student, to encourage mutual respectand understanding. would assist this study of African writing in WorldLiterature in English majority of Americans process, that aim is toolimited. If by far the great the meaning of have immigrant ancestors, near orfar, they can recapture thirteen other that brave act in studying itseffect on writers in the the same phase of literatures in English, most of whomhave passed through in exchanging an old identity for the new. Likewise, World Literature shock, its pathos, English contains much excellentrendering of cultural the identity necessity and value. The themes of TerraIncognita realise community of the American experience withthat of the English-speaking the chamber all aver the world.The door of a commonlanguage opens into meaning of understanding and respect forother nations. That is the true of of being a world power. For that paramount reasonthe introduction is courses at school andcollege level in WorldLiterature in English warmly commended by the directorof this project. APPENDIXA.
PRELIMINARY SELECTION
and AustralianVerse; A ,Penguin Books of NewZealand, Canadian Verse, illustrating the Oxford Bookof South African B Selected poeum from individual or persona, (society, landscape, fou?: categories ofcontent groupings, 1-5. peraonal statement)in five thematic
Al New Zealand: Long Harbour, ByBurke's Pass. Bethell: Time, Dirge, The
Fathom Five,Night Song, Fer 5 Fairburn: The Cave, fromDominion, Full An Amulet. of Latter-Day GeographyLesson, Song Mason: Sonnet of Brotherhood, Flow At Full Allegiance, On TheSwag, Footnote toJohn 11.4, Moon.
Forerunners, TheSilent Land. Draseh: The Islands, in Unknown The UnhistoricStory, Landfall Curnow: House and Land, !.? Sea
Thomas, Once TheDays, fromArawata- Glover: Threnody, The Magpies, Bill, TowardsBanks Peninsula.
Hints For TheIncomplete Angler. Smithyman: Anzac Ceremony, Matukituki Valley, Country Weather,Poem in the Baxter: The Bay, High The Morgue.
A2 Canadian: His Brethren,From Stone ToSteel. Pratt: from Brebuef And
Ross: Fish, Thio Diver.
Harvest. Knister: The Plowman, Lake
Conflict, BonneEntente. FR. Scott: Trans Canada, Window, The Statue. Finch: Scroll-Section, Train 'Look, I have ThrownAll Love'. Mackay: Admonition For Spring, of W.B. Yeats,The Plot AgainstProteus, Smith: Ode: On The Death Far West.
Bushed, Slug InWoods. Birney: Pacific Door,
2 0 Kennedy: Of One Dead, Words ForA Resurrection.
Klein: Heirloom, The StillSmall Voice, Bread.
Lowry: Lupus In Fabula.
Layton: The Swimmer, The BullCalf.
Le Pan: Canoe-trip, An Incident.
Anderson: Cold Colloquy.
R. Hambleton: Sockeye Salmon.
J. Reaney: The Katzenjammer Kids.
A3 Australian: Country, Beach Slessor: The Nabob, CaptainDobbin, Sleep, South Buriel
Heemskerck Shoals. Fitzgerald: Beginnings, Transaction,
Blue Prints) McGuire: Wet Afternoon (C/f Clarke:
Holt: Trio.
Street - The Five Ways. McKellar: Res Publics, Oxford
Hope: Australia, Imperial Adam.
Thompson: The Traveller, TheConqueror.
Traveller's Wife, No Sale,Music In The Air, McCuiag: The Commercial
Riddell: The Island Graves.
You About Me. Mudie: This Land, They'll Tell
Ingamells: Luis de Torres, Ship FromThames.
Heaven Is A BusyPlace, Terra Stewart: The Dosser In Springtime, Australia.
Blight: The Hurrican Lantern,Mary River Camp.
Manifold: The Tomb of Lieut. JohnLearmonth,
Bull, South Of my Days. Wright: Train Journey, The
21. and Shadow. Campbell: Dance Of Flame
Cato: The Dead Swagman.
New Guinea,Hobart Town . . . . McAuley: Terra Australia,
Dobson: Traveller's Tale. Alice, The TantanoolaTiger. Harris: Incident At The
Rowbotham: Nine O'Clock.
Mathew: Genesis.
B OXFORD BOOK OF SOUTHAFRICAN VERSE: 'silent Bushboy'. nil in any Africantranslation - the L. Indigenous: Campbell: (character sketchesof Africans: many studies Zulu, etc. The Zulu Girl,Plomer: Death of a Lament For ADead Cow(imitation) F.C. Slater: Fairbridge: The F.T. Prince: Chaka (monologue) Song Maker A.S. Cripps: A Pagan's Baptism Zululand from Stray Memoriesof Natal And 2. Historical: Barter: (Dingaan and Retief) Karroo Kipling: BRIDGE-Guard in The Pringle: from THE DESOLATEVALLEY Buckton: At Welbedacht Campbell: Luis de Camoes. Plomer: The Boer War 3. National: Kipling: The Buribl A.S. Cripps: Resurgat of Cecil Rhodes. Jackson: At The Grave Pringle: The Emigrants TERRAPIN: Invocationto the Campbell: from THE FLAMING African Muse Afar In The Desert 4. Rural: Pringle: Buckton: At The GardenRail Milking Kraal Slater: The Wood-Gatherers, Gibbon: Jim (AnIncident) Fire Brooke: Smoke Of The Camp Campbell: Thc Serf (c/f Plamer: A Veld Eclogue:The Pioneers The Pioneers, OrTwenty YearsAfter.) Plomer: The Ruined Farm Rounding The Cape 5. Natural Campbell: Plomer: Namaqualand AfterRain The VictoriaFalls A Transvaal Morning
22 British CommonwealthLiterature
Anthology
Section I: The Native Race
for the Perusal ofAll Christian People 1. Slaughter of the Blacks) E. S. Hall
2. Forerunners Charles Brasch 1909-
3. A Pagan's Baptism A. S. Cripps
4. The Quest of the Copper William Charles Scully 1855-1943
5. The Serf Roy Campbell
6. Black Stockman W. Hart-Saith 1911-
7. The Wood-Gatherers F. C. Slater
8. Milking Kraal F. C. Slater
9. Lament for A Dead Cow F. C. Slater
10. The Councillor Cullen Gouldsbury
11. The Onondaga Madonna Duncan Campbell Scott 1862-1947
12. The Zulu Girl Roy Campbell
13. Watkwenies Duncan Campbell Scott 1862-1947
14. The Death of A Zulu William Plomer
15. The Song Maker Kingsley Fairbridge
16. Kaijek The Songman Xavier Herbert 1901-
17. One) TOo, Three LittleIndians Hugh Garner 1913- )3 -2-
18. The Whare Douglas Steuart 1913-
Section II: Emigration,Colonisation, Exile
Stanzas 1. neamkamatlantroductory Thomas Pringle
2. One Race, One Flag A. R. D. Fairburn
3. For Love of Appin Jessie MacKay
4. A Colonist inHis Garden William Pember Reeves 1857-1932
5. From TheRisintVillacre Oliver Goldsmith 1794-1861
6. At the Garden Rail A. 11, Buckton
The Pioneers 7. From A VeldEcloAue: Roy Campbell
8. The Pioneers: or,Twenty Years After William Plomer
9. Country Press Rosemary Dobson 1920-
10. Forced Sale Harley Matthews 1889-
11. The Ruined Farm William Plomer
12. The Homecoming James K. Baxter
13. Response Mhry UrsulaBethell 1874-1945
Rounding The Cape 14. P Roy Campbell
15. Dialogue on A NorthernShore C. K. Stead
Youth 16. In The Fields ofmy Father's W. H. Oltver 24 -3-
Section Int TheLand
1. The Lonely Land A. J. E4 Smith
2. A Landscape J. R. Rauland 1925-
3. Canoe-Trip Douglas Le Pan 1914-
4. Roads Ruth Dallas
5. Afar in The Desert Thomas Pringle
6. Poem in the UhtukitukiValley James E. Baxter
7. The Blue Heron Theodore Goodridge Roberts 1877-1953
3. Strayed Sir Charles G. D.Roberts 1060-1943
9. From Ualcolm's Katie Isabella Valancy Crawfore 1850-1007
10. How One Winte= Came inthe Lake Region Wilfred Campbell 1861-1918 '
11. Erica Nary Ursula Bethel]. 1874-1945
12. Admonition For Spring L. A. NacKay 1901»
13. A Transvaal Morning William Plomer
14. Namaqualand After Rain William Plomer
15. The Victoria Falls William Plamer
16. By Burke's Pass Nary Ursula Bethell 1874-1945
17. The Long Harbour Mary Ursula Bethell 1874-1945
18. Words for A Resurrection Leo Kennedy 1907-
25 -.4-
19. The World's Centre Ruth Dallas
Section IV:Time
1. From Stone to Steel E. J. Pratt 1033-
2. Beginnings Robert D. Fitzgerald 1902-
3. From The Flsmin$ Terrapin Roy Campbell
4. Dirge Mary Ursula Bethell 1874-1945
5. Time Mary Ursula Bethell 13744945
6. Resurgat A. S. Cripps
Section V: People On The Land
1. Snow Frederick Philip Grove 1871-1948
2. The Three Jolly Foxes Douglas Steuart 1913-
3. The Enthusiastic Prisoner E. 0. Schlunke 1906-
4. Going Home Ayra Morris
5. The Commercial Traveller's Wife Ronald McCuaig 1908-
6. The Drover's Wife Henry Lawson 1867-1922
7. The Night We Watched forWallabies Arthur H. Davis 1868-1935
8. Nill Girl James K. Banter
9. The Still Small Voice A. E4 Klein 1909-
26 .5.
10. Five Bells Kenneth Slessor 1901-
11. 'Tell Us About the Turkey,Jo...' Alan Marshall 1902-
12. The Mushroomer Colin Thiele 1920-
13. Feed Raymond Knister 1899-1932
14. Shearing David McKee Wright ,t)
15. The Bull Calf Irving Layton 1912-
16. The Wreckers' Prayer Theodore Goodridge Roberts 1877-1953
17. Smoke of the Camp Fire Brian Brooke
18. The Duff David McKee Wright
19. Christmas Day in New Zealand Lady Barker 1331-1911
20. Rise Oot Your Bed John Barr of Craigielee
21. Dorn on My Luck A. R. D. Fairburn
22, The Dark Guest Ernest George Mbll 1900-
23. The Sundowner Shaw Neilson 1872-1942
24. The Dosser in Springtime Douglas Steuart 1913-
25. The Dead Swagman Nancy Cato 1917-
26. Incident at the Alice Wm Harris 1921-
27. The Undertaker's Story Frank Sargeson 1903-
23. On The Swag R. A. K. Mason 1905-
27 -6-
29. Sonnet of Brotherhood R. A. K. Mason 1905-
Section VI:Society
1. Nationality NAry Gilmore 1865-
2. The Naking of a New Zealander Frank Sargeson 1903-
3. Native-Born Eve Langley
4. The Islands (ii) Charles Brasch 1909-
5. Trans Canada F. R. Scott 1899-
6. Pacific Door Earle Birney 1904-
7. Bonne Entente F. R. Scott 1899-
8. Terra Australis Douglas Steuart 1913-
9. Australia Bernard O'Dowd 1866-
10. Australia A. D. Hope 1907-
11. Secular Litany N. K. Joseph
12. Old Canada; or, Gee BuckGee Alexander McLachlan 1818-1896
Section VII: Battle
1. From Strsv Memoriesoflizslaajalga Charles Barter
2. The Boer War William Plomer
3. The Battle of NAjubaHill General Sir Ian Hamilton 1853-
4. At Welbedacht A. M. Buckton -7-
Valley 5. From The Desolate Thomas Pringle
6. Bridge-Guard in theKarroo Rudyard Kipling
7. Drunken Gunners K. Joseph
8. In FlandersFields John McCrae 1372-1918
9. Beach Burial Kenneth Slessor 1901-
Section VIII: Heroes
1. Luis De Torres Rex Ingamells 1913-
2. Luis De Camoes Roy Campbell
3. Chaka F. T. Prince
4, FromBrebetasBrthren. E. J. Pratt 1883-
Pere Lalement Marjorie Pickthall 1883-1922
6. At The Grave ofCecil Rhodes Peter Jackson
7. The Burial Rudyard Kipling
John Learmonth,A. I. F. 8. The Tomb of Lieut. J. S. Manifold 1915-
9. Jim Perceval Gibbon
10. Johnnie Courteau William HenryDrummond 1854-1907
11. Captain Dobbin Kenneth Slessor 1901-
Me 12. They'll Tell You About Ian aldie 1911-
29 Section IX: Poems
1. A Bewilderment at the Entranceof the Fat Boy Into Eden Daryl Hine 196 -
2. The Boatman Jay MacPherson 1932-
3. The Katzenjammer Kids James Reaney 1926-
4. A Cautionary Tale Anne Wilkinson 1910-
5. 1894 In London Charles Spear
6. The Precious Pearl Pat Wilson
7. News of the Phoenix A. J. N. Smith
8. The Swimmer Irving Layton 19121
30 -9-
ADDENDA
Section I: The Native Race
la. From Tecumseh Charles Mir 1838-1927
19. As the Night, The Day Abioseh Nicol
20. Telephone Conversation Wole Soyinka
21. The Park James Matthews 1929-
22. Which New Era Would ThatBe? Nadine Gordimer
Section II: Emigration, Colonisation,Exile
la. Landfall in Unknown Seas Allen Curnow
lb. The Unhistoric Story Allen Curnow
Susanna Strickland Moodie 1803-1885 4a. From Rot.igl.siin It in TheBush
8a. House and Land Allen Curnow
8b. The Magpies Denis Glover
17. After the Earthquake James Courage 1905.,
Section III: The Land
1861-1929 10a. Low Tide on Grand Pre Bliss Carman
20. South of my Days Judith Wtight
Section IV:Time Hal Porter 1917- 2b. Hobart Town, Van Diemen'sLand (June 11, 1837)
Section V: People on The Land 1796-1865 la. From The Clockmaker Thomas Chandler Haliburton
4a. At the Garden Rail A. N. Buckton
29. And the Glory D. W. Ballantyne
Section VI: Society
5a. Canada Charles G. D. Roberts 1860-1943
1818-1896 Ila. We Live in A Rickety House Alexander McLachlan
31 1920- 13. Country Press Rosemary Dobson
Section VIII:Heroes A. B. Paterson 10a. The Man from SnowyRiver
Section IX: Poems
Kendrick Smithyman 6a. Parable of Two Talents
9. The Bravest Boat Malcolm Lawry
...1Iimg,r
Alrforraftl...."4
32 OFFICE OF EDUCATION
Awards First EnglishDept. Grant
$5,728 grant by the Virginia Tech hasbeen awarded a the teaching ofBritish U.S. Office ofEducation to develop Commonwealth literature atthe university.
T. Robertson, The grant will beadministered by Robert assistant professorof English. the literature Robertson is studyingthe ways to teach the West Indies,South of Canada, Australia,New Zealand, Africa, West Africaand India.
the literatureshould The problem is,he said, whether He is investigating be taught by country orall together. studying certainthemes the possibility ofthe latter by of all seven. which are prevalentin the literature of the department Dr. Markham L.Peacock Jr., chairman said the grantis the of English andforeign languages, projects nowbeing first of severalresearch and teaching is the first planned in thedepartment. He said the grant and growing recognition by federalauthorities of a new discipline in literarystudies in this country.
THE TECHGRAM: December 1965
\ DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Visiting Soholar: DR. HARRY PAYNE HESELTINE, Senior Lecturer in English, University of New SouthWales, > Sydney, Australia.
Dr. Reseltine is visitingthe Department of English forfour reasonss Ie To assist Prof. Robertsonin teaching English309(Literature of the 1 British Commonwealth) bytaking the classes in TheFortune* of 21211211.112haa (Henry HandelRichardson).
2. To consult on theresearch project at presentbeing oarried out in the Department: t'A ModelSurvey Course in BritishCommonwealth Lit.9
3. To visit classes in theDepartment according to the(tentative) schedule below to afarinstruction and to observeteaching methods
4. To offer lectures to members andstudents of the Departmentand the / College of Arts and Sciences,and to the general public.
Tentative Schedules
April 18: Arriveby ear from Penn StateUniversity; stay at Pooh Motel1844.261
Tues. 191 90410 214(Hons) Robertson 1041 Contemporary Literature, Dr.Tilghman
Weds 20: 9.10 214(Hons) Prof. Newman 1142 Southern Lit. Dr. Peacock. 20,3 3090 Lit. of Brit. Clth, Prof.Robertson
Thurs 211 11Al2Modern Poetry, Prof. Newman aft&*Graduate Studies In Australia,*College of Arts and Solon
1r1 22 940 214 (Hone) Dr. Tilghman 23 309, Prof. Robbrboon, 3m4 English Department TechFestival Symposiums %Australian Literature Todays
Sat 23s free
Mon 251 23 309 Prof. Robertson title: *Anzac in Literature." 4...5 English Seminars possible
Tues 26: free
Wed 27: Depart from VPI.
3 34 NCTE STUDY GROUP la: WORLD LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
The Force of Place inAustralasian Literature Robert T. Robertson
Premises: 1. That there is a force ofplace. 2. That it has affected, doesand will affect Australasians, 3. That it is reflected inthe Literature of Australasia. 4. That this differs from thereflection in other literatures. Australian and New Zealandreflections. 5. That it may be distinguished as representation of Commonwealthand 6. That Seraitlacoleitsi is an accurate Australasian literatures in itsproportions and within itsrestrictions.
be identified in Australianand New Zealand Hypothesis:That the force of place can literature as one of theforces cresting national identityin literature, or a "National"literature.
of that force and identifyits operation. Problem: Estimate the relative power
Summary of statistics onBra.140.211v
A. Section Australasian Literature ploastim.ilastiga 5:24 25% One: Native Race 3,2*9)1112- Two: Emigration 1-2,4-5,8-9.40-11-12,15-16-17, 20.21-22121724.26. 19:26 Do% 8:22 35% Three: Land 4,9-10,17-18.19.20-21. 5:15 33% Four: Time 9,12. Five: People 1-2,4-5-6,8.27.19:1142,14,19,20-21.-22, 25-26-212&29.60-31-32-33. 24:33 66% 40% Six: Nation 21.22.23,25,27-28-29-30-31 71051 50% (7348)
B. Notes: (12 short stories) (underlined number). 4:1 1. 59 poems: 14 prose pieces Anthology: 126 poems: 25 prose pieces. 5:1
literature under 50% in thesesectionsz 2. Proportion of Australasian ONE (NativeRace), THREE (Land), FOUR(Time), SIX (Nation).
sections: Proportion of Australasianliterature aver 50% in these Land). TWO (Emigration,etc.), FIVE (People on the
3- ausassw 8 of the 14 13 single pieces; 32;6x3; 4x5; one sequence of 7; one of 9. prose pieces comein sections TWO andFIVE. Longest sequence(9) is in section FIVE.
3 5 Book Lists (for courses inBritish Commonwealth Literature at VirginiaPolytechnic APPENDIX C., Institute) English 314: Conter.narary_amonaejltitrt:
U. Press. $3.50 1. The Commonwealth Pen, ce.A. L. McLeod; Cornell African Verse, ed. G.Butler; O. U.P. $3.50 2. The Cxfore Book of South Zealand Verse, ed. A. Curnow;Penguin. 0111.25 3. The Penrwin Book of New Penguin. $.95 4. The Penluin Book of CanadianVerse, ee. R. Gustafson; Australian Verse, ed.Thompson et al; Penguin$1.4! 5. The Penauin Book of Mo,:ern 6. Spinster, Sylvia Ashton Warner;B9ntam. $.50 $1.45 7. The Aunt's Story, PatrickWhite; Compass. New American Library.$.75 8. The Watch That Ends the Linita.L,Hugh MacLennan; $1.45 9. The Price of Diamonds, DanJacobson; Knopf. $2.95 10. Way..:. of Sunli;,ht, SamuelSelvon; St. Martin's Press. $1.25 11. The Financial Expert, R. K. Naryan;Noonday Press. Books. $1.25 12. The Palm-Wine Drinkard.Amos Tutuole; Evergreen
English 309: Colonial Commonwealth Literature:
Anthologies as above: 1-5.
Pyramid Books. $.50. 13. African Treasury ,ed. Langston Hughes; end Faber. 14. West Indian Short Stories,ed. Andrew Salkey; Faber (World's Classics).$1.25 15. New Zealanc Short Stories,ed. Dan Davin; O. U. P. $1.50. 16. Robbery Under Arms, RolfBoldrewoo; St. Martin's Library. $.50. 17. The Story of an African Farm,01j.ve Schreiner; Premier Books. $1.75. 18. Anne of Green Gables, L. M.Montgomery; Grosset.
English 308: P..gionalism:
Anthologies as above: 1-5, 13-15.
Classics). $1.25 19. Canadian Short Stories, e6. Weaver;O.U.P. (Worlc!'s O.U.P. (W.C.) $1.2! 20. Australian Short stories, ed.Murdock an., Drake-Brockman; $1.50 21. Masks of Fiction, ed. A.J.M.Smith; New Canadian Library. $1.25 22. Three Plays, Sean O'Casey; St.Martin's Library. $.50 23. The Violent Bear It Away,Flannery O'Connor; Signet. Books. $.50. (17) The Story of an African Farm,Olive Schreiner; Premier
English 3010: Canaeian Literature
Anthologies as above: 1, 4, 19, 21.
$1.50 24. Masks so* poetry, ee. A. J. M.Smith; New Canadian Library. $.75 (8) The Watch That Ends theNight, Hugh MacLennan; Signet. Malcolm Lowry; 25. Hear Us 0 Lorel From Heavenay Dwellinr Place, ed. Lippincott. $1.95.
English 309 (1964): British Commonwealth Literature:
Anthologies as above: 1, 3, 19.
American Library. %.75 (8) The Watch That Encs theNight, Hugh MacLennan, New St. Martin's Library. $1.50 (16) Robbery Under Arms, Rolf Bol reloor, Laurens van fer Post, Compass. $1.45 26. Venture to the Interior, 36 PPEND IX C VPI ResearchProject 31501A ENGLISH 309 USOE ResearchProject S-471 USOE ContractOE 6-10-195 SPRING QUARTER 1966
LITERATURE OF THE BRITISH4COMMONWEALTH I,II.) These twovolumes Texts: TERRA INCOGNITA, sel. R.T.Robertson, Vols aresupplied free ) (on loan) to stu- HANDBOOK TO COMMONWEALTHLITERATURE, (mimeo). dents in the course. (Australia Felix;TheWel THE FORTUNES OF RICHARDMAHONY, Vols I-III 1 By HenryHandel Home; UltimaThule), Norton, $4.05. Richardson.
by Mordecai Richler,Paperback 2 APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ, Library, 75 cents.
by Laurens vander Post, Viking,$1.45 3. VENTURE TO THE INTERIOR, D100, 4 THE STORY OF AN AFRICANFARM, byOlive:Sthreiner,.Premier, 50 cents. Dell, 75 cents. 5 NECTAR IR A SIEVE, byKamala Markandaya, above and a studyof of an examination ofthe four novels The course consists represented in theantho- the literature of theBritish Commonwealth as in the Handbook.One logy Terra Incognita,assisted by the material The order inwhich the theme, one term paper,quizzes and two tests. novels will be studiedis indicated below: STORY OF AN AFRICANFARM April 4,6,8 (classes will be 11, 13, 25, 28 THE FORTUNESOF RICHARD MAHONY of New taken by Dr.H.P.Heseltine, Univerbity South Wales, Sydney,Australia) 20, 22, 25VENTURE TO THE INTERIOR 27, 29, May 1 NECTAR IN A SIEVE May 4,5APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDYKRAVITZ 7ff. Terra Incognita;Handbook
under U.S. Officeof The course is also partof a Research Project Spring Quarter classacting Education auspices andfunding, with the other five coursesrelated to as a control groupin relation to the For this reason a the subject which havebeen taught here1963-5. would representative group ofstudents is desired. Prof. Robertson take the course next appreciate it if thosestudents intending to Quarter would see him inRoom 218, WilliamsHall, March 7-11.
Williams Hall, MWF at2 The course will betaught in Roam 220, Auditors welcome. First meeting, Wednesday,March 30, 2 p.m.
Please bring theinformation above FOR MEMBERS OF THEDEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH: to the attentionof interested students. Thank you. R.T.R.
37 VirginiaPolytechnicInstitute Spring Ms Department ofEnglish:
successive year. taught at VP/for the fourth Anglish 309is being "Literature of of literature,entitled It is aone-quarter survey with one available toall students the BritishCommonwealth," has beenabout thirty English.The enrollment quarter ofsophomore those at otheruniver- at VPIdiffers from each year.The course of the to present anorganic view sities in thatit has tried America, Australia originating inAfrica, North writing inEnglish treatment hundred years,rather than a and Asia overthe past one order. country oforigin or inchronological of thatliterature by prose areexpected to readthe following In Spring1967, students of the last seven ofthe ten weeks works, one perweek, in the course: der Post Venture ToThe Interiorby Laurens van Africa: Serpent byNadine Gordimer The SoftVoice of the Nzekwu Wand of NobleWood by Onuora Marayan Asia: The Guide byR. K. Passage toIndia by E.M. Forster H. Lawrence Australia:Kangaroo by D. Riders in thechariot byPatrick White the six Parts of the courseare spent on The firstthree weeks anthology (291pp) of 151pieces Incogpita, atwo-volume of Terra from theliteratures of of proseand poetrylargely selected and SouthAfrica. The six Parts Australia, Canada,New Zealand evident in the six commonthemes orsUbjects areestablished by Race;Emigration,Colonization, literatures: The Native these Land;Nation-Making.The Land; Time;People on the Exile; The language on a commonsUbject from comparison ofworks in a common literature as more runsthe dangerof treating different locales would wish. The artefact than alitegary scholar asociological also a teach thisliterature is technical problemof how to There are problem of howto studythis literature. theoretical undertaking an areastudy; usingcomparative threepossibilities: the common approaches;looking for literaturetechniques or methods is atpresent combination ofall three themes ormyths. A from The Artsand VPI under aresearch grant being tried at of Education. Bureau ofResearch, Office Humanities Branch, this grant,providing produced withthe help of TerraIncognita was used previously; place of theeight whichhad been oneanthology in in theSpring Quarter has beentaught underthis grant the course The originalresearch project of 1966 andagain thisquarter. will becompleted inAugust 1967.
38 Appendix C Department ofEnglish VIRGINIA POLYTECHNICINSTITUTE S rin arter 1968 ENGLISH 309: "Literature of theBritish Commonwealth
successive year as aone- English 309 is being taught atVPI for the fifth Canada, NewZealand quarter survey courseof the literaturesof Australia, and India. The additional materialfrom Nigeria and South Africa, with pre-requisite of onequarter course is available toall studentsholding the is 32. of sophomore English; thepre-registration enrollment
research projectand is being The present course isdevised from a USOE suggested by theproject: an organic taught for the third timealong the lines America, Asia andAustralasia English originatingin Africa, view of writing in literature of the past hundred years withconcentration on over the past one antho- include seven novelsand a two-volume twenty years. The works studied short under the researchproject, which surveys logy with handbook, produced The six themesof stories and poems fromthe four principalliteratures. meeting but fullconsideration of the anthology are announcedat the first the novels aretreated first as them is left to the endof the course; thus Commonwealth Literature. novels and later as componentsin British
the six Partsof TerraIncognita, The last two weeks ofthe course are spent on 151 pieces of proseand poetry largely a two-volumeanthology (291 pp) of New Zealandand South selected from the literaturesof Australia, Canada, established by the six commonthemes or subjects Africa. The six Parts are Emigration,Colonization, Exile; evident in theseliteratures: The Native Race; The Land; Time; People onthe Land;Nation-Making. Australia THE TREE OF MAN,Patrick White Timetable: Week 1-2 New Zealand GREENSTONE, SylviaAshton-Warner 3 South Africa 4 MITTEE, Daphne Rooke Chinua Achebe Nigeria 5 A MAN OF THE PEOPLE, India THE GUIDE, R. K.Narayan 6 South Africa 7 THE BEGINNERS, DanJacobson Canada 8 AS FOR ME AND MYHOUSE 9 TERRA INCOGNITA, Vol.1 10 TERRA INCOGNITA,Vol, 2
the novels Required Work: Theme due at end ofweek 5 on one of Two objective tests onthe novels Term Paper on theanthology plus novels Final examination
39 ,
English 309 British CommonYealth Literature
Class Theme: Fram one or both of youranthologiee choose sufficient materialto illustrate or disprove gamtr.gere of thefollowing statements, applying the statement to one or bothof the anthologies as you plesk la"(This)literature.., has a center of immediate experienceand a circumference of initially alien literary devices forarticulating it."
2a "... that relatively strongtradition of satire, ridicule andself-depreciation that seems to flourishthrough a need of the Canadian character."
30 "The conception of theCanadian writer as a "nation builder"carrying out in thi realms of the imagination the conquestand unification wheih explorers,settle: builders and politicians were completingin the,physical and politicalrealam is the real reason for thatactive nearch for "Canadianism"in our writers whicl some readers continue evento the present day."
i legal entity, the dtvision isextraliterary 60"When a nation exists merely ae and artificial in the extreme. Butwhere the writer's work contains(cyr is contained tg) a social and geographicalenvironment which is an imaginative actuality to him, then we are confrontedwith a literary fact of some importance."
well) 5. "Some readr,rs outside Canada ( andpossibly some in this country as maybe struok by the sense ofloneliness and melancholy that pervades so many of the stories in thisbook."
60"Whatsver is true vision belongs, here,uniquely to the islands ofNew Zealand° The best of our verse is marked ormoulded everywhere by peculiar pressures pressures arising from theisolation of the country, its physicalcharacter, and its history."
seem more than sui 70 "Certain forms the sonnet, the short story, forexample . they areessential to the expression of adeveloping nation."
8. "The frequent little touches. oflocal color seem attractive atfirst sight but they do not stand thetest of time; they fade, and idfading theY remove the whole work from seriousliterary consideration."
9. "Today we may say that everyreader in English brings twoliteratures to the consideration of any new work: the commonheritage of "classical" English literature, and his acquaintancewith his own local or nationalliterature0 This affects his reading ofcontemporary work in any otherlocal or national literature."
10. "The American student is mosthappily placed to consider these othernational literatures; on one hand he has hisknowledge of English literature, onthe oti his reading in Americanliterature; the nationalliteratures correspond in fort to the former and in spiritto the latter." USCS: S-471 alaallEp 309 (Bn) v-Ig 31501A
Answer ')oth_allestions:
1. Dentify in one or twosentences(choose four names) a) the relationshiD of thecharacter to other charactersin the work b) the sicfnificance of the characterin the whole work:
ia]foos Stranger; Yvette;Simcha;Bonaparte 3lenkins; Josette; Uncle ?,err 7ance quillan; Elanjeg Africa;Era; sTrit Sannieg henny9 Nath.ang Full; Lunthig.rurdy3 Tillieg Eenry OcockgNed.
2. Write wragraph or more a) s:ying why you like or disliked onework9 and b) T.hat you think the place of thatwork is in this course.
Thank you. R.T.R.
^
4 1 CORRESPONDANCES BETWEEN THE SET TEXTSAND
THE THEMES IN TERRA INCOGNITA
THE STORY OF AN AFRICAN FARM: I II 7,8 III 2,13 IV 15 26-31 VI 5-6, 25-6
VENTURE TO THE INTERIOR: I 15 II III 14,15,17,18,22 IV 1-4, 15 22,23,24 VI 20-23
THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ:
II 14,24 III 1,3 IV v 7,11,23 V7. 19,30
NECTAR IN A SIEVE: I 17-24 II III IV 1 32 VI
THE FORTUNES OF RICHARD MAHONY: I 1-4 II 7,9,13,20,21,23,25,26 III IV 8-10 VI 27-8
Exercise: Please extend the references tothe Part (I) and poem etc. (e.g.7) under the headings of the textslisted above.
42 Literature of the BritishCommonwealth
FINAL EXAMINATION
Note: Answer Question Iand two others - either twofrom Question II or one from IIend one from
or one from III(counts as two answers.
I: Answer two parts,selecting from those below: a. Discuss some terms younoted from one country. b. Compare some terms fromtwo or more countries. c. explain fourterms, preferrably in context. d. Write a paragrap0 summaristngthe literature of oneeecaCe. e. Compare the cP.reersof two authors. f. Write an introductory noteto the work of oneauthor a represented in the anthology. those g. Discuss thelife of one or moreauthors as typical of in BCL.
II: Select your topics from thosebelow:
a. The ordering of theextracts in any one sectionhas a definite plan.
b. Literature is written out ofdelight and agony, sometimesboth.
c. The dangers,difficulties ane rewards ofcomparative study.
d. The treatment of the nativesin history is reflectedin literature in a progression ofattitudes - e.g. fear and hostility; contempt; remorse; reverencefor the noble savage.
e. Once uprooted it isboth Possible andimpossible to put down roots again.
f. The attitudes to the lane varyaccording to the similarity or dissimiltrity of the new land to theold. it in g. Later writersin any literature lovetheir land and need their writing.
h. The concept of time asreflected in the literaturechanges from an easy celebration ofthe benefits of progressto an awareness of the One Universal:We are born but to die.
i. The concept of time isused ill the most difficultpoetry.
j. The different occupationsof people are shownin the anthology.
k. Only the emotions ofordinary people are shoT-nin the anthology.
1. The fact that onlyordinary people are used.makes the content of the anthology familiarand interesting.
43 riL Writers either exalt or mock their nation.
n. The attitudes of writers toward their on people, land and nation vary from hostility to love.
o. The prose is more successful than the verse in showing the dis- tinctive material available in BCL. Or vice versa?
III: What is your theory of British Commonwealth Literature (i.e. what is the course all about)? What is its content, distribution, history, value, etc? - ILLUSTRATE(quote and refer) LIKE MAD. English 309: Theme topios, 196?Sp 3m471 (UOSOE) 31501A (VPI)
Show the seotions in ONE Part of Terrajm2galta, therelationship of one section to another, thedegree of coherence and/or development in the sections*
Suggest a rearrangement of material* slight orsubstantial, within one or two parts of Terra Incodalab
Justify the sequence of the six Parts ofTerra asseapa*
Show the difference between superficial andessential coTrespondanoes which you identify in any sequence of any length inthe prose or verse selections in Terra Incooita*
Show the correspondances betwoen the proseand verse of any one country as represented in ,T...e.conita,be highly selective,
Write the footnotes essential to understanding ashort story or a group of poems of moderate complexity; justify yourfootnotes*
Write an essay on the local dialect observablein selections from one country, or from a number of countries* 4 Account for the fact that the proportion ofselections from thelitereture of one country varies from Part toPart (e*g4 why are there more selectionsfrom! Africa In Part One?)*
Trace correspondences In contentand/or form between the selections in agaalmstaa and American literature*
Write a summary of one or more ofthe class lectures, illustratingthe generalisations from the anthology*
11*Attack or modify the.basic assumption ofthis course: that the historical and geographical environment of a writer canbe seen in his work*
Estimate the universal reference of ono or more poemsor short stodies in Terra Incesala; how is thisachieved through local reference or is it?
Describe clearly and precisely whatmakes you prefer or dislike some selections traxothrim more thanothers In Tem.Inzlfinla
44*In what sensu is the titleTerraIncognitau justified? Estimate the problems in studying material sodescribed*
5t. In what stories or peens inTerra Ilicognita did you feel the needfor background information, and where didyounot feel this need? Show gnod cause for bothsensations*
16* Do the occasional critical commentsin the Handbook assist in any way the understanding of the material inTerra.Incqpita?
174 Outline the basio information you wouldlike on all the writers represented in Terra Incznita4 Where does thehandbook meet or fail this pattern?
188 Coment on the basic ppdagody of the course: that it ispossible to read the amkt material Inierra.Lamallia without the customary background but within a frame of reference drawn fromthe works, and that this illuminate the processes of literature itself* 44 USOE-S»471; VPI 31501A 1967Sp Enpp.sh16. Term paler Tsptips*
elements of one ofthe novels or groupsof novels Describe the constituent clementsg listed belowl payingparticular attentionto the local
Acid A wand" of Noble The Soft Votce ofthaAmmillt. MON*114.010.0.1ftWa+110144CII4PAAM.11111704114044.410.041 (The guiqa
Passage. To India
(Kanproo -Riders in the Chariot of qm of thebooks listedbelow to TerraIncognita Beacribe the relevance relevance(differing) of a pairof books: in whole or inpart; or describethe
Vent,ure to tileInterior
A.hand of no:yleWood Me Guide Palegp to India TNO.V4Vra.CYMNOR,OV4KOniC41
feWPOO.KalmaroofAVOIAIN.VJA Ridess in theChariot .N.lowNewtatooMW...1...*9...1.viaroes,syre...oiady.0Arcartragica.4
im one of thefollowing groups Describe the similarttiesand dissimiliarities of boolm: tbe Servent A ttsnd ofFoble'Wood: Venture tu theIntelyi.or The Soft VOiCG of Zou.arromws...... ~~usg. »Zuz0Axis;rmsawro sre:vnernrt oto.maasZmitiorsrorace:
Passaqe to Tndia: The Guide ft%nearietv.romilao
alaURR,RIS.P.E2.n.142....WELatt
to (va frame ofreference drawn from "Can literature bestudied in relation the worksr° of the set textso Write a critiqueof the form andcontent of any one using only orthodoxliterary criticalterms*
45
--..iirANALIVIVAMIXIMPPINGIVIMUCCSAC English 309: Toot 19678p uson S-471; VPI 3150IA tnswor as muoh as you oan within 4 minutes%
Consider the releNznoe of all 01'EoZe of the following quotations to one
Part of TeY:r.1 Inoosita;vwcw.r.smna identiF th'a cltle andautIlor if you cant OR Select two or three and show why i..hoyare =re relevant to onc Part than to anotheT; identify the title sAnd Rutho:o ifynti cpn!
But -'
1) The friendly little whare was i-rison
ot 9Everything I got is yourisio
do It was sowething differonty comaing Nobody comnted one
eo Easter kad leaves fa11.11.ng%
--)aeAll at bnce everything he 6aw nc,Acid pm:IOUs and signifioant-%
go He was the last of his tribeclift a 20.ng, bilt he had built that woodheap holloe
h. There isni,t time in ItImoa%
1% South of my daysT M^'.s ol wj pel"ni."1).
j.1y task dooando a vil-Tin muso to string A 1yre of svai.so thtnJey as I sin:;1
00vZSCIAS hoS 00;113 home, to the su2l7
i.vi was thi&i n? yestEzday.,you 1:1101.; I rthall pm'clbly neverxo bao '.'s. to the Old Countuc I S too faxl sway nowl too 3.0113 azOte'
Molt and T wen sittf,nson the and Kok was sayins he wasa New Zealander, but he know he wanrit 2:f;';altrz3=tt.11.11d he know he was-a*t a Dalmatian any mere% He xn,.:w he wasnit arythinga.41y uweet nbThem is only the gazden full of suvprising ftuito
oa Frienda could I anear in Ensland, 02 A sweeteY. English rose%)
P* ,%%0Madt1W I ploadcl, See for youso1f?0 of,This is a beauty
Consieletl tha Of the English imni6Pw'at.
46 2 MI
2t CozAont o tholmidIing or -omtv,ITEal tharlies in thefol/owing etiraots; enlarge yrAv comnents hj a:YR:mace toothel% selections 1 y1 Te2;:? Incopnita: All mon at GoPa roma tablesit, And all men must b fed3 But this loaf ta Ty hand7 Thie loaf is Iv cis breadt
bt that MGM are isled In ocean orin ice and only joiad by Ions endeavovrto bo joined4
e+ Aad lf these things In so oh month,in what of these beleavred victimsthis ow: race tttvayed altn,e by Fates gigantic:plot hexe in this farpitched povileushostile place
clp Nature, to mot dismissea by amost blab command ShoTtly roll up this planetaxydecorationo. Man having passed. daTkly onwardsto an 'unknown land*
3t. tiaqte out and complete six of thdenimlas below; umment on thme them irathov Work Cowtry
a ja Malcolm LoliTy
h4 The Wilazo c Anon Ovrnow ..^ cl4 The Ilrovo
o0 Hoy Camplx111
ATt4.v thal -ethval%
ef Ez,ank Saxgeson
ht Tolephme (ionve's,,satieyn
io Mal7
Sonn-at; BTothgnood
Urauls Wathe 11
A . . ,,, EA) ageus.ov,.. L..t.I/ Prtalb f ;Are( 4.7.4 7.3`,P 7 )4 TL4.101,0..e.CVA' m4 PiC4Slatov
mho relmso Poxes
47