English 121: Literature and Nation
Professor Russell A. Potter Summer Session I, Rhode Island College
The idea that literature, like food or music or dance, should possess or embody a national culture, is quite a recent one in terms of world history. The older dream was of a universal literature, written in Greek or Latin and readable around the world and for all time. This dream, for better or worse, faded with the collapse of the ancient empires, particularly that of Rome. It wasn't until some centuries later, when nations were beginning to emerge from the medieval checkerboard of duchies and domains, that the idea of writing literature in one's own native language, and expressing the natural and national character of its speakers. It was this vernacular writing with which national literatures were born, and with them the sense that each nation ought to have its own pantheon of literary and artistic giants.
Today, while we can use terms like "American Literature," "Irish Literature," or "Japanese Literature," it's not always easy to separate them off. People emigrate from country to country; most nations contain many languages, ethnicities, and faiths; the most successful literature is translated and read around the world. Still, each country's literary heritage has something of the essence of the nation in it, both as it might be perceived internally, and as it might be seen by others.
In this summer course, we'll read six representative books -- several collections of stories, and two novels -- which will give us a sense of four nations we know (the United States, Ireland, Japan, and Britain) and two that haven't come into existence yet (the Republic of Gilead and the land of the Kesh). We'll hear their voices, and walk among their peoples, and perhaps we will come in this way to know them. We'll also see film adaptations of some of our stories and books, as one way of seeing them visualized and made immediate.
COURSE BOOKS (All ordered at the RIC Campus Store; titles marked with an asterisk (*) are available free online)
Conrad, Heart of Darkness (Broadview) 978-1551113074 * Hearn, Kwaidan (Dover) 978-0486450940 * Joyce, Dubliners (Penguin 978-0-14-310745-3) * Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (Anchor) 978-0385490818 Poe, Selected Poetry and Tales (Broadview) 978-155481-046-8 * Le Guin, Always Coming Home (U Cal Press) 978-0520227354
CLASS STRUCTURE
The readings should be completed prior to the class in which they are listed; we’ll discuss each in class as we go. Once each week, an informal response to that week’s reading or viewing is due on the blog; these responses are not graded. There is also a formal, 3-5 page paper due on the last day of class, which can be about any book or film we’re reading/viewing. I’m asking that you each hand in a rough draft by June 11th – this can be on paper or via e-mail – so that I can give you feedback and suggestions.
CLASS SCHEDULE
Week I (May 20)
Wednesday (May 20th): Introduction to the course. Discussion of Joyce’s “Araby” (from Dubliners)
Week II (May 25-28)
No Class Monday (Memorial Day) Tuesday: Joyce, “Clay” (from Dubliners) Wednesday: Joyce, “The Dead” (from Dubliners) with in-class viewing of the film version by John Huston. Thursday: Hearn, “The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi” (from Kwaidan), with in-class viewing of film version of the story of Hoichi by Masaki Kobayashi.
Week III (June 1-4)
Monday: Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” with film version. Tuesday: “Ms. Found in a Bottle.” Wednesday: Poe, “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar,” with Vincent Price film version. Thursday: “William Wilson,” with Alfred Hitchcock episode, “The Case of Mr. Pelham.”
Week IV (June 8-11)
Monday: Heart of Darkness, 1st half. Tuesday, Heart of Darkness, 2nd half. Wednesday: In-class viewing, 1st half of Apocalypse Now! Thursday: 2nd half of Apocalypse Now!
Week V (June 15-18)
Monday: First 1/3 of The Handmaid’s Tale. Tuesday: Second 1/3 of The Handmaid’s Tale. Wednesday: Finish The Handmaid’s Tale; start film version. Thursday: Finish film version of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Week VI (June 22-25)
Monday: Start Always Coming Home – 1st section of “Stone Telling.” Tuesday: 2nd section of “Stone Telling.” Wednesday: Last section of “Stone Telling.” Thursday: Papers due.