Professor: Marshall Boswell Office: Palmer 316 Office Phone/Voice Mail: 843-3581 Office Hours: Tuth 1:00-2:30 E-Mail: [email protected] and by Appointment
Professor: Marshall Boswell Office: Palmer 316 Office Phone/Voice Mail: 843-3581 Office Hours: TuTh 1:00-2:30 E-Mail: [email protected] and by appointment
English 285: Texts and contexts TuTh 9:30-10:45 AM, Clough 100
Required Texts Backpack Literature, ed. X.J. Kenndy, Dana Gioi The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. Cuddon, J.A. The A merican, Henry James A merican Pastoral, Philip Roth
------SHORT FICTION------
Jan 12: Introduction to class; "A&P," John Updike, p. 1 8
Week 1: Point of View 17: "Araby," James Joyce, p. 315 "Greasy Lake," T. Coraghessan Boyle, p. 293 19: Kennedy, Chapter 2: Point of View, pp. 28 -52
Week 2: Symbolism 24: "Cathedral," Raymond Carver, p. 77 "The Things They Carried," Tim O’Brien, p. 90 26: " Everyday Use," Alice Walker, p. 69 “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman, p. 237
Week 3: Character 31: “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” Katherine Anne Porter, p. 56 “Mrs. Brill,” Katherine Anne Porter, p. 64 Feb 2 : "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates, p. 323 “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty, p. 365
Week 4: Theme 7 : "A Clean Well-Lighted Place," Ernest Hemingway, p. 1 42 “The Open Boat,” Stephen Crane, p. 19 5 9 : “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” Flannery O'Connor, p. 3 52 “Brownies,” ZZ Packer, p. 177
------POETRY------
Week 5: Voice 1 3 : SHORT STORY PAPER DUE (4-5 Pages) 14: Kennedy, "Reading a Poem," pp. 377-391; "Listening to a Voice," 393- 417 16: Kennedy: W.H. Auden, “September 1, 1939” and “Musee des Beax Arts,” pp. 585 -588; T. S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” p. 600; Sylvia Plath, "Daddy,” p. 630; William Butler Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium,” p. 650
Week 6: Attention To Details 21: Kennedy, "Words," pp. 418 -436; "Saying and Suggesting," pp. 437 -447; Wallace Stevens, “The Emperor of Ice Cream,” 638. 23: Kennedy, "Imagery," pp. 448-461; Figures of Speech, pp. 462 -477; “William Blake, “The Tiger”, p. 590; John Donne, “The Flea.” P. 601 ; “Alan Ginsberg, “A Supermarket in California,” p. 611; John Updike, “Ex- Basketball Player,” p. 642.
Week 7: Poetic Forms and Conventions 28: Kennedy, "Rhythm," pp. 497-511; “Sound,” pp. 481 -496. March 1 : Kennedy, "Closed Forms," pp. 512-529; "Open Form," pp. 533-545; Elizabeth Bishop, “One Art,” 589 ; William Carlos Williams, “Spring and All,”
Week 8: Signs and Symbols 5: POETRY PAPER DUE (4-5 pages) 6 : Kennedy, “Symbol,” 548-560; Kennedy, Myth and Narrative,” pp. 561 - 575; Coleridge, “Kubla Khan,” p. 596; Shelley, “Ozymandias,” p. 638; Tennyson, “Ulysses” 6 39 8 : MIDTERM EXAM
13-15 SPRING BREAK ------DRAMA------
Week 9 20: August Wilson, Fences, Act I, pp. 1022-1055 22: August Wilson, Fences, Act II, pp. 1054 -1079
------THE NOVEL------
Week 1 0 27 Henry James, The A merican, pp. 1 -90 29 Henry James, the A merican, pp. 91-186
Week 1 1 April 2: THIRD PAPER DUE (Short Story, Poetry or Drama: 3-4 Pages) 3 : Henry James, The A merican, pp. 187 -279 5 : EASTER BREAK
Week 1 2 10: Henry James, The A merican, pp. 280 -end 12: Philip Roth, A merican Pastoral, pp. 3 -83
Week 1 3 1 7 : Philip Roth, A merican Pastoral, pp. 83 -174 19: Philip Roth, A merican Pastoral, pp. 175 -281
24 Philip Roth, A merican Pastoral, pp. 285 -336 26: Philip Roth, A merican Pastoral, pp. 337 -end
FINAL PAPER DUE (TBA)
POLICIES FOR ENG 285: TEXTS AND CONTEXTS
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course functions as a hands-on practicum in reading, analyzing, and developing critical arguments about literary texts in their critical and cultural contexts. It is designed to equip prospective majors and minors with the skills necessary for middle- and upper-division English courses. We will read and interpret a wide range of works, including short stories, novels, poems, and plays, focusing throughout on the concrete particulars of genre as well as on the pertinent cultural forces bearing on the texts in question. We will begin by reading a number of short stories by authors ranging from James Joyce, William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Alice Walker, and others, then move on to poetry before shifting to an exploration of drama. The course will conclude with a close reading of two novels—The American by Henry James and American Pastoral by Philip Roth—that chart the stylistic transformation from realism to postmodernism. Via The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms, we will also develop a shared critical vocabulary to be used in a series of analytical papers touching upon all four genres..
ASSIGNMENTS: You will write three short papers and one longer research paper. Each paper will conduct a close reading of some aspect of one of the assigned works, whether a short story, a poem or poems, a play, or a novel. The first two papers will be 4-5 pages in length and should represent your own interpretation of an assigned story or set of poems, respectively. The third paper will be 3-4 pages in length and can focus on any text you haven’t addressed already. The final paper, which should clock in at roughly 6-8 pages, must employ at least two pieces of secondary critical material from refereed journals or respected publishing houses. There will also be a MIDTERM EXAM covering lilterary and rhetorical terms and devices that we have explored throughout the first half of the semester.
QUIZZES: I will give a number of pop quizzes throughout the semester. These will consist of 3 questions aimed at determining whether or not you have done the reading. A passing grade on a quiz will not affect your grade, whereas a failing grade will be counted as an absence. Hence you will never need to “make up” a quiz.
GRADING: All writing assignments are subject to the honor code. This means that, at the end of each assignment, you will write out the honor pledge in full and sign it. All work will be evaluated on the basis of the grading scale outlined on page 71 of the current Rhodes College Catalogue. Your final grade for the course will be computed as follows:
Paper 1 20% Paper 2 20% Paper 3 15% Paper 4 30% Midterm 15%
ATTENDANCE: You may miss two classes totally free of charge. I make no distinction between “excused” or “unexcused” absences. As such, you should reserve these two absences in case of illness or sports-team travel. An F on a pop quiz will count as an absence, as will failure to bring your book to class. Absences after those initial two will be deemed unexcused except for serious, extenuating circumstances (prolonged, unexpected illness, etc). Any unexcused absences after those initial three will cost your final course average two tenths of a point. If you miss more than six classes, you might fail the course.
LATE PAPERS: All papers are due on the day stipulated on the syllabus. Any unexcused late assignment will be penalized a tier reduction per day late; in other words, an A becomes an A-, a B+ becomes a B, and so on.
PROBLEMS? Take care of them in advance. I am more than happy to work with you if you give me enough lead time. For instance, if you need an extension on a paper, you must request one at least a week before the paper’s due date. Do not email me with questions that you could just as reasonably ask me in person the next class period. I will try to respond immediately to emails sent during the week but won’t answer emails sent over the weekend, unless they are particularly urgent.
PAPER REQUIREMENTS: All formal papers in this class are to be typed, double- spaced, and pledged in full. You will use the MLA documentation format, which we'll discuss in class.