English 360 Dr. Malandra
American Literature, 1965 to the Present: Postmodern and Contemporary Literature
Fall 2005 T/TR 3:00—4:15 p.m. Dr. Marc Malandra Office: Sutherland 217 562.944.0351 ext.3401 Office hours: M/W 1:30-3:30, and by appointment
Course Description
The primary objective of this course is to engage with the American literary scene of the last 40 years, an era in which notions of a stable “tradition” or “canon” have been in many ways tossed out the window. We will strive to note the fluctuations in authorial points of view that have characterized the “postmodern condition,” examining the various ways in which writers of various temperaments have addressed ways of being in the contemporary world. Many of the attitudes that inform the thinking and writing of this epoch could only have arisen after significant shifts in the culture at large in the decades following the Second World War. Relative economic prosperity, the rise of youth culture, demographic shifts (the flight from cities, the rise of suburbs), changes in fashion, music, and the arts, and increasing suspicion about traditional values and mores have all contributed to this late twentieth, early twenty-first century historical moment.
As Christians, we will often find ourselves at odds with many of the trends, sensibilities, and worldviews that characterize this turn in culture, and by extension, the literature we find here. Notions of transcendence, belief in a knowable God, the benefits and limitations of technology and related controversies, the idea that humans can know both themselves and the world they inhabit meaningfully, are all severely questioned by the artists of this era. However, as students of literature, we have a responsibility to be aware of the different avenues of artistic expression that writers have felt it necessary to explore. We can look to the prophet Daniel as one biblical model who was acutely aware of the culture and literature of the society in which he dwelt while following a completely different course [cf. Daniel 1:4]. We must also, I think, approach the literature (broadly conceived) of this period with an eye for the satirical, humorous, and sometimes poignantly insightful windows it opens to the people with whom we interact everyday. This literature may allow us to get some sense of the struggles faced by those whose belief systems and attitudes fail to offer the comfort provided to those who trust in Jesus Christ as Lord. English 360 Dr. Malandra
Required Texts
Although much of our time will be devoted to unpacking prose in novel form, we will be attentive to the multiplicity of ways in which artists have grappled with postmodern life, including under our purview graphic novels (Spiegelman, Ware), short fiction by Tobias Wolff and Robert Olen Butler, and also a bit of poetry (Edson, Ashbery).
Maxine Hong Kingston The Woman Warrior: Memoir of a Childhood Among Ghosts Toni Morrison Song of Solomon Paul Auster City of Glass Don Delillo White Noise Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything Is Illuminated Art Spiegelman Maus I & II Chris Ware Jimmie Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth Robert Olen Butler Good Scent from a Strange Mountain Tobias Wolff The Night in Question
***[NOTE: Students will be required to purchase a packet of course readings during the first week of classes (CP on the schedule)]
Grades:
Participation: 10% Core Essays: 3@20% 60% “Response” Essays: 3@5% 15% Presentation: 15%
Participation
Participation includes active listening and conscientious contributions to class discussion. I expect you to come to class prepared and ready to engage in discussion of the issues on the table for that particular day. I expect you to come to class: students who miss more than 25% of the class sessions should not expect to pass the course (students who miss anywhere near that many should not expect to earn a top level grade, regardless of brilliance in other areas). Students who are consistently tardy will begin to receive absences in the roll book. Participation includes intelligent responses to the questions your peers ask as part of their presentation work.
You are expected to adhere to Biola’s code of Academic Integrity. Any violations of these policies will be handled with utmost seriousness, and will be English 360 Dr. Malandra reported. If you have questions about plagiarism, use of outside sources, etc. please feel free to consult me. If you have questions about the course, or other non-course related matters that I might be able to assist with, please don’t hesitate to ask.
(Please take care of dietary needs either before or after class. Thank you.)
Assignments
READING IS FUNDAMENTAL
Naturally, you are expected to keep up with all the assigned readings. If I find that students are not keeping up with the reading, then I may assign short written responses—probably in the form of index cards—as a way to insure people are reading regularly. [If this turns out to be the case, I will ask students to submit a 5x8 (i.e., large size) index card with a “response” to the reading for the class on a daily basis. It is my hope that such draconian measures will not be called for.] I might have to give short quizzes, but again….
WRITING IS THINKING, THINKING IS WRITING
You will be required to write three 4-6 page (no less than 4 FULL, no more than 7, please) analytical essays over the course of the semester (AKA “core essays”). It is my expectation that you will be able to decide on a topic and a specific work (or works) that pique your interest. Of course, I will be more than happy to discuss the essays at any point in the writing process. These core essays will be due during weeks five (9/27), eleven (11/8) and during finals week (12/17). At least one of these essays must include a significant research component (using at least three outside sources, at least one of which must be a hard copy text (book or article from a book).
You will also be required to write three shorter (1-2 pages) responses to three works that you have not chosen to address in one of your three core essays. To recap: 3 Core essays + 3 Response essays = 6 essays total. Essays must be turned in by hand. A great deal of my own ink has been spilled over the last year printing out student essays, so please be considerate. Essays will be demoted one half letter grade per day when they are turned in after the announced due date (e.g., a “B+” will become a “B” and so forth). You must turn in a response assignment within one week after the day a work was assigned for class. You must turn in your first response assignment by 9/8. You must turn in the second response essay by 10/27. You need to turn in your third response essay by 12/8.
English 360 Dr. Malandra
AND NOW PRESENTING…
Each student will also be responsible for leading a discussion on one of the assigned authors/readings and related issues. I will allow students to “double up” on these facilitated discussions (that is, you can do them in pairs). You may use your facilitation as the basis for one of your required core (or response) essays. If you facilitate solo, I would expect you to cover (approximately) a third to a half of the class time; pairs should cover a half to three quarters of class time (or so). Choose an author/date and let me know your choices no later than the end of week two. I recommend choosing either the first or last day of an author whenever possible. Ideally, presentations should start during week two.
Final Thoughts
We have a fairly large—but hopefully not overwhelming—amount of reading and writing to do this semester, but knowing most of you already, I am sure you can handle it. In a course like this, we will sometimes have to very conscientiously locate the kernels of wisdom or the insights into LIFE—in all its complexity—that we can gather in these works. Hopefully we will learn a bit more about contemporary literature and the different ways it has manifested itself, a bit more about our own relation to such literature, and a little bit more about ourselves and each other. If you come across anything outside of class that seems relevant to our discussions (i.e., an article, news item, comic, etc.), don’t hesitate to share it with the entire class. I look forward to hearing your insights into the texts we will navigate this semester.
A m e r i c a n L i t e r a t u r e , 1 9 6 5 t o t h e P r e s e n t : P o s t m o d e r n a n d C o n t e m p o r a r y L i t e r a t u r e
Schedule of Assignments:
Bending the Frame
8/25 Introduction(s) 8/30 Donald Barthelme, selections (CP); Russel Edson, selections (CP); Nicholson Baker, The Mezzanine, ch. 1 (CP)
Splitting Open the Canon Maxine Hong Kingston/ Toni Morrison
9/1 Kingston, The Woman Warrior (ch.1&2)
English 360 Dr. Malandra
9/6 Kingston, The Woman Warrior (ch. 3) 9/8 Kingston, The Woman Warrior (ch.4) •first Response Essay due by today•
9/13 Kingston (ch.5)/Morrison, Song of Solomon (ch. 1) Lester, “People Who Could Fly” (CP) 9/15 Morrison, Song of Solomon (ch. 2-4)
9/20 Morrison, Song of Solomon (ch. 5-7) 9/22 Morrison, Song of Solomon (ch. 8-10)
9/27 Morrison, Song of Solomon (ch. 11-13)**Core Essay #1 Due**
PoMo 1980s Style: Stop Making Sense? Paul Auster/ Don Delillo
9/29 Auster, City of Glass (7-66)
10/4 Auster, City of Glass (67-140) 10/6 Auster, City of Glass (141-203)
10/11 Delillo, White Noise (3-74) Braudrillard, from Simulacra,etc. (CP)
10/13 Delillo, White Noise (75-163)
10/18 Delillo, White Noise (167-241) 10/20 Torrey Bible Conference [No class]
10/25 Delillo, White Noise (242-326)
Novelas Graphicas: Literary Comics? Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware
10/27 Spiegelman, Maus I •second Response Essay due by today•
11/1 Spiegelman, Maus: finish book I 11/3 Spiegelman, Maus: begin book II
11/8 Spiegelman, Maus finish book II 11/10 Chris Ware, Jimmie Corrigan, The Smartest Kid on Earth **CCore Essay #2 Due**
English 360 Dr. Malandra
11/15 Ware, Jimmie Corrigan, The Smartest Kid on Earth 11/17 Ware, Jimmie Corrigan, The Smartest Kid on Earth
11/22 K. Kaslowski, The Decalogue [in-class screening] 11/24 **Thanksgiving Holiday**
Other Contemporary Voices
11/29 Robert Olen Butler, Good Scent From a Strange Mountain: “Mr. Green”; “The Trip Back”; “Crickets”; “Love” 12/1 Robert Olen Butler, Good Scent From a Strange Mountain: “In the Clearing”; “Relic”; “A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain” •third Response Essay due by today•
12/6 Tobias Wolff, The Night in Question: “Mortals”; “The Life of the Body”; “Two Boys and a Girl”; “The Other Miller” 12/8 Tobias Wolff, The Night in Question: “”The Night in Question”; “The Chain”; “Bullet in the Brain”
**CCore Essay #3 Due on Wednesday by 7 p.m. 12/17**