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Elements of Literary Analysis
Syllabus for
English
Winter 2004
|
Professor: Alicia Kent, PhD Office:
326 French Hall Phone: 762-3285 Email:
aakent@umflint.edu |
Office hours: T, R, and gladly by appointment Class: Class e-mail address: Eng |
Why read literature? Because literature insists empathically that
we read and interpret, that there are no easy answers, never only one meaning
or perspective.
—Karen
Newman,
The purpose of analysis is not to destroy
beauty but to identify its sources.
—John
Ciardi, How Does a Poem Mean
Course
Description:
Ever thought about
why we read literature? In this course
we will read, study, and write about a variety of literary texts written at
various times in history. In our survey,
we will read a range of genres, focusing on short stories, poetry, and
drama. We will analyze not only what the
texts say but how they are written, how authors choose and use words, and what
effect these choices have on us. As a
required course for all English majors and minors, I think of this course primarily
as a skills-based course in which you will learn methods of textual analysis and
further develop your close reading skills, the primary methodology used in
literary criticism. Throughout our
journey, we will ask ourselves why we read literature, and while we may not
come up with the answer, the many
answers we develop will hopefully lead you to ask new questions about
literature and to develop a new joy for analyzing texts of all kinds. By the end, you should emerge from this course with an
expanded vocabulary of concepts for interpreting literature on the thematic and
formal levels with a richer sensitivity to the nuances of literary texts and
the range of questions that a literary text can pose.
Required
Course Text:
The
Norton Introduction to Literature, Shorter Eighth Edition. Eds. Beaty, Booth, Hunter, and Mays. ISBN:
0-393-97743-9
Note: A copy of the anthology is also
available on reserve at the UM-Flint Thompson Library for 3-hour checkout.
If you miss a
handout in class, course handouts are available on-line at eRes, UM-Flint’s
Electronic Reserve: http://reserves.lib.umflint.edu/ password for our course: 1234
You must have a UM-Flint username and
password to access this website.
Course
Requirements:
You must complete all of these
requirements to receive a passing grade in this course. If you do not complete one of these
requirements (such as failure to hand in a paper or failure to meet the
attendance requirements), you cannot pass the course. For your own protection, you should keep a
copy of everything you turn in to me.
There is NO final exam for this class.
In an emergency, you may e-mail me your paper as an attached file if you
are not able to hand in a hard copy by the paper deadline; the e-mail and
attached file must be sent to me by the paper deadline.
·
Attendance. Your
attendance is required. If you
accumulate more than three absences, your participation grade will be
lowered one-half grade (5 points) for every subsequent absence. If you accumulate eight absences, you
will fail the course (except in cases where you and I make alternative
arrangements because of extenuating circumstances). I do
not make distinctions between excused or unexcused absences—all absences count. Please let me know during the first two weeks
of classes if you must miss a class for religious observance, important
scheduled events that conflict with class, or other unavoidable reasons for
missing class. If you miss class, please
come talk to me about the material you’ve missed. Out of respect for your classmates, please
come to class on time. If tardiness to
class (more than 10 minutes) becomes a persistent problem, I will count
lateness as absences.
·
3
Literary Analysis Essays. At the end of each unit (Fiction, Poetry,
Drama), you will write a 3-5 page paper analyzing one text from that genre. You can choose any of the texts we’ve read
from the anthology for these papers, but the text should be one that we have
not discussed in depth in class. In
other words, these short essays focus on your ideas and analysis, not on a
summary or repetition of what’s already been discussed in class. I’ll hand out more information during the semester
for each assignment.
·
1 Final
Literary Analysis Essay. This
5-7 page paper is the final writing assignment of the semester and asks you to
bring together the skills of close reading and literary analysis that you’ve
developed over the course of the semester.
It is intended to be a longer, more in-depth analysis than the short
literary analysis essays. This essay
also asks you to develop a topic of your own about a literary text of your
choice and then writing a carefully argued literary analysis. Like the shorter literary analysis essays,
I’ll hand out more information during the semester for this assignment.
·
Short
Writing Assignments. These assignments will include response
papers due at the beginning of class, in-class writing assignments, and
occasional quizzes on the assigned reading.
The response paper due dates are listed in “Deadlines” and in “Course
Schedule” below. The assignments for the
response papers will be handed out the class meeting before they are due. If you miss class, it is your responsibility
to get the assignment from Eres or from me.
The short writing assignments will be graded check plus, check, check
minus.
·
Participation. This
class emphasizes discussion and interaction with others in the course. You are expected to come to class having read
all the readings assigned for that day and prepared to discuss the
material. You must bring the day’s
reading assignment to class. Your
participation in large class and small group discussions as well as reading
course material out loud in class will be counted as participation.
·
E-mail
Discussion. E-mail discussion is another venue for
participation; e-mail contributions count for a portion of your participation
grade and can help your participation grade.
You will need an e-mail account that you can access on a regular
basis. You are expected to post e-mail
comments to the class e-mail list and respond to your classmates’ e-mails periodically.
·
Group
Work. I will assign each member of the class to a
small group for the semester. Throughout
the semester, you will meet with your group to discuss the material and
assignments. This is a chance to talk
about the literature in more depth and in a more comfortable setting than the
full-class discussions. Your group work
grade will depend on your preparation, contributions to the discussion, and
interaction with others in the group. Your
group will also recite poetry selections for the class and perform a scene from
one of the plays that we read. These
performances will be graded check plus, check, check minus.
Grading:
Literary Analysis Essays 45
%
(15 % each)
Final Essay 20
%
Short Writing Assignments 15
%
Group Work 10
%
Participation 10
%
|
Note: I use a 100-point grading scale for papers: |
||||
|
|
87-89 B+ |
77-79 C+ |
67-69 D+ |
|
|
93-100 A |
83-86 B |
73-76 C |
63-66 D |
|
|
90-92 A- |
80-82 B- |
70-72 C- |
60-62 D- |
59 and below E |
Deadlines:
All assignments are
due at the beginning of class on the due date and must be typed. I take deadlines very seriously. No extensions will be given except in the
rarest of circumstances. Late papers
will be docked by a half-grade (5 points) for each day late.
|
Note these
deadlines now: |
||
Assignment
|
Due Date
|
|
|
Literary
Analysis Essay 1 (on fiction) |
|
Tuesday, February 3 |
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|
|
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|
Literary
Analysis Essay 2 (on poetry) |
|
Thursday, March 18 |
|
|
|
|
|
Literary
Analysis Essay 3 (on drama) |
|
Thursday, April 8 |
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|
|
|
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Final Literary
Analysis Essay |
|
Thursday, April
22, by |
Response paper |
Due date |
|
Response to
Syllabus |
Friday, January
10 (send me an e-mail by |
|
Analyzing beyond
Plot |
Tuesday, January
13 |
|
Setting |
Thursday, January
15 |
|
Character |
Tuesday, January
20 |
|
Close |
Tuesday, January
27 |
|
What Is Poetry? |
Tuesday, February
10 |
|
Letter to a Poet |
Tuesday, February
17 |
|
Explicating a
Poem |
Thursday,
February 26 |
|
Character Staging |
Thursday, March
25 |
|
Adaptation |
Thursday, April 1 |
|
Tip on Analyzing
Literature |
Tuesday, April 13
(send me an e-mail by class time) |
|
Critical Questions |
Thursday, April
15 |
Accessibility:
One of my goals is to make the course and the
classroom as accessible as possible for all students. Please come talk to me if you have any
concerns about accessibility. The Office
of Disability Services is also an excellent resource for students with
disabilities, and I will work closely with you and Disability Services to
address all needs. Disability Services
is located at 264 University Center, and the phone number is 762-3456.
Writing
Help:
The
http://www.flint.umich.edu/Departments/writingcenter/
Reminder
for English Majors:
If you are an English major or considering
becoming one, you should be aware that the English Department requires each English
major to complete an Individual Major Portfolio before graduation. Your portfolio will include 5 examples of
your writing. Save all copies of the
papers you write in your English and linguistics courses; you will need an
unmarked “clean” copy of each paper. For
more details, feel free to ask me or speak with an English Department advisor.
Plagiarism
and Academic Honesty:
The University's Academic Honesty Policy
prohibits cheating, fabrication of work, facilitating academic dishonesty, and
plagiarism. Plagiarism includes the
purchase of academic work from others, copying material directly from another
source without attributing it to that source, using the ideas of another person
without giving that person credit (even if you are not using a direct quote and
have put the concepts into your own words, you must cite your source). Please talk with me if you are unclear or
have concerns about plagiarism.
Other
Concerns:
If you have any special concerns you wish to
discuss (e.g., you have a disability that requires accommodation; English is
not your first language; you are very shy in discussion; or there are other
factors I should know about that will affect your performance in class), please
feel free to come talk to me. My office
door is open to hear your concerns. You
are welcome to come see me at my office, call me, or e-mail me. (I am very accessible via e-mail in
particular.) I am very willing to set up
appointments with you to discuss papers or other questions you have about the
course. If you cannot make office hours,
let me know, and we’ll set up another time to meet.
I look forward to working with you this
semester!
Course
Schedule
NOTE: All
readings are found in The Norton
Introduction to Literature.
At the back of the book is a glossary of
terms (A53-A63) and short biographical sketches of each author (A64-A94).
Items in bold indicate texts that are
available on the Norton Audio Companion
CD.
WEEK 1: January 6, 8
Introduction
R What
Is Literature: xxvii-xxxii
Fiction:
3-4
Guy
de Maupassant, “The Jewelry” 8
Plot:
15-20
John Cheever, “The Country Husband” 23
** Friday, January 10: Syllabus response to
me due on e-mail **
Fiction
WEEK 2: January 13, 15
Narration, Point of View, Character, Setting
T Narration
and Point of View: 66-70
Edgar
Allen Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado” 70
Ernest
Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants” 75
William
Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily” 401
** Response Paper due: Analyzing beyond Plot
**
R Character,
Characterization: 102-107
Bharati
Mukherjee, “The Management of Grief” 224
Raymond
Carver, “The Cathedral” 580
Setting:
157-159
Amy
Tan, “A Pair of Tickets” 159
**
Response Paper due: Setting **
WEEK 3: January 20, 22
Symbol, Imagery and Language, Theme
T Symbol:
186-189
Ann
Beattie, “Janus” 205
Imagery
and Language: Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” 537
Structure:
James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues” 41
** Response Paper due: Character **
R Theme:
214-218
Joseph Conrad, “The Secret Sharer” 253
WEEK 4: January 27, 29
Writing about Literature
T Appendices:
Writing About Literature, A3-A32
Student
Writing, 210-213
Student
Writing, 433-436
ERes:
“Student Writing: Literary Analysis (Fiction)” in “Paper Information and
Assignments”
** Response Paper due: Close
R Paper
Workshop: Rough draft of Paper 1 due in class
WEEK 5: February 3, 5
Intertextuality, Genre
T Initiation
Stories: 379-399
Toni
Cade Bambara, “Gorilla, My Love” 380
Alice
Munro, “Boys and Girls” 385
James Joyce, “Araby” 395
R Discussion
of Intertextuality
**Literary Analysis 1 Due Tuesday, February 3**
Poetry
WEEK 6: February 10, 12
Introduction to Poetry; Tone and Purpose
T
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “How Do I Love The” 601; Jarold Ramsey, “The Tally Stick” 602; Linda Pastan, “love poem” 603; Denise Levertov “Wedding-Ring” 606; Ben Johnson “On My First Son” 608; Howard Nemerov “The Vacuum” 609; Seamus Heaney, “Mid-Term Break” 610; W.H. Auden [Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone’ 615; Anne Bradstreet, “To My Dear and Loving Husband 615; William Shakespeare, [Let me not to the marriage of true minds’ 616; Mary, Lady Chudleigh, “To the Ladies” 617)
Line Structure: William Carlos Williams, “The Red Wheelbarrow” and “This Is Just to Say” 703; Pastan “To a Daughter Leaving Home” 666
** Response Paper due: What Is Poetry? **
R What Is Poetry: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Kubla Khan” 968
Tone and Purpose: 619; Marge Piercy, “Barbie Doll” 619; Etheridge Knight, “Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane” 624; William Blake, “London” 625; Theodor Roethke, “My Papa’s Waltz” 699; Jimmy Santiago Baca, “Green Chile 638; Walt Whitman, [I celebrate myself, and sing myself] 658
The Sounds of Poetry: 743-744; Helen Chasin,
“The Word
WEEK 7: February 17, 19
Speaker, Situation and Setting, Language
T Speaker:
640; Margaret Atwood, “Death of a Young Son by Drowning” 646; Rita Dove,
“Daystar” 665; Gwendolyn Brooks, “We
Real Cool” 658; Robert Browning, “My Last Duchess” 915
Situation
and Setting: What Happens? When? Where?: 660; John Donne, “The Flea” 664;
Maxine Kumin, “Woodchucks” 627;
** Response Paper due: Letter to a Poet **
R Language:
691; Sharon Olds, “Sex without Love” 701
Metaphor and Simile: 717; Linda Pastan,
“Marks” 719; Robert Burns, “A
Red, Red Rose” 722; Anonymous, “The Twenty-third Psalm” 725
Symbol: 729; Adrienne Rich, “Diving
into the Wreck” 737
WEEK 8: February 24, 26
Structure and Form
T Rhyme, Rhythm, Meter: Samuel Taylor Coleridge “Metrical Feet” 750; Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” 977; Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken” 977
On
the Sonnet: 796; William Wordsworth, “Nuns Fret Not” 796; Henry Constagle, [My
lady’s presence makes the roses red] 797; John Keats, “On the Sonnet” 799;
Claude McKay, “The White House” 799; Countee Cullen, “Yet Do I Marvel” 803;
Helen Chasin, “Joy Sonnet in a Random Universe” 803; Robert Frost, “Design”
822; June Jordan, “Something Like a Sonnet for Phillis Miracle Wheatley” 893
ERes: Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus”
R John Dryden, “To the Memory of Mr. Oldham” 752
Internal
Structure: 770
External
Form: 793; Dylan Thomas, “Do Not Go
Gentle into That Good Night” 805; Elizabeth Bishop, “Sestina” 806
** Response Paper due: Explicating a Poem **
**Friday, February 27: Last Day to drop classes **
Winter
Break: February 28-March 7
WEEK 9: March 9, 11
Poems and Poets
The Whole Text, 815-823 (all poems)
Poems by Shakespeare, Dickinson, Hughes
William Shakespeare:
[Th’expense of spirit in a waste of shame] 959
[Full many a glorious morning have I seen] 679
[Let me not to the marriage of true minds]
616
[Like as the waves make towards the pebbled
shore] 757
[Not marble, nor the gilded mounuments] 875
[That time of year thou mayst in me behold]
717
Emily Dickinson:
[A narrow fellow in the grass] 758
[My Life had stood—a Loaded Gun--] 822
[Because I could not stop for Death--] 970
[After
great pain, a formal feeling comes—] 699
[I
dwell in Possibility--] 702
[She dealt her pretty words like Blades--]
972
[Wild Nights—Wild Nights!] 728
Langston Hughes
“The Negro Speaks of Rivers” 893
“Harlem (A Dream Deferred)” 908
“I, Too” 982
“Theme for English B” 983
WEEK 10: March 16, 18
T Paper
Workshop, Rough draft of Paper 2 due
Student
Writing by Christine Woodside, 767-769
Student
Writing by Meaghan E. Parker, 825-829
ERes:
“Student Writing: Literary Analysis (Poetry)” in “Paper Information and
Assignments”
R Group
Poetry
**Literary Analysis 2 Due Thursday, March 18**
Drama
WEEK 11: March 23, 25
Introduction to Drama
T Drama:
1016-1019; 1043-1051; 1473-1476
Begin
R Finish
Group
Performance: Final scene from A Raisin in
the Sun
** Response Paper due: Character Staging **
WEEK 12: March 30, April 1
Genre
T Tragedy
vs Comedy: 1383-1385
Begin
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, Act I (1543-1575)
R Finish
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman
Group
Performance: Scene from Death of a
Salesman
** Response Paper due: Adaptation **
WEEK 13: April 6, 8
T Paper
Workshop
R Group
Performances: More scenes from A Raisin
in the Sun and Death of a Salesman
**Literary Analysis 3 Due Thursday, April 8
Putting
It All Together
WEEK 14: April 13, 15
T Deciding
What to Write About, A33-A41
Developing
critical questions, topics, arguments for the final paper
**
Response Paper due: Tip on Analyzing Literature ** (send to me on e-mail)
R Tips
on Analyzing Literature
**
Response Paper due: Critical Questions **
Final Literary Analysis Due Thursday, April 22, by
(no
final exam; no class meeting)
Note:
No late papers accepted