Spring 2010
Department of English
Central Connecticut State University
Professor Jaclyn Geller
Office: Willard 306-1
(860)-832-2769
Introduction to Literary Studies: English 298
Section 1: Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:00-3:15
Section 3: Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30-4:45
Course Description:
English 298 is a course designed to give English majors an introduction to the vocabularies and practices that ground the study of literature at the university level. The bulk of class time is devoted to close reading. Close reading is defined as interpretation that moves beyond content (e.g. the identification of a text’s theme or “message”) and past the kind of personal responses typical of book clubs and online chat groups (e.g. the listing of characters one likes and does not like, the relaying of anecdotes). These responses are fine as a starting point, but deeper reading entails the analysis of style. Accomplished literary authors use language with subtlety, in a wide variety of ways. Analyzing their techniques helps us to arrive at substantive conclusions -- readings that identify the ways in which style expresses content. Stylistic analysis also helps those students specializing in the study of literature to build a critical vocabulary. Writing about literature is an essential counterpart to reading it, and students are asked to write about the assigned texts in order to deepen, enrich, and clarify their interpretations.
Course Prerequisite:
Freshman composition is a prerequisite for this class: all students registered must have taken and passed English 110.
Required Texts:
The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms (ed. Ross Murfin and Supryia M. Ray)
The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms (Mark Strand and Eavan Boland)
Poetic Meter and Poetic Form (Paul Fussell)
A Short Guide to Writing About Literature (Sylvan Barnet and William E. Cain)
The Sleeping Father (Matthew Sharpe)
The World’s Greatest Short Stories (ed. James Daly)
An up-to-date college handbook: Diane Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference is recommended.
Course Requirements:
Attendance: Students are required to attend all classes. Sometimes this is not possible. In the event of an unavoidable absence the student should contact the instructor (through e-mail)with an explanation. All are responsible for keeping abreast of what occurs in class, whether they are there or not. After six unexplained absences a student will automatically receive the grade of F.
Reading: The study of literature involves close scrutiny of primary texts. This is not a discipline that relies on textbooks that provide easy overviews or summaries that offer compressed plots. The only way to gain access to complex, challenging works of literature is to read those works. The reading for this class is not burdensome in terms of length, and it is not organized by period: we do not focus on mastering a group of texts that represent a historical era. The syllabus features significant, layered, generically representative pieces of literature. The fundamental demand of the course is that students complete all reading assignments in a timely fashion and participate actively in class in a way that demonstrates their engagement with the texts on the syllabus. This does not mean having all the answers or offering fixed interpretations. It means asking questions, spearheading discussions, and showing an ongoing involvement with the material.
Papers and Tests: Students are required to submit two six-page essays and one eight-page essay and to participate in the English 298 Conference (date to be announced). In addition there will be one pop quiz.
Papers must be submitted in class on the dates due in hard copy: paginated, double-spaced, and clipped or stapled together. In accordance with MLA guidelines, all sources must be acknowledged with parenthetical citations embedded in the text and a works cited sheet appended (this sheet does not count toward the page minimum). Other writers’ verbatim language must be enclosed in quotation marks (and cited appropriately); this is true of a passage, a paragraph, a sentence, or a phrase. Others’ ideas that are paraphrased (e.g. explained in a student’s own words) must be cited as well. Class time includes a review of these conventions, but, in order to avoid intentional or unintentional plagiarism, students are encouraged to consult a website that outlines the basics:http://www.studyguide.org/MLAdocumentation.ht#Rules%20for%
20Citing%20Poetry.
Class Decorum: Students should arrive in class on time. Sometimes this is not possible. Latecomers should enter quietly and should not disrupt class by walking in front of the instructor’s area, moving furniture around, or initiating side conversations. (Entering and sitting by the door is fine.) Cellular phones and other electronic devices should be put away during class. Consuming food in class is not permitted, but students should feel free to bring beverages.
Grading Breakdown: Twenty per cent for each of the first two essays; 35 per cent for the third essay; ten per cent for the quiz; 25 per cent for class participation.
Office Hours: Office hours will be held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Specific hours will be announced during the first week of class. Students are encouraged to visit the instructor to discuss any matter related to the course or to simply come and say hello. It is not necessary to schedule an appointment beforehand.
Schedule of Readings:
01-25 Robert Frost’s “Directive.”
01-27 Course introduction. A Short Guide to Writing About Literature, chapters five and six.
02-01 Leo Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich.”
02-03 “”
02-08 Virginia Woolf’s “The Mark on the Wall.”
02-10 John Updike’s “A.&P.”
02-15 Presidents’ Day: no class.
05- 17 James Joyce’s “Araby.” A Short Guide to Writing About Literature, chapter nine.
02-22 Matthew Sharpe’s The Sleeping Father.
02-24 “”
03-01 “”
03-03 “” First essay due.
03-08 Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art;” Mona Van Duyn’s “Condemned Site.” The Making of a Poem, pp. 5-8 and pp. 159-161.
03-10 Anthony Hecht’s “The Book of Yolek.” The Making of a Poem, pp. 21-24.
03-15 Michael Drayton’s “Farewell to Love;” John Donne’s “Holy Sonnet: At the round earth’s imagined corners.”
03-17 Denis Johnson’s “Heat;” Poetic Meter and Poetic Form, chapter seven.
03-22 Spring break: no class.
03- 24 “”
03-29 Richard Wilbur’s “Lying;” Robert Frost’s “Directive.”The Making of a Poem, pp. 101-103.
03-31 Blanford Parker’s “Frost and the Meditative Lyric”(handout).
04-05 Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess.”
04- 07 Thom Gunn’s “The J Car;” The Making of a Poem, pp. 121-122.
04- 12 Second essay due. W.H. Auden’s “In Memory of W.B. Yeats.”
04- 14 Katherine Philips’ “Epitaph. On her Son H.P. at St. Syth’s Church where her body also lies Interred.” The Making of a Poem, pp. 165-168.
04-19 A Short Guide to Writing About Literature, chapter eleven.
04-21 “” Emily Dickinson's “Wild Nights.”
04-26 Judith Wright’s “Australia;” Robert Pinsky’s “Ode to Meaning.” The Making of a Poem, p. 240.
04-28 A Short Guide to Writing About Literature, chapter eight.
05-03 W.B. Yeat’s “The Circus Animals’ Desertion.”
05- 05 Adrienne Rich’s “Diving Into the Wreck;” The Making of a Poem, pp. 259-260.
05-10 Sharon Olds’ “The Language of the Brag.”
05-12 Third essay due. Final thoughts.