ENG 217: Introduction to American Literature
Revolution: Literature and Revolt, 1776-2006
[Ingraham 19, MW 8:00-9:15 + section]
Professor Castronovo (); Office Hours: MW 9:30-10:30 and by appt.
Instructors: Miranda Gentry (); Todd Goddard (); Michelle Niemann (); David Plastrik (); Stephanie Youngblood ()
Overview:
This course begins in 1776 with Tom Paine’s revolutionary bit of propaganda entitled Common Sense. Taking this document as the origin for our investigations, we will want to probe the relationship between writing and political change by asking the following questions: Where do we draw the line between American literature and propaganda? What is the relationship between American literature and popular expression? How does literature create national identities? Or, does literature create identities other than the national? All these questions revolve around the question of literature with respect to revolution. Can revolution be literary? Can literature be revolutionary? Even as we ask questions about literature, we’ll explore its different forms including poems, novels, pamphlets, essays, and a graphic novel. And we’ll sample some different media, notably the film Fight Club.
Required Texts:
Charles Chesnutt, The Marrow of Tradition
Frederick Douglass, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
David Fincher, dir. Fight Club
Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Hannah Foster, The Coquette
Ben Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Herman Melville, Bartleby and Benito Cereno
Tom Paine, Common Sense
Ida B. Wells, On Lynchings
Brian Vaughan, Pia Guerra, et al., Y: The Last Man
Course Reader (Available electronically via Learn@UW)
Reading:
You are expected to have the reading completed by the time you come to lecture or discussion. This class asks for your participation, so please be prepared. Plus you will get the most out of lecture and discussion by doing the reading in advance. Bring your texts to class, including electronic readings, so you can follow along with the relevant passages.
Writing Assignments:
Three essays are required for this course. The first essay (2-3 pages) asks for close reading of a passage. The second essay (4-5 pages) extends outward from close readings to an analysis of a larger problem in a work. The third asks you to compare two or more of our readings (5-6 pages). There will also be weekly writing assignments and exercises, to be determined by your instructor. Late work will be graded down accordingly.
Exam:
The final examination tests your familiarity with the texts and ideas discussed in lecture. The exam will feature a mixture of short-answer and essay questions. Passages on the exam will be drawn from lecture, discussion section, and electronic discussions (see below) appearing on Learn@UW.
Attendance:
Attendance at lecture and at section is mandatory. Your active participation is essential for your success and the success of this class. For this reason, your participation grade (20% of your course grade), to be determined by your instructor, will be marked down substantially -- one grade per unexcused absence. More than three unexcused absences will result in a failing grade for the course. If you know you cannot make class for any reason, you must notify me or your instructor in advance, so that we can plan class accordingly. Roll will be taken in lecture and discussion section.
Participation:
Even though this course is designated as a lecture, we will regularly conduct our business through discussion. Although this is a large lecture course, I will regularly ask for your participation. Please be prepared to share your questions, observations, and ideas. The quirkier, the better!
Electronic Discussions: Via the Learn@UW portal, students will be asked to submit three responses to an electronic bulletin board. The instructors and I will periodically jumpstart a discussion thread, but feel free to begin your own. Two of your responses must be posted prior to Spring Recess. I don’t want to supply too many guidelines here since I want this forum to be open and flexible. So just aim for offering comments that critically engage with ideas advance from the reading, lecture, your classmates, or your discussion section.
Office Hours:
Prof. Castronovo’s office hours are MW 9:30-10:30 in 7133 Helen C. White (7th floor). Your instructor will announce her or his office hours. It is advised that you drop in to discuss paper topics, brainstorming paper ideas, ideas related to lecture, ideas in the readings we didn’t get a chance to discuss, or any subject related to the course. If you cannot make office hours, please schedule an appointment email.
Lecture Etiquette:
I love teaching at UW-Madison. I respect UW students and their ideas, which is why I want to hear from you. In turn, I expect that you will respect this course and its instructors by refraining from conversation during lecture. Please be on time. If you need to leave early, please let me know before class begins. Please no newspapers, no cell phones, no iPods. You may use a laptop to take notes, but only if you are sitting in the first 4 rows of the class.
Academic Integrity:
You are encouraged to meet with the professor, your TA, and your classmates outside of class to discuss the reading assignments, bounce paper ideas off each other, read drafts, and prepare for exams. Collaborative learning is a powerful tool. We expect, however, that all the written work you do in this course will be your own. As you may already know, there are an increasing number of sites on the World Wide Web for doing research. If you use information or ideas you have found electronically, be sure to document and attribute your sources properly. If you have questions regarding the documentation of sources—electronic or otherwise—please do not hesitate to see the professor or TA. The University’s regulations encouraging academic integrity are taken seriously.
Grading:
Essay 115%
Essay 220%
Essay 325%
Final Exam20%
Lecture/section participation20%
Syllabus
1/20Introduction: Revolution Then
SectionDiscussion expectations, paper guidelines, section policies
1/25Tom Paine, Common Sense
1/27Paine, “Reflections on the Death of Lord Clive”; “The Liberty Tree”; Gil Scott Heron, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
SectionPaine readings
2/1Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
2/3The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin; Thomas Jefferson, “The Declaration of Independence”
SectionThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
2/8Hannah Foster, The Coquette
2/10The Coquette; Benjamin Franklin, “Advice to a Friend on Choosing a Mistress”; John and Abigail Adams, Letters
SectionThe Coquette
2/15The Coquette; Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown”; “Wakefield”
2/17Hawthorne, “The Minister’s Black Veil”; “My Kinsman, Major Molineux”
SectionHawthorne, “My Kinsman, Major Molineux”; “The Maypole at Merry-Mount”
2/22Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The American Scholar” Essay 1 due
2/24Emerson, “Self-Reliance”
SectionEmerson, “Politics”
3/1Emerson, “The Fugitive Slave Law”; “The Poet”
3/3Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
SectionNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
3/8Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
3/10Henry David Thoreau, “Resistance to Civil Government”
SectionDouglass’s Narrative; “Resistance to Civil Government”
3/15Frederick Douglass, The Heroic Slave
3/17Herman Melville, Benito Cereno
SectionThe Heroic Slave and Benito Cereno
3/22Herman Melville, Benito Cereno
3/24Herman Melville, “Bartleby, the Scrivener”
SectionHerman Melville, “The Bell-Tower” Essay 2 due
3/29 and 3/31Spring Recess
4/5Charles Chesnutt, The Marrow of Tradition
4/7The Marrow of Tradition
SectionThe Marrow of Tradition
4/12Ida B. Wells, On Lynching; Claude McKay, “To the White Fiends,” “If We Must Die,” “The Lynching”; “America”
4/14On Lynching; Langston Hughes, “Three Songs About Lynching”; “Magnolia Flowers,” “Christ in Alabama,” “Goodbye Christ,” “Johannesburg Mines”
SectionOn Lynching; Hughes and McKay poems
4/19Vaughn, Guerra, et al., Y: The Last Man
4/21Fight Club (Note: screenings to watch the film prior to class will be arranged)
SectionY: The Last Man and Fight Club
4/26Foer, Extremely Loud and Up Close
4/28Extremely Loud and Up Close
SectionExtremely Loud and Up Close
5/3Baraka, “Black Art,” “Black People,” “Somebody Blew Up America”
5/5Closing: Revolution Now
SectionWrap-up andEssay 3 due
Final examTuesday, May 11, 2:45-4:45