The Literature of California

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THE LITERATURE OF CALIFORNIA

ENGLISH 133

MAYTERM 2013

Westmont College

1 PM to 3 PM

Monday through Friday, daily

May 7 to June 7, 2013

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Fr. Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart (memoir)

T.C. Boyle, San Miguel (novel)

Joan Didion, Where I Was From (memoir)

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, These Are My Rivers (poems)

John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath (novel)

Henry Miller, Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymous Bosch (memoir)

Optional:

Gregory Orfalea, The Man Who Guarded the Bomb (short stories)

DATEREADING/DISCUSSION/PAPER ASSIGNMENTS

MAY6 (MON.)Tattoos, Intro, CHs. 1-2 (God, I Guess; Dis-Grace)

“7Tattoos, CHs. 3-4 (Compassion; Water, Oil,Flame)

Hand out poems of California Indians

8Poems of Lawrence Ferlinghetti; Hand out: Antonio Maria Osio

9Tattoos, CHs 5-6 (Slow work; Jurisdiction)

10Tattoos, CHs. 7-9 (Gladness; Success; Kinship); possible visit by Fr. Boyle

11Visit to Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles

MAY13 (MON.)The Grapes of Wrath, pp. 1-100

14Grapes, pp. 101-200

15Poems of Ferlinghetti; hand-out chapter of Twain’s Roughing Itandpoems of Garrett Hongo

16Grapes, pp. 201-300

17Grapes, pp. 301-450

18Dinner and a show (The Grapes of Wrath)

MAY20 ( MON.)Big Sur, pp. 1-100; Paper #1, 3-5 pp. due

21Big Sur, pp. 101-200

22Poems of Kenneth Rexroth; hand out “The Chandelier”

23Big Sur, pp. 201-300

24Big Sur, pp. 301-350

25-26Trip to Big Sur; Miller’s cabin and library; Steinbeck’s home; Ferlinghetti’s cabinand/or bookstore.

27 (MON.)Where I was From, Part One (pp. 3-90)Paper #2, 3-5 pp. due

28Where I Was From, Part Two (pp. 93-152)

29Poems of Ferlinghetti ; hand out “Portrait of the Artist in Disneyland’s Shadow”

30Where I Was From, Part Three (pp. 154-199)

31Where I Was From, Part Four (pp. 203-226)

JUNE1Personalized tour of Mission Santa Barbara with Fr. KenanOsbourne

3 MON.San Miguel, pp. 1-80; Paper #3, 3-5 pp. due

4San Miguel, pp. 81-160

5 Poems of Robinson Jeffers; hand out “Get Off the Bus”

6San Miguel, pp. 161-240

7San Miguel, pp. 241-320 (possible visit by T.C. Boyle); Final exam paper #4, 5-10 pp. due

8Boat Trip to San Miguel Island/Farewell Dinner

DEAR STUDENTS OF THE LITERATURE OF CALIFORNIA:

Welcome to a concentrated, intense study of the literature of California. This appears to be the first time this class has been offered at Westmont, though Professors Pointer and Cook team-taught a combined course, “Californian History andLiterature”in 2005. We will be looking carefully at three genres—of fiction (both the novel and the short story), poetry, and nonfiction memoir. Included are recognized classics (such as Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath), as well as current noteworthy offerings (such as T.C. Boyle’s 2012 novel, San Miguel, based on the true story of three women who tried to make a go of life over the past century on the remote island off the coast of Santa Barbara).

As a writer born and raised in California who spent half his adult life in the East, I am especially interested in the idea of California in the nation’s history and in its literature. I believe we live in an unusual place, with unusual magnetism, but nevertheless with nagging and seemingly insurmountable problems such as violence, abrasions between immigrant communities, the degradation of the environment. Nevertheless we are a hardy, innovative bunch and may retain some of the last concentrated optimism in the melancholic trek of our nation. Is it just the sun? Or is it rather far more intriguing and complex? The lessons about life in literature that has been written about this unique place we call the Far West are fascinating and of direct bearing to me as an author, as well as teacher. I’m eager to discover what you find, to share what I have found, and assess in the end what we discover together.

DEFINITION:

We may ask ourselves: What is California literature? Is it literature by California authors? Or simply literature set in or concerned with the state or region? I expect this discussion to be ongoing, though at the outset it seems to me both of these definitions fit.

COURSE THEMES:

Among the important themes that recur throughout most literature of California, we will be concentrating on the following: redemption and renewal, both spiritual and social; race and class on the frontier and in the megalopolis of a former frontier; the question of Old Adam in the New Eden that California presented to so many who migrated to it, from Joan Didion’s Eastern pioneers to Sacramento in the 19th century, to Steinbeck’s Joad family from Dust Bowl Oklahoma in the Great Depression, to Mexican worker families, some of whom end up in gangs in East Los Angeles with Fr. Gregory Boyle. All sought a new life; most found something quite a bit down the ladder from perfection. How does one construct a self—a theme manifested throughout American literature—without the old constraints or abandoning a former life? What are the challenges—social, economic, moral—in that earth-shaking move West? And what special challenges face the children of immigrants or migrants to the Pacific Coast? Important in our study will be the history of the state, as well as the images and symbolism of dramatic nature found in California—of mountain, sea, and desert. Finally, we will look at the poetry of California Indians as a comparison and contrast to the quests of Europeans, Africans, and Asians (such as Garrett Hongo) who sought out the Pacific Coast. Have any elements of the literature of the native inhabitants entered into the literature at large?

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES. Students will:

1. Analyze imaginative literature about California or by Californian authors influenced by the life of the state in order to understand the social, economic, environmental, and spiritual phenomena that havedefined California and captivated a nation’s mind, and indeed, the world’s, for centuries.
2. Produce and polish written essays in response to this literature that demonstrate a vigorous, insightful appreciation of its complexity and that of the human condition.
3. Engage in the challenge to participate in a “first-ever” Westmont course by discovering and bringing to class their own “finds” of Californian poetry, while engaging in discussion that evokes an empathetic response to the varieties of human experience in this literature.
4. Enjoy an experiential approach to the literature of a state blessed with natural beauty and challenged by social discord by visiting actual places discussed in the literature (such as Big Sur, Mission Santa Barbara, Southcentral Los Angeles), doing community service, as well as meeting and questioning some the authors studied.

MAYTERM:

Mayterm presents special challenges, as well as advantages, to both student and teacher. For the student, there is the chance to receive 4 credits in a short period of time; however, the work load is quite intensive and cannot really let up. There is no other way to fit in a semester’s work in five weeks than going at it every day, two hours a day. The amount of reading is daunting. Nevertheless, I have tried to exercise reason, and not expect the impossible, while providing you with a representative selection of the richness of California literature within the time constraints. There is only one long novel (The Grapes of Wrath); I suggest beginning it immediately on signing up for the course, as we will be studying it in the second week of the semester. Every other book was chosen to fit neatly into a week’s work. Though there are six required books, one is poetry and will be filtered into “Wednesday Poetry” sessions, a way of breaking up the week somewhat. In addition to Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s delightful work written over a productive lifetime in northern California, I will filter in pertinent, masterful poetry such as Kenneth Rexroth’s deeply moving elegies to his first wife, Andree Rexroth, who died young (including “Kings River Canyon”); the brooding meditations on the Carmel coast by Robinson Jeffers; and the remarkable reflections on race and history in Coral Road by Japanese American, Garrett Hongo. Short selections of other useful work will appear on Wednesdays, as well—from Twain’s Roughing It, Antonio Osio’s 19th century memoir of life as a Mexican californio, my own stories of the fictional Arab American Matter family, to a piece of Mona Simpson’s novel about Latino maids in an acting world family, My Hollywood.

GENERAL PROCEDURES:

As in all studies of American literature, we will set the context of our study of California literature in the growth of the country’s literature, as well as tend to character development, dialogue, description of place, plot structure, the author’s particular diction and use of figurative language and imagery, symbolism, allegory, and post-colonial and feminist prerspectives.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There will be special features for the student. You will be asked to “find a favorite California poem” to share for appreciation, analysis, and comparison on Wednesdays. Each student will give an individual response to a reading and lead discussion at least once. If workable with student schedules, we will be taking four field trips on weekends: to Big Sur and possibly San Francisco (where we may meet Lawrence Ferlinghetti himself at his City Lights Bookstore!); to San Miguel Island by boat; to Santa Barbara Mission with a tour by a renowned Berkeley theologian; and to Fr. Gregory Boyle’s Homeboy Industries, where we will pitch in along former gang members to make chips, salsa, or tortillas.

METHODOLOGY AND PAPERS:

Our class will engage in vigorous discussion of texts; I will also lecture on the texts. You will be responsible for four papers; the first two will deal with one book or work; the third, a comparison of one book or work to another; and the last paper, which functions as your final, will be on a theme or technique which cuts across several texts. Course grade will be calibrated such: Three term papers (60 percent); final exam paper (30 percent); and class discussion/presentation (10 percent).

We may use a constructive critique and discussion of papers called Workshop. IF YOU DO NOT WANT AN ESSAY DISCUSSED IN THE WORKSHOP OR WOULD RATHER IT BE DONE ANONYMOUSLY, INDICATE SO TO ME ON YOUR PAPER OR INPERSON.

Rewrite policy: for a new grade, you may rewrite one paper and hand it in within a week of its return. The grade cannot go down, though rewriting alone does not assure it goes up. It must improve in tangible ways. (Normally I allow my students in the semester the chance to rewrite as much as they can all graded papers, but the shortness of Mayterm precludes that.) We will, however, be doing draft and “pieces” of papers during and outside class.

Laptops are permitted for note-taking ONLY; computer users must sit in the front row. Cell phones are off and stowed in a box at the beginning of class. No texting in class.

PLAGARISM:

We must be about the task of original scholarship; your ideas are paramount, not someone else’s.Some of the literature here is relatively new and forecloses most plagarism. But some of it is classic. Still, I remind you to avoid plagiarism—a way of intellectually shooting yourself in the foot. Plagarism is to present someone else’s work—his or her words, line of thought, or organizational structure—as your own. This typically occurs when sources are not cited properly or not cited at all. Please see the MLA Handbook for proper citation of sources through parenthetical referencing (Steinbeck 22) and use of a Works Cited page. The first two papers, which should focus on a single work in our required reading list, may not need citation, if they do not quote secondary sources. The third paper and final exam paper will need citation as itdeal with more than one work. Consult the specifics of how to avoid plagiarism on the Westmont website under For Students: Strategies for Avoiding Plagiarism.

LEARNING DISABILITIES:

Students who have been diagnosed with a disability (learning, physical, or psychological) should see me as soon as possible early in the semester. I will make whatever reasonable accommodations are necessary and fruitful. Also, such students are strongly encouraged to contact the Disability Services offices as early as possible to discuss and coordinate accomodations.

There is a significant amount of reading necessary in this course; if you feel you can’t keep up with it, walk away. But if you are excited as I am about the chance to “cut a new path” in literature at Westmont, a Californian one, welcome aboard. St. John said, “In the beginning was the Word.” And in the beginning, there was this preternaturally beautiful place called California that drew the tragic human condition to it and spawned—what else?—literature.