Dr. K. Schneider Fall 2000E 458/G Modern British Fiction
Required Texts:
Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1902)
Ford, The Good Soldier (1927)
Forster, Howard's End (1910) [St. Martin's
casebook, ed. Alistair M. Duckworth]
Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day (1989)
Joyce, Dubliners (1912)
Joyce, Ulysses (1922)
Spark, The Girls of Slender Means (1963 )
Waugh, Brideshead Revisited (1945)
Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway (1925)
Reader:
Achebe, "An Image
of Africa: Conrad's Heart of Darkness"
Conrad, Preface to
"Nigger of the Narcissus" (1897)
Bowen, "The Demon
Lover" (194 -)
Lawrence, "The Horse
Dealer's Daughter"; "The Prussian Officer"; "The Rocking-Horse
Winner"
Mansfield, "The Fly";
"Bliss"; "Daughters of the Late Colonel"
Woolf, "Modern Fiction"
and "Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown"
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th ed.
Course Description:
In our course of study we will examine representative
modernist fiction in order to think about the following:
--What is literary modernism? In what sense was it a response to what had come before? How did it prepare the way for what followed? How does postmodernism overlap with and/or depart from modernism?
--What were modernist writers' artistic concerns? What conventions did they tend to employ, and to what effect?
--What reading strategies does modernist fiction promote? What are the implications of this kind of reading for the process of interpretation?
--How do the fictions relate to the cultural and discursive milieu of which they are part and parcel? With what "cultural stories" (or discourses) are they concerned? To what degree are these discourses internally consistent? What do the narratives "say" about their historical moment?
To appreciate British literary modernism more fully, we will also study and employ various contemporary approaches to interpretation. That is, we will practice reading through the lenses of various literary theories: psychoanalytic criticism, cultural criticism, gender criticism, Marxist criticism, and deconstruction.
Course Policies and Requirements:
I also encourage everyone to log questions you have about the theory readings. Graduate students are required to formulate questions and/or comments on the theory readings (the explanations and/or the applications), discussion of which should help everyone come to a better understanding of the critical approach in question.
We will use these questions as the basis for our regular class discussions. I will collect and evaluate the logs every other week: 9/7, 9/21, 10/3, 10/19, 11/2, 11/16, 11/28.
Papers # 1 and # 3:
These two papers will be original (that
is, no secondary sources) literary analyses of a text (or texts) and topic
of your choosing. We will discuss possible topics as we go along.
Length: 4-5 pages (undergraduate); ~6 pages (graduate).
Each essay should have a cogently argued thesis (a focused main claim,
persuasively supported with relevant examples from the text).
Research Paper (paper # 2):
This paper must be a textual analysis
that makes use of secondary sources (minimum of five). Once again,
the topic is up to you, but you must consult with me about the topic and
the sources. Consult the MLA handbook for appropriate documentation
style. Consult my web site for appropriate incorporation of quoted
material into your argument. Length: 8-10 pages, undergraduate;
12-15 pages, graduate.
Book Summary and Response:
This paper will not only summarize the
material but will identify its general usefulness for students of modern
literature and will consider how it illuminates literature we have studied.
Length: 5-6 pages. You will present your findings in a well organized
and succinct oral report (of approx. 10 minutes). You would be wise
to kill two birds with one stone by using one of the books consulted for
the research paper for this assignment. The book should be
on a major figure (or figures), a movement within modernism, the historical
development of modernism, a particular critical approach to modernism,
etc. Please consult with me about your selection (which must be approved).
All papers must be either computer-generated or typed (double-spaced, with the usual 1" margins, NON-justified on the right) on NON-erasable paper. Cover sheets are not necessary; use MLA format. Do not put papers in any kind of binder; make sure the pages are stapled or clipped together.
I reserve to right to return, unread, papers that have not been adequately proofread.
A note on PLAGIARISM: I do not anticipate plagiarism, but it is only fair that you know the consequences of academic dishonesty: it will result in a zero for the assignment and perhaps failure of the course. The incident could be recorded on your permanent academic record. Keep in mind that even accidental plagiarism is a serious problem.
Grade Determination:
Papers # 1 and 3
200 (100 each)
Research Paper
200
Discussion Log
210 (30 each)
Final Exam
200
Summary and Resp. 100
Total pts. available: 810/910
Conferences:
I urge you to take advantage of the individual
assistance I offer in conferences. I will occasionally require conferences
if I find it in your best interest. Otherwise, they are optional,
except for at least one conference about your research paper topic, preferably
before Fall Break but definitely by 10/13 (the Friday after Break).
If you want help with anything connected to this class--the readings, the
papers, the exam--I will be glad to provide it. You can, of course,
come by my office any time during my regular office hours, but an appointment
is the best way to go. Do not be shy about asking (and don't wait
until the last minute).
Office Hours: MWF 8-9 and 1-2 ; TR 8-9:30 and 1-2 ; and by appt.
T 8/22 Introduction to CourseSYLLABUS
R 8/24 Lecture: Contexts
Assignment: Become familiar with my web site.
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T 8/29 Forster, Howard's End
(inc. "Biographical and Historical Contexts")
R 8/31 Howard's End
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T 9/5 Psychoanalytic
Criticism (313-44)
Cultural Criticism (345-78)
R 9/7 Feminist and Gender
Criticism (379-415)
Marxist Criticism (416-46)
LOG
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T 9/12 Deconstruction (447-82)
Oral Presentation:______________________________________
R 9/14 Conrad, Heart of
Darkness
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T 9/19 Achebe, "An Image of
Africa: Conrad's Heart of Darkness"
Conrad, "Preface to "Nigger of the Narcissus"
Oral Presentation:_____________________________________
R 9/21 Doing research; using
secondary sources; incorporating quoted material; MLA format
LOG
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T 9/26 Joyce, Dubliners
(selected stories)
R 9/28 Joyce, Dubliners (selected stories)
Oral Presentation: _____________________________________
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T 10/3 Lawrence stories
PAPER # 1 DUE
LOG
FALL BREAK
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T 10/10 Joyce, from Ulysses
"Telemachus" (2-23)
"Calypso" (55-70)
R 10/12 "Scylla and Charybdis" (184-218)
"Nausicaa" (346-82)
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T 10/17 "Penelope" (738-83)
Oral Presentation: ___________________________________
R 10/19 Mansfield stories
LOG
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T 10/24 Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway
R 10/26 Woolf, "Modern Fiction"
and "Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown"
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T 10/31 Ford, The Good
Soldier
R 11/2 The
Good Soldier
LOG
Oral Presentation: __________________________________
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T 11/7
Election Day. No Class.
R 11/9 Bowen,
"The Demon Lover"
RESEARCH PAPER DUE (# 2)
Oral Presentation: _________________________________
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T 11/14 Waugh, Brideshead
Revisited
R 11/16 Brideshead
Revisited
LOG
Oral Presentation: ___________________________________________
-------
T 11/21 Spark,
The
Girls of Slender Means
THANKSGIVING BREAK
-------
T 11/28 Ishiguro,
The
Remains of the Day
R 11/28 The
Remains of the Day
LOG
Oral Presentation: ___________________________________________
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T 12/5
Lecture: On Postmodernism
R 12/7 PAPER # 3 DUE Discuss Final Exam
Take-home Final Exam due by Thursday 12/14.