Instructor: Susanne Hall (email: sehall@uci.edu)
Course list-serv: 21067-S04@classes.uci.edu
Office Hours and Location: TuTh 2:30-3:30, Krieger Hall 527
Course Website: http://eee.uci.edu/04s/21067/
REQUIRED TEXTS, (ALL AVAILABLE AT UCI BOOKSTORE):
Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
Tristram Shandy, Laurence Sterne
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass
Walden, Henry David Thoreau
The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston
Optional: The Death and Resurrection of the Author, Ed. William Irwin
Library reserve readings may also be required
COURSE INTRODUCTION AND GOALS:
The English 28 series is designed to acquaint you with three major literary genres. 28A deals with poetry, 28B with drama, and 28C with narrative forms, primarily the novel. Although all 28C courses are called “Realism and Romance,” the particular interpretation of this very broad thematic varies widely between sections. The common goals of all classes are to instruct students in the skills necessary to understand narrative conventions and read novels closely, as well as to introduce students to various approaches to writing on literary narratives. This class is not a history of the novel, nor is it a historical study of the novel in any particular period; rather, it will focus upon a broad theme that we will follow through six literary narratives written over the course of three centuries. In this way, the course will teach you how to grapple with a wide variety of narrative texts.
In our class, we will be reading six books that are all primarily written in the first person (”I”). One of the major questions we will consider is the relationship between fictional narratives and autobiographical narratives. Some of the books we read are usually called novels; others are usually called autobiographies-most fall somewhere in the middle. Throughout the quarter, we will try answer questions like: To what extent is a particular novel based on the life events of its writer? Should this effect the way that we read, talk and write about the novel? How do narrative conventions and language mediate historical events in an author’s life as they are written down? How do social factors like the race and gender effect an author’s written recording of life events? To what extent can we know, or should we try to discern, authorial intent? Can you lie in an autobiography? Can you tell the truth in fiction?
The course will break down into three sections, each comprised of two books. In the first, in which we read Robinson Crusoe and Tristram Shandy, we will discuss the narrative conventions and origins of the English novel, with a particular focus upon the ways in which autobiographical genres like diary, travel writing, and exploration journals influenced the development of the English novel. While Robinson Crusoe is often called the first English novel, some argue that it is written in the form of a spiritual autobiography, while others say it resembles an exploration journal. In reading Tristram Shandy we will look at the artifice of the first person narrative, and in so doing will both begin to investigate the invention of the narrative self. In the next section, we will look at two American works, Douglass’ Narrative and Thoreau’s Walden, and we will begin to consider the relationships between an author’s lived experiences and his writing, with particular attention to issues of race in 19th century America. Finally in our third section, we will look at two twentieth century works, The Bell Jar and Woman Warrior, and among other thing we will consider some of the specific problems of gender, sexuality and authority.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING:
Paper # 1 (3-4 pages): 15%
Paper # 2 (4-5 pages): 20%
Paper # 3 (5-6 pages): 25%
Final Exam: 20 %
Participation/Quizzes: 20%
Papers: You will write three formal papers for this course. I will provide prompts for these papers at least one week in advance, but you will always be welcome to design your own paper topic in consultation with me. Papers should be written in MLA format; MLA handbooks are available at the Bookstore. If you are not familiar with MLA format from other writing courses, it is your responsibility to come by my office hours to discuss it. For the first paper I will require the submission of a rough draft; the rough draft should not be an outline, but rather a complete, if unpolished, version of your paper. Late papers are not accepted. I will require the submission of papers to turnitin.com, an online site that protects against plagiarism. Plagiarism is the use of another person’s ideas of writing without crediting him or her. It is a serious intellectual crime. Consequences of plagiarism can range from failure on the paper to dismissal from the course. You are responsible for familiarizing yourself with UCI’s policies on Academic Honesty.
Final Exam: Given during exam week, this comprehensive exam will include both essay questions that ask you to synthesize the wide-ranging ideas discussed throughout the course as well as short answer questions on particular authors, texts, and ideas. We will discuss the exam in more detail as it approaches.
Participation/Quizzes: This class will be driven by discussion, not lecture. It is expected that you will come to class having read all assigned materials and prepared to discuss them. There will be a significant amount of reading assigned, a problem that is compounded by the fact that we only meet twice a week. I would prefer to avoid giving you quizzes to make sure you’re keeping up with the reading, but if I find that people are unprepared for class, I will be forced to resort to weekly quizzes to ensure proper preparation.
COURSE POLICIES:
Attendance: Because this is a discussion driven course, your presence in class is necessary to your own success and the success of the class as a whole. We only meet twice a week, and if you miss class you will fall rapidly behind. I will allow each student two “free” absences to be used in case of sickness, travel, or other reasons-I won’t require an explanation. Missing more than two classes will negatively effect your participation grade. Excessive absence (more than four) could result in failing the course. In the event that you do miss class, you are responsible for meeting me during my office hours to catch up on what you missed. Tardiness is very disruptive and is unacceptable. Three tardies will result in one absence. If you know you cannot arrive on time to this course, do not take it. If you have extenuating circumstances (family emergency, serious illness), you must communicate that to me in a timely manner so we can discuss how to handle it.
Email:
I will use our course list-serv to distribute important information throughout the quarter-from emailing you handouts to adjusting assignments. You are responsible for checking your email on a daily basis. If you would like me to add an alternate (non-UCI) email address to our list-serv, let me know and I will do so.
Drop/Add Policy:
*Order of preference is given by seniority first, and then preference is given to English/Comp. Lit. majors. If you wish to add the course and it is full, you may continue coming to class for the first weeks to see if anyone decides to drop.
*Dropping the course: The last day to drop this course is April 16th. If you wish to drop the course you must get me to sign a drop card before that date. An “F” may appear on your transcript if you stop coming to the course without officially dropping it.
SCHEDULE: (subject to revision throughout the quarter)
All readings are listed on the day on which they will be discussed; they should be read prior to that day.
Week 1:
Tu April 6: Introduction to course; Early history of the novel
Th April 8: Robinson Crusoe 1-37; pg 239-254
Week 2:
Tu April 13: RC 38-117
Th April 15: RC 118-151
Week 3:
Tu April 20: RC 152-220; critical articles
Th April 22: Tristram Shandy Vol. I; Draft of paper 1 due
Week 4:
Tu April 27: TS Vols II, III
Th April 29: Walden “Economy”; Paper 1 due
Week 5:
Tu May 4: Walden “Where I Lived and What I Lived For”-”Higher Laws”
Th May 6: Finish Walden; Video on Frederick Douglass
Week 6:
Tu May 11: Narrative Preface-Ch 9
Th May 13: Narrative Ch 10-Appendix
Week 7:
Tu May 18: Narrative Critical Essays (TBA)
Th May 20: “The Death of the Author,” Roland Barthes; “What Is An Author?” Michel Foucault; Paper 2 due
Week 8:
Tu May 25: The Bell Jar Ch1-8; “A Biographical Note” (pp. 248-264)
Th May 27: The Bell Jar Ch 9-11
Week 9:
Tu June 1: The Bell Jar Ch 12-20
Th June 3: The Woman Warrior “No-Name Woman”-”White Tigers”
Week 10:
Tu June 8: The Woman Warrior “Shaman”-”At the Western Palace
Th June 10: The Woman Warrior “A Song for a Barbarian Reed Pipe”; Exam Review; Paper 3 due
Final Exam: Tue. June 15th 4-6