Week 1

Jun. 7

No class (purchase your course packet and do the reading in preparation for Wednesday)

1  Introduction: Questions on Reading

Reading

• Neena Beber, Misreadings (1997; study guide)

• Interview with the Playwright: Neena Beber
  

• Harold Pinter, Apart from That (2006; video clip, 1:10 min.)

• Harold Pinter
• Michael Billington, "Harold Pinter"

2  Questions of Taste

Reading

• Jane Martin, Beauty (2000)

• William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act II scene ii (balcony scene; lines 1–51; c. 1591)
• Study Guide for Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo (Merriam-Webster)
• Romeo and Juliet (1954; video clip; 10:45 min.)
  
• Romeo and Juliet (1968; video clip; 1:19 min.; full video at Arts library: Arts AV VC 1060 Eng)
• Romeo + Juliet (1996; video clip, 9:14 min.; full DVD at Arts library: Arts AV DVD 097 Eng)
  
• Alfred Tennyson, "The Eagle" (1851; study guide)
  • Alfred Lord Tennyson: An Overview
  • Alfred Tennyson, 1809–1892 (online exhibit)
    
• Ezra Pound, "In a Station of the Metro" (1913)
• Ezra Pound, Gaudier-Brzeska: A Memoir (excerpt)

• A Brief Guide to Imagism

• A Brief Guide to Modernism

• Pound's Life and Career by Clive Wilmer

• E. E. Cummings, "l(a"
• Billy Collins, "Is That a Poem?" (2005)
• Ann L. Itical, "One Is the Loneliest Number: The Structures of Solitude in E. E. Cummings' 'l(a'" (sample student paper)

3  Questions in Answers

Reading

• Langston Hughes, "Harlem" (1951; study guide)

• On "Harlem" (criticism on the poem)
• Langston Hughes, "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" (1926)
• Gerald Griffin, "The Bridal of Malahide" (1837)

4  How to Tell a Story?  

• William Saroyan, "Gaston" (1962)
  • The William Saroyan Society
  • William Saroyan Centennial
• Sherman Alexie, "A Good Story" (1993; study guide)
• Sherman Alexie, "Introduction," The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (2005)
• Ursula K. Le Guin, "A Discussion of Story" (2001)

5  What a Story Tells

Reading

• Jamaica Kincaid, "Girl" (1983)
• Stephanie Vaughn, "Introduction to Kincaid's 'Girl'" (1994)
• Ursula K. Le Guin, "What Makes a Story" (2007)
• Plot

Weekly 3 (Hand in exercises #5 and #7 on Wednesday, June 30.  You can use the study questions as prompts for your reading responses.)

Close Reading: Structure, Ideas, Englishes

6  Love

Reading

• J. D. Salinger, "For Esmé – with Love and Squalor" (1950; study guide)

7  Love?

Reading

• William Shakespeare, Sonnet CXXIX "Th'expense of spirit in a waste of shame" (c. 1609)
• Shakespeare's Sonnets
• A Note on Shakespeare's Sonnets (by Ian Johnston; a good introduction)
• Facsimile (view the sonnet as it was printed in Quarto 1 (1609))
• Sample student final paper on Shakespeare's Sonnet 129 (Word file)
• Carol Anne Duffy, "Anne Hathaway" (1999; study guide)
• Shakespeare's Will
• Shakespeare's Last Will & Testament (transcription)
• Sample student response on Duffy
• Poetic Form: Sonnet

• Basic Sonnet Forms

• Simon Armitage Interview (interview with poet about the sonnet form)

• Rhyme

• Rhyme (short definitions and examples of different kinds of rhymes)

• Rhyme (benefits, disadvantages)

• Meter (examples of traditional accentual-syllabic meters)

• Meter and Scansion

• The Down and Dirty Guide to Scanning Verse: Some Hints to Help with Sounding Shakespeare's Words (good to keep in mind when reading non-Shakespearean verse as well)

• INTRA - Interactive Tutorial On Rhythm Analysis: Some Introductory Concepts and Terms

Weekly 4 (Hand in exercise #11 on Wednesday, July 7.  You can use the study questions as prompts for your reading responses.)

• Winning Hearts and Minds (link to the picture in exercise #11 if you want to see it in color)

8  Life

Reading

• Bernard Malamud, "The German Refugee" (1964)
  • Bernard Malamud interviewed by Daniel Stern (1974; pdf file)
  • Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself" (1855)
    • Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass
    • James E. Miller, Jr., "Criticism" (1998)

9  After Life

Reading

• Emily Dickinson, "I started Early – Took my Dog –"
• On 520 (criticism on the poem)
• Emily Dickinson: An Overview
• Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Ozymandias" (1818)
  • P. B. Shelley: An Overview
  • Philip Metres and Bill Berkson read "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley (downloadable mp3)
  • Romanticism: An Overview

Weekly 5 (Exercise #4 to be performed in class on Monday, July 19, 2010; download Word file)

10  Gained in Translation

Reading

• David Ives, Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread (1990)
  • Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread (Santa Cruz production; video clip; 5:18 min.)
  • Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread (Wichita State University, video clip; 7:03 min.)
  • Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread (Loyola University; video clip; 7:33 min.)
  • Željka Flegar, "A Bakery in the Mind: Sound and Emotion in David Ives’s Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread," The Cambridge Quarterly (2010)
  • David Ives (brief bio)
  • Philip Glass
    • Einstein on the Beach: The Changing Face of Opera (1984; first part of a documentary about Philip Glass's composition; 9:53 min.)
    • Philip Glass and Robert Wilson, Einstein on the Beach (audio CDs of the songs in this opera are available at the audio-visual room of the Arts Library)

• Les Murray, "Bats' Ultrasound" (1986; with audio clip of poet reading)
• Peter Cook and Kenny Lerner, "Need" (2006; video clip of the poem; 2:04 min.)
• Flying Words Project (official site)
• ASL Poetry Support Page

Reading response #2 due in class

11  To Translate Is to Carry Across

Reading

• Pierre Martory, "Bastille" (1961)
  • The Bastille: A History of a Symbol of Despotism and Freedom (book review)
• Valerie Bloom, "Two Seasons" (2000)
  • Valerie Bloom, Writer (her official homepage)
  • Valerie Bloom (brief bio, bibliography, a short critical essay)

Weekly 6 (Hand in exercise #8 on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 in class or by e-mail.  Study questions, as always, can be used as prompts for reading responses.  Hard copies are available at the BRK Co-op Copy Center. Note: There are four pages to this weekly.)

12  Past

Reading

• Joseph Conrad, "The Lagoon" (1897)
  • Joseph Conrad (North Carolina State University)
  • John G. Peters, "Conrad's Life," The Cambridge Introduction to Joseph Conrad (2006)
  • Owen Knowles, "Conrad's Life," The Cambridge Companion to Joseph Conrad (1996)
  • Michael Gorra, "Joseph Conrad," The Hudson Review (2007; among other things, discusses Conrad's writing process)
  • Ian Watt, "Joseph Conrad: Alienation and Commitment," Essays on Conrad (2000)

13  Future

Reading

• Aimee Bender, "The Rememberer" (1998)
• NYC Urbana, "Running a Race (No One Knows)" (2000; listen to the audio track at Arts Library; the sound file is loaded onto the desktop of the computers in the Audio Visual room on the 3rd floor of the library)

No class (Asalhapuja Day)

(Midterm week: July 28–30, 2010)

Test 2 (1 hour) in class on material covered from the beginning of the semester to the midterm. Students in sections 1 and 5 will be taking the test in BRK room 402. There will be four essay-type questions from which you will choose to answer two. Each will ask you to discuss two or more works that we have read in relation to a topic or theme. Formulate an argument in responding to the question that allows you to address effectively the requirements of the prompt. As always, you will want to show us your critical and analytical skills: demonstrate that you have read and understood the material, that you can critically engage with that material, with discussion in class, and with the test question, that you can synthesize material and knowledge gained, and that you can write clear and effective prose.

• Reading Strategies

  • Reading Strategies and LIE

  • S.O.A.P.S. Document Analysis

  • PDIDLS

  • Tone and Detailed Explanation of DIDLS

• Essay Exam Tips

  • Writing Exam Essays

  • Pointers for Taking Essay Tests

  • Writing Essay Exams (pdf file)

  • Essay Exam Preparation (pdf file)

• Review literary terms

Weekly 7

14  Case Study (Poetry): "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death"

Reading

• W. B. Yeats, "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" (1819)

  • Helen Vendler, "Lyric Form in Yeats's Poetry" (pdf file; pp. 1–10)

Final paper topic presentations

14  Case Study (Poetry): "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death"

Reading

• W. B. Yeats, "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" (1819)

  • W. B. Yeats, "Introduction" for the Scribner edition (pp. 404–11)

Weekly 8 (Word file; hand in exercise #1 and #8 on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 in class or by e-mail. )

15  Case Study (Drama): M. Butterfly

Reading

• David Henry Hwang, M. Butterfly (1986) beginning–p. 31 (beginning–end of Act 1 Scene 10; study guide)

  • Giacomo Puccini, Madama Butterfly (1904)

    • New York City Opera Project: Madama Butterfly

      • The Original Story: John Luther Long and David Belasco

      • Synopsis

    • The Evolution of Madama Butterfly

    • Canadian Opera Company Presents Puccini's 'Madama Butterfly' (listen to tracks online)

    • John Luther Long, Madame Butterfly (1903)

15  Case Study (Drama): M. Butterfly

Reading

• David Henry Hwang, M. Butterfly (1986) pp. 31–47 (Act 1 Scene 11–Act 2 Scene 3; study guide)
  • John Louis DiGaetani, "M. Butterfly: An Interview with David Henry Hwang" (1988)

Weekly 9 (some preliminary questions and topics to think about)

15  Case Study (Drama): M. Butterfly

Reading:

• David Henry Hwang, M. Butterfly (1986) pp. 47–79 (Act 2 Scene 4–11; study guide)
  • Vietnam War Timeline
  • Glossary of Theatre Terms
  • The Theater Experience: Glossary
  • The British Theatre Guide: A Glossary of Theatre Terms
  • Ada Tseng, "Doing the Butterfly the Asian American Way" (review of Chay Yew's 2004 production)

15  Case Study (Drama): M. Butterfly

Reading

• David Henry Hwang, M. Butterfly (1986) pp. 80–end (Act 3 Scene 1–end; study guide)
  • David Henry Hwang, "Afterword"
  • David Henry Hwang, "Evolving a Multicultural Tradition" (1990)
  • Karen Shimakawa, "'Who's to Say?' or, Making Space for Gender and Ethnicity in M. Butterfly" (1993)
  • Dorinne K. Kondo, "M. Butterfly: Orientalism, Gender, and a Critique of Essentialist Identity" (1990)

Weekly 10 (Word file; note that this file does not include the Eagleton excerpt that is in the hard copy obtainable from the BRK Co-op Photocopy Center; hand in exercise #1 and #2 on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 in class or by e-mail. )

16  Case Study (Novel): A Month in the Country

Reading

• J. L. Carr, A Month in the Country (1980) pp. 1–20 and "Foreword" (study guide)
  • A. E. Housman, "XXXII," A Shropshire Lad (1896)
    • Dick Sullivan, "A. E. Housman: A Life in Brief"
    • A. E. Housman
  • Herbert Trench, "She comes not when Noon is on the roses--," Deirdre Wed and Other Poems (1901)

Reading response #4 due in class

16  Case Study (Novel): A Month in the Country

Reading

• J. L. Carr, A Month in the Country (1980) pp. 20–31 (study guide)

Weekly 11 (Word file)

16  Case Study (Novel): A Month in the Country

Reading

• J. L. Carr, A Month in the Country (1980) pp. 31–55 (study guide)

16  Case Study (Novel): A Month in the Country

Reading

• J. L. Carr, A Month in the Country (1980) pp. 56–67 (study guide)
  • Hymns (with subtitles)
    • "O for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemer's praise" (video clip; 2:20 min.)
    • "Crown him with many crowns" (video clip; 2:59 min.)
  • Battle of Passchendaele
  • A Signaller in World War 1 (article with photos)

Weekly 12 (Word file; hand in #11 at the Department of English office on or before October 8, 2010)

16  Case Study (Novel): A Month in the Country

Reading

• J. L. Carr, A Month in the Country (1980) pp. 67–93 (end) (study guide)
  • Hymns
    • "All people that on earth do dwell" (video clip; 4:09 min.)
    • "Lo, He comes with clouds descending" (video clip; 5:01 min.)
  • Byron Rogers, "Introduction" pp. v–ix
  • A Month in the Country, the Novel (may contain spoilers so please finish the book before browsing this)
  • A Month in the Country (video clips of 1987 film; part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; finish the book before you watch these)

16  Case Study (Novel): A Month in the Country

Reading

• J. L. Carr, A Month in the Country (1980) (study guide)

16  Case Study (Novel): A Month in the Country

Reading

• J. L. Carr, A Month in the Country (1980) (study guide)

Case Study (Novel)/Presentations

If you are using PowerPoint in your presentation, the following links may help you design effective slides:

• 11 Commandments for PowerPoint

• Presentation Graphics: Do's and Don'ts

Tentative Schedule

1.  Paradoxes in "Gaston"

8:00–8:25 a.m., BRK 301

Presiding: Thana Boonlert

Speakers:

1.  “Investigating "in the First Place": The Girl's Decisions on Crying, on Gaston, and on her Father,” Linda Manupong

2.  “The Paradoxical Emotional Effect of Non-action in William Saroyan’s ‘Gaston,’” Sichol Boocha 

3.  “Are Animals More Human?: The Paradox of Dehumanization in “Gaston” and “The Rememberer,” Suriyaporn Eamvijit

Respondents:

1.  Sawaros Thanapornsangsuth

2.  Thanarporn Bucha

3.  Petch Bornbracis

2.  Removed from the World

8:30–8:55 a.m., BRK 301

Presiding: Monnapa Poosomboonwattana

Speakers:

1.  “Gallimard's Prisons in M. Butterfly,” Saranya Sriripanyakul 

2.  “Sound and Silence Conrad's 'The Lagoon,'” Rujeeluck Seelakate 

3.  "Lost in 'The Lagoon,'" Suthinee Thaeppukulngam

Respondents:

1.  Supatchaya Kaewla-iad

2.  Namthip Sangprem

3.  Phraewphan Puangkasem

Presentations/Review

Literary Readings II

8:00–8:55 a.m., BRK 301

Potuck breakfast hosted by Sections 1, 2, 3, and 5. Currently on the menu: Gaston peach cake, a loaf of bread, Girl's pepper pot; scones, margarine and jam; English breakfast tea, red velvet cake, Butterfly's Chinese buns, vegetable plate and dip from Mrs. Ellerbeck's garden.

Readers: 

1.  Puckpan Tipayamontri

2.  "Meaty Treat," Suthinee Thaeppukulngam"

3.  "Hot and dry day under the Sun," Saranya Sriripanyakul

4.  "Dear Pal, from Distant Land," Rujeeluck Seelakate

5.  "In his Mind," Thanarporn Bucha

6.  "Alternative," Sichol Boocha

7.  "I Don't Need That," Ployjai Pintobtang

8.  "There Stands an Old Man," Monnapa Poosomboonwattana

9.  "A Man Is Walking," Supatchaya Kaewla-iad

10.  "Love and Life," Linda Manupong

11.  "A Sip from Afghanistan," Phraewphan Puangkasem

12.  Petch Bornbracis

13.  Thana Boonlert

14.  Suriyaporn Eamvijit

15.  Sawaros Thanapornsangsuth

16.  "Disability," Namthip Sangprem

17.  

18.  

Final paper due

• 4–6 pages

• MLA format

• Some writing guidelines:

  • "Some Matters of Form" by Yale University (writing guidelines; pdf file)

  • Writing Prose (handbook on college writing, Yale University; pdf file)

  • Sources and Citation at Dartmouth College (pdf file)

  • Getting an A on an English Paper

  • Writing about Literature

  • Writing Papers for English and Literature: A Word of Advice (also A Few Things to Remember)

  • The Craft of a Literature Paper

  • Writing a Literature Paper: Guidelines, Suggestions, Strategies

  • What Makes a Good Literature Paper?

  • Guide to Essay Writing (helpful reference, where to start, evidence, argument, what is a good essay)

  • Writing about Literature (elements of the essay, the writing process, the research essay, documentation)

  • Developing an Outline (pdf file)

  • How to Write an Outline

• Some sample papers:

  • "To Know Well" by Jane Smith (on Shakespeare's sonnet 129: "Th'expense of spirit in a waste of shame"; Word file)

  • "The Value of Restraint" by Amy Skerry (on Raymond Carver's short story "Cathedral"; Word file)

  • "Shakespeare's Plays Within Plays and Characters Within Characters" (on William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream)

Final Exam (8:30–11:30 a.m., BRK 301, 304) Part I will be questions on Ha Jin's short story "Saboteur." You can order the story from the BRK Co-op Photocopy Center. Part II is identifications.  Part III consists of essay-type questions on material from Week 6 on the syllabus to the three case studies from which you will choose two. Do not merely retell the story/summarize the plot or repeat class discussion. Dictionaries (electronic or paper) are not allowed in the exam room.

• Preparation

  • Writing Exam Essays

  • Pointers for Taking Essay Tests

  • Writing Essay Exams (pdf file)

  • Essay Exam Preparation (pdf file)

• Sample Responses

  • Sample Poetry Question on Kvlividze's poem "In the Metro" (with sample responses)

  • Example of an 'A' Response to an Exam on Wordsworth's "The world is too much with us"

  • Sample Exam Answer

• Reading Strategies

  • TP-CASTT (brief), Poetry Analysis: TP-CASTT (more detailed)

  • Tone and Detailed Explanation of DIDLS

  • S.O.A.P.S. Document Analysis

  • Reading Strategies and LIE

  • PDIDLS

• Review (in addition to the above links from week 6 through the end of the semester)

  • Rich Orloff, I Didn't Know You Could Cook (1997)

    • Aimee Mullins and her 12 pairs of legs (2009; video clip, 10:02 min.)

    • Centre for Disability Studies

  • Ha Jin, "Saboteur," The Bridegroom (2000; study guide)

    • Ha Jin, "The Censor in the Mirror" (2008)

    • Ha Jin, "Exiled to English" (2009)

    • The Yale Review of Books: Ha Jin (2004 interview; Ha Jin on China, the craft of storytelling, and writing in a second language.)

    • Sarah Fay, "Ha Jin, The Art of Fiction No. 202" (2009)

    • Marcia Davis, "Work of Heart" (2005; interview)

    • Claire Messud, "Tiger-Fighter Meets Cowboy Chicken" (2000; review of the collection of short stories The Bridegroom)

  • Literary terms