Department of English

Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University


2202234  Introduction to the Study of English Literature

Puckpan Tipayamontri

Office: BRK 1106.1

Office Hours: M 13 and by appointment

Phone: 0-2218-4703

puckpan.t@chula.ac.th

 

Section 5

BRK 411

M 1012, W 89

 

Tentative Schedule (section 5)

Week 1

Jun. 6

Poetic Qualities

Words and Meaning

Reading

  • Stanley Kunitz, "The Snakes of September" (with audio clip of Kunitz reading)

    • On "The Wellfleet Whale" and "The Snakes of September"

    • Hillel Italie, "Pulitzer Prize Winner Stanley Kunitz Dies" (obituary)

    • Genesis chapter 1, 2, 3

    • Things to think about when reading Kunitz’s poem “The Snakes of September”

      • Compare what you know about snakes to Kunitz’s description of them. Does he present them in any way that is new or unexpected to you?

      • Lines 15–21 allude to the Genesis in the Bible. If you’re not familiar with it, you can read Genesis chapters 1–3 online.

      • Think about what you feel about snakes and the kinds of emotions and associations that you have when you encounter them. Pay attention to the feelings and associations that the poem evokes. What emotions run through the speaker’s account of his experience? One way you can examine this is to listen to Kunitz reading the poem with your eyes closed and envision each detailed scene along with him.

      • What do you think of the transition when the narrator is no longer a mere observer?

  • William Carlos Williams, "This Is Just to Say"

  • Margaret Atwood, "Dreams of the Animals," Procedures for Underground (1970)

    • Margaret Atwood, The Art of Fiction No. 121 (interviewed by Mary Morris)

    • Margaret Atwood: Poet (interviewed by Joyce Carol Oates)

    • Biography

    • Genesis 40:5 (What do you think of Atwood's use of this verse from the Bible: "And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison"?)

  • Tone (discussion of tone in poetry, definition excerpts of textbooks)

  • Tone (explanation of tone with examples from Many Worlds of Poetry)

Discussion: Making inferences; tone, denotation, connotation

Jun. 8

Saying More

Reading

Discussion: overstatement, imagery, elegy, satire

 

Handout: Terms for Literary Discussion, Literary Dictionaries, and Other Books to Explore (download Word file)

Week 2

Jun. 13

Saying What Is Not Said

Reading

Discussion: imagery, irony

 

Don't forget to bring your notebook to class always.

 

Reading Response #1 due (your response to the question "What is reading?" when you observe your own act of reading Atwood's "Dreams of the Animals"; see essays from the following students as examples of how they have responded to a similar question: Ployjai Pintobtang, Anchalee Kamnoedkaeo, and Danai Hengtrakul)

Jun. 15

Saying What Is Not Said

Reading

Discussion: imagery, understatement, allusion

 

Test on literary terms (review terms in the dictionaries on the June 8 handout to prepare for this)

Week 3

Jun. 20

Life in Non-life 

Reading

Discussion: metonymy, synecdoche, imagery

In-Class Writing (30 minutes; practice orienting the reader and setting up your argument quickly in the opening of your essay): The Ride of Poetry: Billy Collins, former US Poet Laureate, said that a good poem for him should take you somewhere "that's perhaps disorienting, manipulative, or a little off-balancing" ("The Art of Poetry No. 83"). Read Louis Simpson's poem "The Battle" carefully and discuss its movement into that "somewhere." What transformation happens? Where does the poem take you?

Jun. 22

Layers of Stories

Reading

Discussion: allegory, symbolism

Week 4

Jun. 27

Things and Meaning

Reading

Discussion: irony, paraphrase

 

Work 1 given (Word file)

Jun. 29

Sound and Meaning

Reading

In-Class Writing (30 minutes; practice substantiating your arguments with evidence from the poem text): Quiz Practice 1 on Marge Piercy's "Barbie Doll"

Week 5

Jul. 4

Sound and Meaning

Reading

Quiz 1 (1 hour, 15 points) on an unseen poem

Jul. 6

Anatomy of a Play

Mise-en-Scene

Reading

Discussion: set, lighting, space, costume, acting; allusion

 

Work 1 due

Week 6

Jul. 11

Dialog and Audiences

Reading

Work 2 given (Write a 25-minute play inspecting something. How might you experiment with the various aspects of live theater, using them to inspect the idea, issue, emotion, problem, relationship, characteristic, memory, place, action, or thing that you want to scrutinize? Consider how humor, word play, setting, actors, music, spatial dynamics, and pace might help to bring points of inspection across to us, your intelligent, perceptive, and receptive audience. Have fun!)

Jul. 13

Characters and Context

Reading

Lit Breakfast: ~78 a.m. (make up for our cancelled Lit Lunch and office hours on Monday)

 

Sonnet Recitation

Week 7

Jul. 18

No class (Buddhist Lent observed)

Jul. 20

Themes

Reading

  • J. B. Priestley, An Inspector Calls (1945; study guide) Act III

    • An Inspector Calls (playing at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre Jan. 30–Feb. 14, 2009; with audio introduction [12:58 min.])

    • An Inspector Calls (playing in London at the Wyndham's Dec. 3–Mar. 20, 2010)

    • An Inspector Calls (1982 BBC TV mini-series, dir. Michael Simpson, perf. Bernard Hepton) part 1 (14:57 min.), 2 (14:57 min.), 3 (15:00 min.), 4 (14:45 min.), 5 (14:59 min.), 6 (4:53 min.)

    • David Cannadine, The Rise and Fall of Class in Britain (1999)

Work 2 due (Write a 25-minute play inspecting something. How might you experiment with the various aspects of live theater, using them to inspect the idea, issue, emotion, problem, relationship, characteristic, memory, place, action, or thing that you want to scrutinize? Consider how humor, word play, setting, actors, music, spatial dynamics, and pace might help to bring points of inspection across to us, your intelligent, perceptive, and receptive audience. Have fun!)

 

Sonnet Recitation

Week 8

Jul. 25

(Midterm week: July 2529, 2010)

Midterm Exam (2 hours, in BRK 402; note room change) There will be four essay-type questions covering material on the syllabus from the beginning of the semester through week 7. Formulate an argument in response to each exam 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.

Jul. 27

No class (Midterm week: July 2529, 2010)

Week 9

Aug. 1

The Elements of Fiction

Things and Meaning II

Reading

Discussion: imagery, irony, symbolism

 

Final paper topic proposal and critique

Aug. 3

Point of View: Knowledge

Reading

Week 10

Aug. 8

Point of View: Tone, Style

Reading

Work 3 given

Aug. 10

Shapes of Character

Reading

Week 11

Aug. 15

Style

Reading:

Work 3 due

Aug. 17

Can Such Things Be?

Reading

Week 12

Aug. 22

Ambiguity

Reading

Aug. 24

Theme

Reading

Week 13

Aug. 29

The Novel Genre

Dystopian Utopia

Reading

Quiz 2 (15 points, 1 hour) on Ernest Hemingway's short story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" (1936). There will be two essay-type questions.

Aug. 31

Dystopian Utopia

Reading

Final paper outline due

Week 14

Sep. 5

Dystopian Utopia

Reading

Sep. 7

Dream Deferred

Reading

  • Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale (1990) "Chapter 25"–"Chapter 29" (Part X "Soul Scrolls"; please finish the assigned reading before watching the video) (study guide)

Week 15

Sep. 12

Trust and Betrayal

Reading

  • Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale (1990) "Chapter 30"–"Chapter 40" (Part IX "Night"–Part XIII "Night") (study guide)

    • Volker Schlöndorff, dir., The Handmaid's Tale (1990 film; part 2 of 3; video clip, 34:32 min.)

Sep. 14

Interpretations

Reading

Week 16

Sep. 19

Student Presentations

If you are using PowerPoint in your presentation, the following links may help you design effective slides. Also, make sure you save the presentation to a version compatible with PowerPoint 2003.

Program: (download pdf file)


1.  Confusing Heart: Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"

10:00–10:25 a.m., BRK 411

Moderator: Isaraporn Kitcholwiwat

Speakers:

1. "The Denial of Truth in Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart,'" Ornrumpa Kidmai

2. "The Narrator's Mind: Inner Conflict in 'The Tell-Tale Heart,'" Araniya Wipatavit

3. "The Use of Light-Darkness and Sound-Silence in Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart,'" Proud Permpoolsombat

Respondents:

1. Animmarn Leksawat

2. Luksika Sae-ung

3. Nawaporn Suksaran

 

2.  The Fight between the Heart and the Head of the Insane Narrator in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"

10:30–10:55 a.m., BRK 411

Moderator: Supamon Rungruangratanakul

Speakers:

1. "The Unsuccessful Attempt of the Head in Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart,'" Chomsiri Tirapornvitoon

2. "The Tell-Tale Heart," Patteera Chaladmanakul

3. "Uncovered Insanity in Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart,'" Animmarn Leksawat

Respondents:

1. Grittigar Sa-ngasang

2. Chaisopon Ngamlerdsuporn

3. Ornrumpa Kidmai

 

3.  Impossibilities of Fiction

11:00–11:25 a.m., BRK 411

Moderator: Lojana Kiatpermsin

Speakers:

1. "Constructed Changes in Setting in 'The Swimmer,'" Luksika Sae-ung

2. "Popped Bubble: Denial and Acceptance of Truth in Cheever's 'The Swimmer,'" Grittigar Sa-ngasang

3. "Ned's Life: Allegorical Setting in Cheever's 'The Swimmer,'" Punnapa Stapornviriyakul

Respondents:

1. Veerawin Suksantinunt

2. Araniya Wipatavit

3. Patteera Chaladmanakul

 

4.  An Intoxicating Journey to the Life of Neddy Merrill

11:30–11:55 a.m., BRK 411

Moderator: Grittigar Sa-ngasang

Speakers

1. "Free Will: A Philosophical Approach to Neddy's Freedom of Choice," Veerawin Suksantinunt

2. "Swimming: The Immersion in the River of Booze," Panrawee Weerapan

3. "The Exploration of Midsummer in Cheever's 'The Swimmer' and Shakespeare's 'Sonnet 18,'" Isaraporn Kitcholwiwat

Respondents:

1. Kanchana Manalert

2. Aimratee Sidhikosol

3. Chomsiri Tirapornvitoon

 

Final paper due

Sep. 21

Student Presentations

8:00–8:55 a.m., BRK 411

Intro Lit theme potluck breakfast hosted by Section 5. Currently on the menu: fried chicken, nuggets, french fries, orange cake, buttered toast with honey, juice, soda.

 

Program: (download pdf file)

 

5.  Latin Sayings, Ives's Playing: The Swiftness and Longevity of Time Flies

8:00–8:25 a.m., BRK 411

Moderator: Ornrumpa Kidmai

Speakers:

1. "Tempus Fugit," Kanchana Manalert

2. "Memento Mori," Chaisopon Ngamlerdsuporn

3. "Carpe Diem," Supamon Rungruangratanakul

Respondents:

1. Isaraporn Kitcholwiwat

2. Lojana Kiatpermsin

3. Proud Permpoolsombat

 

6.  Self-Discovery through Knowledge in the Short Happy Life of Mrs. Mallard in Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"

8:30–8:55 a.m., BRK 411

Moderator: Kanchana Manalert

Speakers:

1. "Love, the Blind Murderer," Lojana Kiatpermsin

2. "The Unknown Knowledge of Mrs. Mallard," Aimratee Sidhikosol

3. "The Short Happy Life of Louise Mallard," Nawaporn Suksaran

Respondents:

1. Supamon Rungruangratanakul

2. Panrawee Weerapan

3. Punnapa Stapornviriyakul

  

Week 17

Sep. 26

Final Exam (8:3011:30 a.m.)

 

 


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Last updated September 20, 2011