English 210:Introduction to Literary Theory

English 210.02, Introduction to Literary Theory          Fall 2004

Dr. Stephan Flores (sflores@uidaho.edu)                           www.uidaho.edu/~sflores
2:00-3:15 TTH EP 202
http://www.uidaho.edu/~sflores/210fall04.html                   885-6156
TTH 10:00-11:00 a.m. & by appt.                                      125 Brink Hall

WebCt Log-In site
Prerequisite: English 102 or equivalent, or permission of instructor.

This course provides for "practical experience with current methods and assumptions guiding the analysis and interpretation of literary texts," by presenting an introduction to twentieth-century literary theory, including brief discussions of formalism and structuralism, and focused study of post-structuralism(s) and material cultural analysis, particularly deconstruction, psychoanalytic theory, Marxism, feminism and gender analyses, and historical contexts of interpretation. These theoretical frameworks offer various means to engage with—among a range of issues and topics—the terms and relations among desire, power, history, representation (particularly the figurative turns of language), texts and identities. The assigned novels by Eugenides, Goldberg, and James—together with the theoretical texts—provide occasions for analysis and present points for reference and departure to develop an understanding of theory in literary studies, what Jonathan Culler describes as a "body of thinking and writing whose limits are exceedingly hard to define." Though this is primarily a course offered within the context of the Department of English and its major emphases and minors, I am interested in your various academic pursuits, expectations, and developing priorities, and we'll pause from time to time to consider together how best to proceed. The coursework includes steady, substantial reading and emphasis on thoughtful writing in focused, succinct writing assignments, an exploratory essay, and a term essay. We'll proceed via discussion, and you'll select the topics of your written work within the scope of our materials.

Two critical theory texts and three novels comprise the required texts, available at the UI bookstore:

Bertens, Hans. Literary Theory: The Basics (Routledge, 2001)—this text's historical survey begins with practical and new criticism, formalism and early structuralism, French structuralism, the political "reading" modes of the 1970s-80s, the poststructuralist revolution following Derrida, deconstruction, and postmodernism, then Foucault, Lacan, and French feminism, new historicism and cultural materialism, postcolonial criticism and theory, and sexuality, literature, and culture.

Bennett, Andrew and Nicholas Royle. Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory, third edition. (Longman, 2004)—this text is comprised of thirty-two short chapters on such terms and topics as author, text and world, the uncanny, narrative, voice, figures and tropes, laughter, the tragic, history, ghosts, sexual difference, God, ideology, desire, creative writing, moving pictures, queer, racial difference, the performative, pleasure, war, the end.

Eugenides, Jeffrey. Middlesex. (Picador, 2002).

Goldberg, Myla. Bee Season. (Anchor Books, 2001).

James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw, second edition. Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Peter G. Beidler. (Bedford/St.Martin's, 2004) —this required text and edition includes the novel as well as brief introductions and essays.

Requirements:

1. Twice-weekly online Journal/Discussion WebCT entries (at least thirty entries in total for the semester): each first entry a Thesis-Sentence Statement (the Thesis-Sentence presents a reasoned, interpretative, precise claim on some aspect of the text/theory in question, preferably quoted or cited--here are some examples of past T-S entries on Turn of the Screw) to be posted to the threaded WebCt class discussion site prior to 1:00 p.m. each Tuesday—the second entry a brief sentence to paragraph length response to some aspect of the texts and topics under class discussion, and/or another student’s thesis-sentence, to be posted sometime after Tuesday’s class (or Thursday’s class meeting) but no later than noon Friday—these deadlines are firm with no late entries accepted.

2. Explication (600 words, titled) of a short passage (fifteen lines or so) from James’s novel The Turn of the Screw. A paraphrase restates and translates to provide the gist of the original even as this exercise both explains and necessarily alters meaning. An explication presents a meticulous, thorough, and systematic close reading (annotation) or unfolding sentence by sentence, presenting your questioning sense of the text’s meanings, methods, and implications. The explication is not only explanatory and expository but implicitly argumentative: an occasion for you to discover, clarify, and account for your understanding and interpretative analysis of the passage and its function in context(s). This is also a chance to share your perceptions, enthusiasms, and even your doubts as you delve into the narrative’s significance and purpose.

3. Critical Response Essays on Bee Season and on Middlesex (800 words and 900 words respectively, single-spaced, titled); your observations and analysis should be succinct and sharply focused, with potential for substantial development.

4. Thesis-Seeking/Problem-Posing Exploratory Essay (1500 words, double-spaced, titled). The primary aim of this essay assignment is to engage with literary theory by identifying problems, developing claims and arguments, and enriching your literary understanding, interests, and commitments—this focused pursuit occurs via particular theoretical perspectives and specific interpretative practices and questions.

5. Term Essay (body of essay, 1800 words, double-spaced): this critical essay develops ideas prompted by our study and discussion of literary theory and critical, interpretative practice, informed by your perspectives and interests regarding the texts we have considered this semester. I shall attend to the ways that you select, define, and engage questions and contradictions, and to the clarity, imagination, and grace that you demonstrate in presenting your topic, (hypo)thesis, and argument. I do not always expect essays to conclude by "solving" such problems or by "proving" your thesis; I hope that you address interesting topics in thoughtful and useful ways. Please feel invited to confer with me during the writing process.

6. Participation in class and group discussion (including informal writing and discussion in class and online). Please take advantage of opportunities to discuss your reactions, share your insights and understanding, and to listen and reply to others' ideas. I shall call regularly upon groups to facilitate class discussion. Groups shall also prepare in advance to lead off discussion once each during the semester. On these days the group shall lead off our discussion by presenting their positions on the material (with some brief summary, focus on key points in the reading, perhaps some incorporation of secondary criticism or historical research or interpretation), and by suggesting further issues the class might consider. I hope these strategies will enable you to move the class in directions you find most helpful, give you opportunities to develop critical skills through collaboration, and provide for a productive, interesting exchange of perspectives and participation among the class.

7. Due dates: Each of the five graded writing assignments is due at the beginning of class on the due date—work turned in later will be marked late and graded accordingly. All required graded written work is downgraded one notch (for example, B+ to B, converted to points for each assignment) for each weekday late (not just days classes meet but counting just one day for a weekend). Work submitted more than a week late will not be accepted; note that online WebCt entries must be entered on time each week and cannot be made up/accepted later. I will grant short extensions for medical and family emergencies—but talk with me as soon as possible to request an extension. ALWAYS KEEP EXTRA COPIES OF YOUR WORK.

8. Attendance is required. If you have no absences by the semester's end (excused or not), you will receive three bonus points; with only one absence you will receive two bonus points. Two absences will not affect your semester grade, but a third absence will lower your semester total by four points, with a six point reduction for each additional absence (for example: four absences=minus 10 points, five absences = minus 16 points); six or more absences will cause you to fail the class, regardless of your semester point total. Almost all absences will be counted—excused or not—if something extraordinary occurs, talk to me.

9. Grades: Explication (25 pts); Two Critical Responses (35 and 40 pts); Thesis-Seeking/Problem-Posing Exploratory Essay (75 pts.); Term Essay (100 pts). These required assignments add up to a maximum of 275 points. Thus 247-275 points equals an A, 220-246 equals a B, 192-219 equals a C, 165-191 equals a D, and anything below 165 merits an F. I shall also reserve bonus points based on my perceptions of the strength of your participation and efforts over the semester (up to a maximum of 5 pts.); in addition, incomplete weekly journal entries will be counted against your semester grade, with the loss of one point for each missing entry—evaluated/assessed on a weekly basis, up to a maximum loss of 30 points.

10. Office hours. I encourage you to confer with me—especially before assignments are due—to talk about your interests, intentions, and writing strategies. My office in Brink Hall is not accessible to the handicapped, so please let me know if you need to meet me at my office in the University Honors Program, 315 Commons. If you cannot make my regular hours, we’ll arrange another time. I also welcome communicating with you by E-mail (sflores@uidaho.edu).

UI and Department of English Policy on Plagiarism (also applies to work in this course)

Course syllabus/schedule

Additional primary and secondary works on library reserve.

Links to Online Style Guides, including MLA citation guidelines/format:

UI Library's site for citation/style guides

UI Writing Center Links to Online Style Guides

Also recommended:

Review of Initial Concepts from Critical Terms for Literary Study

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory (Manchester UP, 2002, 2nd ed.)--see Barry's interesting essay on textuality and theory

Belsey, Catherine. Poststructuralism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford UP, 2002)

Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford UP, 1997)

Sarup, Madan. An Introductory Guide to Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism, second edition (U.Georgia P, 1993), esp. chapters on Lacan, Derrida, and Foucault--to be placed on library reserve, listed under this course.

Literary Theory: An Anthology. Eds. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. (Blackwell, 1998)--on library reserve.

Critical Theory Since Plato, third edition. Eds. Hazard Adams and Leroy Searle. [includes Derrida's "Structure, Sign, and Play" along with other excerpts from his work, Lacan's "The Mirror Stage," excerpt from Althusser's "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses," excerpt from Sedgwick's Epistemology of the Closet, Greenblatt's "Resonance and Wonder," Butler's "Imitation and Gender Insubordination," and Laclau's "Subject of Politics, Politics of the Subject." On library reserve.

Davis, Robert Con. Contemporary Literary Criticism: Literary and Cultural Studies (Longman, four editions 1989, 1991, 1994, 1998)--early edition on library reserve.

Montrose, Louis. "New Historicisms." Redrawing the Boundaries: The Transformation of English and American Literary Studies. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt and Giles Gunn. New York: Modern Language Association, 1992. On library reserve.
Tompkins, Jane. "A Short Course in Post-Structuralism." College English 50.7 (1988): 733-47.

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0010-0994%28198811%2950%3A7%3C733%3AASCIP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D

Derrida, Jacques. "Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences." Writing and Difference. Trans. Alan Bass. Chicago: U Chicago P, 1978. 279-93. On library reserve.

Ellman, Maud. "Introduction." Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism. Longman, 1994. 1-35.

France, Alan W. "Dialectics of Self: Structure and Agency as the Subject of English."
College English, 63.2 ( 2000):145-165.

Wolfreys, Julian, Ruth Robbins and Kenneth Womack. Key Concepts in Literary Theory. Edinburgh UP, 2002.

Wolfreys, Julian. Introducing Criticism at the 21st Century. Edinburgh UP, 2002.

Wolfreys, Julian, ed. Literary Theories: A Reader and Guide. Edinburgh UP, 1999.

Wolfreys, Julian. Readings: Acts of Close Reading in Literary Theory. Edinburgh UP, 2000.

Further resources/points of view:

Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 9th ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Pearson/Longman, 2005. On reserve.

Understanding Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Walter Kalaidjian, Judith Roof, and Stephen Watt. Houghton Mifflin, 2004. On reserve.

An Introduction to Literature: Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. Pearson/Longman, 2004. On reserve.

Texts and Contexts: Writing About Literature with Critical Theory, 4th ed. Steven Lynn. Pearson/Longman, 2005. On reserve.

Optional texts--short stories by Alison Baker, Henry James, Edith Wharton, John Edgar Wideman, plus a couple of Shaw's plays:

Baker, Alison., "Better Be Ready ‘Bout Half Past Eight"The Atlantic Monthly, January 1993 [won First Prize1994 in The O.Henry Awards: Best American Short Stories collection, ed. Abrahams]
Baker, Alison. "Loving Wanda Beaver" The Gettysburg Review, Summer 1994 [this story included in the O. Henry Awards, Best American Short Stories collection, 1995]
Baker, Alison. "Convocation" Alaska Quarterly Review, Fall 1994 [this story included in O.Henry Awards collection ,1996]

Budnitz, Judy. "Flush." from McSweeney's, also selected/printed in the O. Henry Awards : Prize Stories 2000

Crane, Stephen. "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky."

Freeman, Mary E. Wilkins. "The Revolt of 'Mother'."

James, Henry. "In the Cage."

James, Henry. "The Figure in the Carpet."

James, Henry. "The Jolly Corner."

James, Henry. "The Lesson of the Master."

James, Henry. "The Real Thing." [see also "The Real Thing" here]

Wharton, Edith. "Xingu."

Wharton, Edith. "The Other Two."

Shaw, Bernard. Major Barbara

Shaw, Bernard. Mrs. Warren's Profession

Wideman, John Edgar. "Weight." [first prize winner in the O.Henry Awards collection--see here for this story in continous text format, probably more convenient]

Saussure, Course in General Linguistics