WK

TUESDAY

THURSDAY

1

1/12 Introduction to course; handouts

2

1/17 Beginning Theory (BT), Introduction and Ch. 1, "Theory before 'theory'—liberal humanism"; A Short Guide to Writing About Literature (SGWL), Ch. 1, "What Is Literature, and Why Write About It?"; The Best American Poetry 2005 (BAP): Catherine Bowman, "I Want to Be Your Shoebox"; Jamey Dunham, "Urban Myth"; Lynn Emanuel, "The Revolution"

1/19 SGWL, Ch. 2, "The Writer as Reader: Reading and Responding"; BAP: Beth Fennelly, "I Need to Be More French. Or Japanese."; Stackey Harwood, "Contributors' Notes"

3

1/24 BT, Ch. 2, "Structuralism"; SGWL, Ch. 3, "The Reader as Writer: Drafting and Writing"; BAP: Richard Garcia, "Adam and Eve's Dog"; Brigit Kelly, "The Wolf"; suggested: Saussure, Course in General Linguistics

1/26 SGWL, Ch. 4, "Two Forms of Criticism: Explication and Analysis"; The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction (CSF): Charles Baxter, "Gryphon"; see online Baxter’s comments on "Gryphon"; BAP: Anthony Hecht, "Motes"; suggested: see Barry's interesting essay on textuality and theory

4

1/31 BT, Ch. 3, "Post-structuralism and deconstruction"; Jacques Derrida, "Structure, Sign, & Play" (via class website—see also Derrida's essay "Différance" online as well as "Signature Event Context"); BAP: Jennifer Michael Hecht, "The Propagation of the Species"; Lyn Hejinian, from The Fatalist; Jerome Sala, "Media Effects"

2/2 Explication due; SGWL Ch. 5, "Other Kinds of Writing About Literature"; BAP: Sarah Manguso, "Hell"; James Richardson, "All the Ghosts"; Gary Snyder, "Waiting for a Ride"; recommended: Tompkins, Jane. "A Short Course in Post-Structuralism"[access JSTOR via UI campus computers] ; suggested: What Is Deconstruction; Mary Klages on Poststructuralism/Derrida

5

2/7 BT, Ch. 4, "Postmodernism"; SGWL, Ch. 6, "Literature, Form, and Meaning"; CSF: Lorrie Moore, "You're Ugly, Too"; suggested: Professor Lye's Advice on Analyzing Literature

2/9 BT, Ch. 5, "Psychoanalytic Criticism"; SGWL, Ch. 7, "What Is Interpretation?"; BAP: James Tate, "The Swing"; Tony Hoagland, "In a Quiet Town by the Sea"; recommended: Wharton, "The Other Two"

6

2/14 BT, Ch. 6, "Feminist Criticism"; SGWL, Ch. 8, "What Is Evaluation?"; CSF: Richard Ford, "Rock Springs"; recommended: Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, " The Revolt of 'Mother'"; Henry James, "In the Cage"

2/16 Peer-edit Exploratory Essay; BT, Ch. 7, "Lesbian/Gay Criticism"; SGWL, Ch. 9, "Writing About Literature: An Overview"; BAP: Leon Gontarek, "Blue on Her Hands"; Vicki Hudspith, "Ants"; suggested: Professor Lye's useful review-essay on Contemporary Literary Theory

7

2/21 Thesis-Seeking/Problem-Solving Exploratory Essay due; SGWL, Ch. 10, "Writing About Fiction: The World of the Story"; BAP: Chase Twichell, "Marijuana"; Kay Ryan, "Home to Roost"

2/23 BT, Ch. 8, "Marxist criticism"; CSF: Annie Proulx, "Brokeback Mountain"; BAP: Cecelia Woloch, "Bareback Pantoum"

8

2/28 BT, Ch. 9, "New Historicism and Cultural Materialism"; CSF: Edward P. Jones, "Marie"; BAP: Galway Kinnell, "Shelley"

3/2 SGWL, Ch. 11, "Writing About Drama"; Ariel Dorfman, Death and the Maiden (film version shown in class)

9

3/7 BT, Ch. 10, "Postcolonial Criticism"; Death and the Maiden

3/9 SGWL, Ch. 12, "Writing About Poetry";suggested: site via Willamette U. on Death and the Maiden

10

3/21 Critical Response due on Death and the Maiden; BT, Ch. 11, "Stylistics"; BAP: Marilyn Hacker, "For Kateb Yacine"; Julie Sheehan, "Hate Poem"

3/23 Michael Frayn, Copenhagen; SGWL, Ch. 13, "Writing About an Author in Depth"; see resources at PBS site on Copenhagen

11

3/28 BT, Ch. 12, "Narratology"; Copenhagen

3/30 SGWL, Ch. 14, "Style and Format"; Copenhagen; fyi: reviews of Copenhagen

12

4/4 BT, Ch. 13, "Ecocriticism"; CSF: Cynthia Ozick, "The Shawl"; BAP: Marlys West, "Ballad of the Subcontractor"

4/6 Critical Response due on Copenhagen; CSF: Amy Bloom, "Silver Water"; suggested: Ian Johnston lecture on Copenhagen

13

4/11 CSF: John Barth, "Click"

4/13 CSF: Tim O'Brien, "The Things They Carried"; BAP: George Green, "The Searchers"; Lucas Carpenter, "'It Don't Mean Nothing': Vietnam War Fiction and Postmodernism." College Literature 30.2 (2003): 30-50.

15

4/18 CSF: Richard Bausch, "The Man Who Knew Belle Starr"; BAP: Mary Jo Salter, "Costanza Bonarelli"; Michael Payne, "What Difference Has Theory Made?: From Freud to Adam Phillips" College Literature 32.2 (2005): 1-15.

4/20 CSF: Kate Braverman, "Tall Tales from the Mekong Delta"; Raymond Carver, "Errand"

16

4/25 CSF: Alice Munro, "Meneseteung"; SGWL, Ch. 15, "Writing a Research Paper" (esp. subsection on documentation)

4/27 CSF: Denis Johnson, "Emergency"; BAP: Matthew Yeager, "A Big Ball of Foil in a Small New York Apartment"

17

5/2 CSF: Bharati Mukherjee, "The Management of Grief"; BAP, Amy Gerstler, "Watch" ; also suggest, BAP, Maureen Bloomfield, "The Catholic Encyclopedia"

5/4 Term Essay due BAP: Dorothea Tanning, "End of the Day on Second"; Christine Scanlon, "The Grilled Cheese Sandwich: An Elusive Essential to Social Success"

5/10 Final meeting Wednesday 1-3 p.m.