English 4341: Spring 2012
19th-Century American Short Stories
Dr. Ann BeebeOffice Hours:
BUS 250MWF 8:00-9:00am
and by Appointment
Office: 903-565-5827Email:
Home: I will give you my home & cell numbers on the 1st day of class.
Welcome to English 4341 (Genres – 19th-Century American Short Stories). Thank you for taking a chance and signing up for a new class. I am looking forward to studying these short stories over the next five weeks with you.
I work hard to put together my classes, and I expect a great deal from my students. I expect you to be in class every day and on time. I expect all reading to be completed by the assigned date. I expect your reading to be active. Mark up your book and take notes as you read. I expect everyone to participate substantially in class and Blackboard discussions and listen respectfully to classmates. And lastly, if you have any questions about class policies, assignments, or readings, I expect you to ask them. You may always ask questions in class, call or email me, or drop by my office.
In return there are certain things you can expect from me. I will attend class and be on time. I will keep my office hours and make appointments with students who cannot meet during my hours. I will complete all the readings and plan lessons by the assigned date. I will give all assignments in writing and sufficiently in advance. I will grade and return all assignments in a timely manner. I will allow you to look at your portion of the gradebook during office hours. I will answer questions about assignments in class or in my office. If I cannot answer a question when you ask it, I will have the answer by the next class period.
Required Texts:
- Washington Irving: History, Tales, and Sketches (Library of America, ed. James Tuttleton) ISBN: 978-0-9405014-1
- Edgar Allan Poe: Poetry and Tales (Library of America, ed. Patrick Quinn) ISBN: 978-0-94045018-9
- Nathaniel Hawthorne: Tales and Sketches (Library of America, ed. Roy Harvey Pearce) ISBN: 978-0-94045003-5
- Kate Chopin: Complete Novels and Stories (Library of America, ed. Sandra Gilbert) ISBN: 978-1-39108221-1
- Sarah Orne Jewett: Novels and Stories (Library of America, ed. Michael Bell) ISBN: 978-0-94045074-5
- Selected free stories – available online. The current links will be on your daily syllabus.
Daily Schedule:
[This schedule includes all major readings and assignments. Small additions or changes
may be made. I will make any such changes in writing.]
January 13 – F
Introduction to class, texts, expectations
NOTE: The notes in the Library of America editions are in the back of each book by page number. [There are no note numbers in the text.] Please review the Chronology and the Note on Texts at the back of each L of A book as well.
January 16 – M
No class
January 18 – W
Readings:Washington Irving: “Preface to the Revised Edition” 737, “Author’s Account” 743, “The Voyage” 746, “Rip Van Winkle” 767
Due:Reading Question #1:Analyze the Geoffrey Crayon persona. What is significant
about the physical, economic, social, and psychological details you learn? Be careful to distinguish between the author (Irving), the personas (Geoffrey Crayon, Diederich Knickerbocker), and the characters as you read the Sketchbook. [See Reading Question section below for submission information.]
Student Information Sheets
January 20 – F
Readings:Irving: “English Writers” 786, “The Art of Book Making” 808, “The Mutability of Literature” 854”
Due:Quiz #1 [See Quizzes & Exams section below for more information]
January 23 – M
Readings: Irving: Christmas section (5 stories) 911
Due:RQ #2: Why does Crayon give so many details about Christmas traditions and
customs in Great Britain? What do these details reveal about British society?
January 25 – W
Readings:Irving: “The Inn Kitchen” 877, “The Spectre Bridegroom” 879, “Little Britain” 969, “John Bull” 1029
Due:RQ #3: Analyze the female characters in “The Spectre Bridegroom.” Are they well-developed?
January 27 – F
Readings:Irving: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” 1058 and “L’Envoy” 1089
Due:Quiz #2
January 30 – M
Readings:Edgar Allan Poe: “Preface” 129, “MS. Found in a Bottle” 189
NOTE: I believe most of you have read & studied some of the most popular Poe stories in other classes: “Ligeia,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Black Cat,” “The Cask of Amontillado.” All of these stories can be found in your L of A edition if you have missed any of them.
Due:RQ #4: Authors often use color imagery in novels, short stories, and poems. Poe
incorporates a great deal of black & white imagery in “MS. Found in a Bottle.” List 3+ instances and analyze the usage.
February 1 – W
Readings:Poe: “The Assignation” 200 and “Berenice” 225
Due:RQ #5: Define “gothic horror.” What are the characteristics (5+) of this genre? Pair each characteristic with a detail from “Berenice.” [Remember to cite correctly if you consult a source.]
February 3 – F
Readings:Poe: “The Spectacles” 618 and “The Man That Was Used Up” 307
Due:Quiz #3
February 6 – M
Readings:Poe: “William Wilson” 337 and “The Man of the Crowd” 388
Due:RQ #6: Is the narrator of “William Wilson” reliable? Is he insane? How do doubts about the narrator’s reliability change your analysis of the story?
February 8 – W
Readings:Poe: “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” 397, “The Mystery of Marie Roget” 506, “The Purloined Letter” 680
Due:RQ #7: Analyze the setting – Paris – of the Dupin stories. Why does Poe set these works in Paris? List 3+ Paris details from the stories and analyze their significance.
February 10 – F
Readings:Poe: “The Oblong Box” 648 and “The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade” 787
Due:Quiz #4
Exam 1 Study Guide given to class
February 13 – M
Readings:Poe: “Some Words with a Mummy” 805 and “The Imp of the Perverse” 826
Due:RQ #8:Analyze the style of “The Imp of the Perverse.” Some items to consider:
point of view, organization, word choice, syntax, imagery, symbolism, and allusions.
February 15 – W
Readings:Poe: “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” 833
Due:RQ #9: Analyze the medical characters in “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar.” What motivates them? Do they change? How are the readers to view them?
February 17 – F
Due:Exam 1 Review Session [Bring large size bluebook]
Pick up Take Home Essay Question [Take Home Exam will be posted on BB after class.]
February 20 – M
Due:In-Class Portion of Essay 1
Turn in Take-Home Essay at the start of class
February 22 – W
Readings:Nathaniel Hawthorne: “Prefaces” 1123, 1150, 1154
NOTE: I believe most of you have read & studied some of the most popular Hawthorne stories in other classes: “The May-Pole of Merry Mount,” “Young Goodman Brown,” “My Kinsman, Major Molineux,” “The Prophetic Pictures,” “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” “Endicott and the Red Cross,” “The Birthmark,” and “The Artist of the Beautiful.” All of these stories can be found in your L of A edition if you have missed any of them.
Due:RQ #10: You have three prefaces by Hawthorne (to Mosses from an Old Manse, Twice-Told Tales, and The Snow-Image). Analyze them. Explain 3+ objectives with direct connections to the texts.
February 24 – F
Readings:Hawthorne: “Roger Malvin’s Burial” 88 and “Mr. Higginbotham’s Catastrophe”
188
Due:RQ #11: Who is Reuben Bourne? What happens to him? How do these events
change him? Analyze his character development.
February 27 – M
Readings:Hawthorne: “Alice Doane’s Appeal” 205 and “Wakefield” 290
Due:RQ #12:Analyze the structure (fragmentary, episodic) of “Alice Doane’s Appeal.” Why does Hawthorne attempt this organizational plan? What are his goals (think about characters and themes)? How successful is this structure?
February 29 – W
Readings:Hawthorne: “The Minister’s Black Veil” 371 and “The Great Carbuncle” 435
Due:RQ #13: Here’s an easy question: Analyze the themes of “The Minister’s Black
Veil.” Make connections in your answer to specific details in the story.
March 2 – F
Readings:Hawthorne: “Peter Goldthwaite’s Treasure” 522
Due:Quiz #5
March 5 – M
Readings:Hawthorne: “Egoism: or, the Bosom-Serpent” 781 and “The Intelligence Office”
873
Due:RQ #14: Several critics have connected Hawthorne’s “The Intelligence Office” with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The Young American.” What connections can you make between the biographical Emerson and the seeker of truth in the Hawthorne work?
March 7 – W
Readings:Hawthorne: “The Celestial Rail-road” 808
Due:RQ #15: I know you are all familiar with John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, a famous religious allegory. First – define allegory. Second – how does Hawthorne’s “The Celestial Rail-road” function as an allegory?
March 9 – F
Readings:Hawthorne: “Rappaccini’s Daughter” 975
Due:Quiz #6
Post 2-3 paper topic ideas to Blackboard by noon
March 12-16
No class – Spring Break
March 19 -- M
Readings:Sarah Orne Jewett: “The Queen’s Twin” 493 and “A Dunnet Shepherdess” 512
Due:RQ #16: Analyze the setting – Dunnet Landing – of these two Jewett stories. How does the setting set the tone? How does it influence the characters? How does the setting foreshadow themes?
Handout of Collected Paper Topic Ideas given to class
March 21 – W
Readings:Jewett: “The Foreigner” 530 and “William’s Wedding” 556
Due:RQ #17:Analyze Mrs. Todd. Describe her first – physical, social, economic,
psychological details. Then analyze the way these details create this character.
March 23 – F
Readings:Jewett: “Miss Debby’s Neighbors” 626 and “The Dulham Ladies” 637
Due:Quiz #7
March 26 – M
Readings:Jewett: “A White Heron” 669 and “The White Rose Road” 710
Due:RQ #18:Analyze the symbolism of the white heron. [You may need to do some
research on herons to answer this question. Please use MLA citation in your answer if you consult research.]
March 28 – W
Readings:Jewett: “The Town Poor” 722 and “A Native of Winby” 734
Due:RQ #19: Pick either “The Town Poor” or “A Native of Winby.” What themes are
explored in your story? Make sure you refer to details from the story in your answer.
Exam 2 Study Guide given to class
March 30 – F
Readings:Jewett: “Decoration Day” 773 and “The Hiltons’ Holiday” 809
Due:Quiz #8
April 2 – M
Readings:Jewett: “The Guests of Mrs. Timms” 840 and “Aunt Cynthy Dallett” 856
Due:RQ #20: The phrase “local color” writing has been used in the past to categorize
Sarah Orne Jewett’s work. Define the term. How do you think the term is useful? How can it be limiting? [Please cite correctly if you consult sources.]
April 4 – W
Due:Exam 2 Review Session [Bring large size bluebook]
Pick up Take Home Essay Question [Take Home Exam will be posted on BB after class.]
April 6 – F
No Class
April 9 – M
Due:In-Class Portion of Essay 2
Turn in Take-Home Essay at the start of class
April 11 – W
Readings:Kate Chopin: “Desiree’s Baby” 242 and “At the ‘Cadian Ball” 302
Due:RQ #21: Is the ending of “Desiree’s Baby” a complete surprise? Find and analyze
3+ elements of foreshadowing in the story.
April 13 – F
Readings:Chopin: “A Night in Acadie” 335 and “Athenaise” 353
Due:RQ #22: Many of Chopin’s stories contain French, Creole, and Cajun expressions. Why? Analyze Chopin’s use of other languages / dialects in her short stories.
Final Paper Topic – post to BB by noon
April 16 – M
Readings:Chopin: “A Sentimental Soul” 456 and “At Cheniere Caminada” 475
Due:RQ #23:Analyze the setting – Louisiana – of many of Chopin’s stories. How
does the setting set the tone? How does it influence the characters? How does the setting foreshadow themes?
Handout of Collected Final Paper Topic given to class
April 18 – W
Readings:Chopin: “A Point at Issue!” 670 and “Miss Witherwell’s Mistake” 683
Due:RQ #24: Analyze the relationship between Eleanor and Charles in “A Point at
Issue!” How does it change? Why does it change?
April 20 – F
Readings:Chopin: “Miss McEnders” 746 and “The Story of an Hour” 756
Due:Quiz #9
Abstract (Rough Intro with Thesis) – Post on BB by noon
April 23 – M
Readings:Chopin: “Madame Martel’s Christmas Eve” 804 and “A Pair of Silk Stockings” 816
Due:RQ #25:Analyze the symbolism of silk stockings in the Chopin story. [Remember to cite correctly if you consult research.]
April 25 – W
Readings:Chopin: “The Storm” 926, “Polly” 1030, and “The Impossible Miss Meadows”
1035
Due:RQ #26: You read “At the ‘Cadian Ball” earlier this semester, but “The Storm” is a much more famous story. Why should these two stories be read together? If someone reads both stories, how might the analysis of characters and themes change?
April 27 – F
Readings:Chopin: “Charlie” 985
Due:Quiz #10
April 30 – M
Due:Peer Review of Paper – Bring at least 5 typed pages (ds) of draft to class
May 2 – W
Due:Papers with Multimedia Component due at the start of class (see section on the research essay below for submission details)
Grading:
Quizzes10%
Exam 120%
Exam 220%
Essay with scholarly research & multimedia component
(8-10pages + WC page)30%
Reading Questions10%
Daily Work: Class Participation (not attendance), Blackboard
Participation, Peer Review10%
You should expect to spend 2 hours outside class for every 1 hour in class. Translation: You should study 6 hours a week (minimum) outside of class for each 3-credit course.
[12 credit hours + 24 hours outside of class = 36 hours per week for a full time student.]
NOTE: The withdrawal date for all Spring 2012 classes is March 26th.
Student Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the semester, students should be able to:
- Reproduce a timeline of American literature from the 1810s to the 1890s that includes key genres, styles, topics, and authors – with special influence on the short story genre
- Articulate the themes and ideas representative of American literature from the 1810s to the 1890s
- Recognize how historical, political, and social events shape our analysis and appreciation of literature
- Argue independent interpretations of canonical and non-canonical texts in the American literary tradition
- Write persuasive close readings / explications of short stories
- Use the terms related to literary study and literary theory appropriately in discussion and in writing
- Enter the critical interpretation of literary texts with published scholars in their own essays
- Understand literature’s significance in creating and shaping an evolving American identity
Reading Questions:
On the daily schedule I have written 23 reading questions. [New Submission Format: Before 10am on the assigned day, email me your RQ from your UTT Patriot email account: . Late RQs will not be accepted.] Answer the reading questions in complete sentences with enough thoughtful detail to demonstrate that you have read the assigned works and have come to class prepared to discuss them. The daily reading questions will be worth 10% of your final grade.
Quizzes and Exams:
You will have 9 reading quizzes throughout the semester. They should not be difficult. The quizzes will be geared toward plot lines and characters. If you have read the selections and taken some notes, you should pass them. Quizzes missed due to an unexcused absence cannot be made up. Quizzes missed due to an excused absence must be rescheduled by the student. The quizzes are worth 10% of your final grade. Quizzes will take place in the last 25 minutes of class and are always closed notes and book. Cheating on a quiz in English 4341 will result in failure of the quiz. A second cheating incident will result in failure of the class.
You will have 2 exams. While they will also encompass plot lines and characters, they will go beyond memorization and ask you to do some interpretation and argumentation. If you have read the assignments, taken notes, participated in class and on BB, and paid attention to the development of themes along a series of authors, you should pass the exams. I will provide a study guide for each exam. Each exam is worth 20% of your course grade.
Research Essay:
This assignment requires you to go beyond a book review or research report. I am not checking to see if you have read the works in question. I want to understand your thoughts on the readings and have you present a well-reasoned and carefully written argument. You must make a claim (thesis), give reasons, offer evidence, show awareness of other points of view, etc. The essay should be 90% your ideas / words and 10% quotes. Do not overquote.
Details:
- Topic choices DUE on April 13 (Topic Approval Required)
- 8-10 pages, ds, typed, 1 inch margins, 12 New Times Roman
- You will also include a multimedia component. [Powerpoint – with images and audio, video, hypertext, etc.] These multimedia supplements should be creative and well-developed. They should be posted on BB for your classmates to view. The text portion of your essay will be worth 90%; the multimedia portion will be worth 10%. Be creative. Your multimedia supplement should help the university-level reader of your essay better understand the text(s) and your argument.
- Appropriate use of 3-5 ACADEMIC SECONDARY sources (no encyclopedias, no book reviews, no cliff notes or spark notes, no Wikipedia, no non-academic websites). If you have any questions about a source, please check with me before you include a reference to it in your essay. Unless specifically approved, all sources must have been published between 1985-2012. NOTE: Your 4341 essays must be original works of scholarship. You are NOT paraphrasing or summarizing what other critics have said about the work(s).
- Required peer review on April 30. (You can turn in a draft to me at anytime. Give me 24 hours to make comments.)
- 30% of your final grade
- Turn in final text version, multimedia supplement, drafts, peer review, copies of research in a manila folder on May 2.
- Email your MM component BEFORE class on May 2nd. Wait for me to reply that I can open the attachment.
Paper Format:
Title pages are not necessary. On the first page, top left, include the single-spaced header:
Your name
English 4341.001
My name (Dr. Ann Beebe)
Date
Leave one space and center your title. (All essays should have original titles.) Number and staple your pages. Make sure your margins do not exceed 1 inch; your font size should be 12. Always leave time to proofread your final version and make corrections. MLA in-text citation and a Works Cited page are required for sources. Please do not put your essay in a plastic cover.
WritingCenter:
Located in BUS 202, the UT-TylerWritingCenter provides professional writing tutoring for all students in all disciplines. If you wish to use the WritingCenter, you should plan for a minimum of two hour-long tutorials per assignment: the first to provide an initial consultation and drafting plan, and the second to follow up. Be prepared to take an active role in your learning--you will be expected write and/or discuss your work during your tutorial. While WritingCenter tutors are happy to provide constructive criticism and teach effective writing techniques, under no circumstances will they fix your paper for you. Appointments: 903-565-5995. More information: