English 202
Inventing Western Literature
Renaissance to Modern
Spring XXXX
Instructor: Michael Rosenberg Section 0201
Office: 2115 Tawes MWF 2:00 – 2:50 p.m.
Office Hours: XXXX or by appointment Room 0220 Tawes
Email:
Rosenberg ENGL 202 Page 1
Course Description: In this course, we will read literature (primarily in translation) from a period spanning nearly five centuries, beginning with the first part of Don Quixote in 1605 and concluding with Season of Migration to the North in 1969. We will explore important themes and literary techniques in each book, and we will also attempt to understand the overall evolution of Western literature from the Renaissance to the middle of the twentieth century. This is the period of print publication, of industrialization, of the questioning of religious, political, intellectual, and cultural authority—in short, the modern era.
My background is primarily in prose fiction, so that is primarily what we will be reading—though we will make time for close readings of a few Renaissance poems, and possibly some later poems as well. Since there are other introductory courses available in English and American Literature, I have chosen to strongly emphasize works in translation. Though translation can never be perfectly accurate, poetry in translation is generally much further away from the original than prose in translation—another reason we are emphasizing short stories, novellas, and novels. My apologies to anyone who was hoping for more poetry or even a single play—there simply isn’t room for everything in a course covering half of Western literature.
This course uses a broad definition of “Western” literature. Season of Migration to the North was written in Arabic by a Sudanese man, Tayeb Salih, but he is connected to the West by his British education and to the study of Western literature by the field known as Postcolonial Studies. Nevertheless, the emphasis here is on canonical Russian and European texts.
This course has been divided into three units, each of which is anchored by a major novel, on which you will be required to write a short (3-5pp.) paper: 1) The Renaissance and the Enlightenment: Don Quixote; 2) Romanticism and the 19th Century: Madame Bovary; 3) The Twentieth Century: To the Lighthouse. These three are vastly different novels, and all of them challenge the forms and techniques of traditional storytelling in their times. They are all long, so you may want to get a head start. We will spend most of September on Don Quixote, an extremely long novel which we will be reading in its entirety, at the rate of 100 or so long pages per class session. After that, our pace will slow down a bit—more like 50 pages per session. You will be held accountable for your reading by your participation grade (which may include short in or out of class writing), and by the comprehensive final at the end of the semester. But the main reason to do all of the reading is to learn, to enjoy, and to help others enjoy a lively class discussion.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, the successful 202 student will be able to
1. Demonstrate familiarity and facility with fundamental terminology and concepts associated with literary analysis.
2. Demonstrate understanding of the methods used by scholars in the study of modern literature.
3. Describe how language use is related to ways of thinking, cultural heritage, and cultural values.
4. Demonstrate the ability to formulate a thesis and to support the thesis with evidence and argumentation.
Course Materials: Please, if at all possible within your budget, try to get the editions specified below, all of which should be available through both bookstores. (I’ve tried to get as many inexpensive editions as possible.) If you have a different edition of a text you’re writing a paper on, make sure to provide a proper MLA or Chicago-style citation for that edition in your paper. Additional readings and handouts are available on the course Blackboard site at elms.umd.edu.
Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote. Trans. Edith Grossman. Harper Perennial. ISBN: 0060934344
Voltaire, Candide. Dover Thrift. ISBN: 0486266893
Johan Wolfgang von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther. Dover Thrift. ISBN: 0486424553
Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary. Trans. Lowell Bair. Bantam Classics. ISBN: 0553213415
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from the Underground. Dover Thrift. ISBN: 048627053X
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis and Other Stories. Dover Thrift. ISBN: 0486290301
Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse. Harvest Books. ISBN: 0156907399
Tayeb Salih, Season of Migration to the North. Heinemann.ISBN: 0435900668
Assignments:
1. Papers (60% of total grade – 20% each): You will write three papers over the course of the semester, 1000-1750 words in length—one each on Don Quixote, Madame Bovary, and To the Lighthouse. I will announce assignments at least 10 days in advance of the due date. Papers are due by the beginning of class on the date specified. If you are late for class, your paper will be considered late. I will subtract one-third of a letter grade for each class session that your paper is late (A becomes A-, A- becomes B+, etc.). Submit your paper as a hard copy in class. I do not accept emailed papers. Make sure your paper is correctly formatted, including (but not limited to) an original title, the topic you’ve chosen to write on, correct spacing, and a correct word count. Papers will be considered late and will continue to accrue penalties until submitted in the proper format. Papers will be graded on the originality and depth of your analysis, your use of close reading of the text (attention to individual words or passages), the clarity of your thesis, the unity of your argument, and the quality and clarity of your writing (including organization and grammar). You should also make sure that you have fulfilled the assignment—that you’ve answered the question posed, and that you’ve written the right amount of words or pages, neither more nor less than is required. If you have questions about these requirements, either in general or for a specific assignment, come see me during my office hours or email me for an appointment. I am also happy to help you with any ideas or drafts you are working on before a paper’s due date.
2. Participation (10% of total grade): I will assign daily reaction papers which are due, typed each class—these will often be used as a springboard for class discussion. You will receive credit (check mark) for each reaction paper you hand in that shows a reasonable effort to answer the question I’ve posed and demonstrates that you’ve done the reading for the day. You should consider these reaction papers a safe place to try out ideas. You can feel free to re-use ideas from reaction papers in class discussion or, if appropriate, on one of the major papers in the class. In addition to the reaction papers, I may give brief in-class writing assignments or quizzes. I may also offer occasional extra credit assignments. I will add up the number of assignments you’ve received credit for over the course of the semester, multiply by four, and divide by the total number of assignments (minus extra credit) to determine your participation grade on a 4-point scale. I may also adjust this number based on your in-class participation: you’ll receive a bonus for exceptional participation, and a penalty if you’re disruptive, leave class without my permission, or don’t participate in group activities. You may not make up a missed reaction paper without a properly documented (and notified) excused absence. You may have to read a passage—or an entire text—more than once in order to be able to talk or write about it for class.
3. Final Exam (30% of total grade): Your final exam will consist of passage recognition and short essays. I will only include passages that we’ve discussed in class, or passages that clearly reflect issues we’ve discussed in class. The essay questions will ask you to compare multiple works from the semester in reference to a major theme or technique we’ve discussed.
Grading Policy: An “A” represents truly exceptional work. For papers, that means that you have met and exceeded the requirements of the assignment with clever ideas, sound reasoning, and acute close reading, clearly expressed. For attendance, that means that you have regularly contributed positively to discussion, as well as having turned in an acceptable reaction paper for the vast majority of those assigned. For the final, an “A” means that you have understood, remembered, and successfully communicated key concepts and passages we’ve discussed while also providing new insights into the texts.
“B” papers are thoughtful and readable, and they contain close reading, but they may not be very striking or original. “B” attendance means you often participate in class and turn in most of your reaction papers. “B” finals may miss a few things here and there, but still display command of most of the key concepts and passages.
“C” papers may not delve closely into the text, but they still adequately meet the requirements of the assignment, backing up claims with evidence from the text. They may also lack clarity or have grammar problems. “C” attendance means you are missing a lot of class, you’re not participating much, or you’re not handing in many reaction papers that show you’ve comprehended the text.
“D” or “F” papers have severe problems with clarity, are largely or completely lacking in evidence to back up arguments, or they fall short of the basic assignment requirements (length, answering the question), “F” more severely than “D.” Plagiarism will result in an automatic “F”--so make sure you understand what plagiarism is—including, but not limited to, unattributed use of another’s words, ideas, or sentence structure. (See course policy #3 below, as well as the University’s Code of Academic Integrity, for more details.) “D” or “F” participation means you’ve hardly turned in any adequate reaction papers, you’ve missed most of class, or you’ve been disruptive in class.
For each class session that a paper is late, I will deduct one-third of a letter grade from your paper’s final grade. (A paper is late once class has begun.) I will not accept late reaction papers.
Course Policies:
1. Attendance is not strictly required, but absences will necessarily affect your participation grade. If you provide proper and prompt documentation of an excused absence (before the absence if it was foreseeable; immediately upon your return to class if it was not), I can provide you with an assignment to recoup your participation grade. In some cases (when you don’t have any other paper options and could not have submitted the paper in advance), I may extend the deadline for a particular paper—but you must contact me as soon as possible and receive special approval for any such extension. If you will be missing class for religious observance, you must notify me in writing within the first 2 weeks of class and complete any papers you would like to write as well as any makeup work for participation in advance of your absence. The same goes for absences related to University-affiliated activities (such as sports). In any case, if you are going to miss more than one class period in a row, it’s a good idea to contact me by email. If you are unable to attend the final exam for a legitimate reason, contact me immediately.
2. Students with disabilities must be registered with Disability Support Services and contact me at the beginning of the semester (first two weeks) in order to receive special accommodation.
3. The University has approved a Code of Academic Integrity which prohibits students from cheating on exams, plagiarizing papers, submitting the same paper for credit in two courses without authorization, buying papers, submitting fraudulent documents, and forging signatures. Plagiarism policy: all quotations taken from other authors, including from the Internet, must be indicated by quotation marks and must be properly referenced. Paraphrasing must be referenced as well, as must ideas taken from other authors. The same applies to your classmates—if you’re taking or building on an idea from one of them, credit them by name. The following University of Maryland Honor Pledge has been proposed by the Council and approved by the University Senate: “I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination.” Please write the Honor Pledge by hand and sign on any paper you submit by hand and on your final exam. Please type the honor pledge in an ELMS text box when you submit a paper online.
4. Classroom Disruption will not be tolerated. Habitual tardiness (unless you’ve specifically discussed the matter with me), inappropriate or disruptive comments, and use of any electronic devices without special permission is unacceptable, and may severely affect your participation grade. I may also ask you to leave the classroom. The same goes for online discussion boards. You may be critical of texts and each others’ arguments, but by all means stay on topic and be polite.
5. Course Schedule
Notes: This schedule is subject to change.
Date / Text / Due Today /UNIT 1: THE RENAISSANCE & THE ENLIGHTENMENT
Mon, Jan 26 / Renaissance Poetry I (handout)
Wed, Jan 28 / Cervantes, Don Quixote, Part 1 (1605) / Prologue, Dedicatory Poems, and Ch. 1-8 (pp. 3-65)
Fri, Jan 30 / Don Quixote, Part 1 (1605) / Ch. 9-22 (pp. 65-172)
Mon, Feb 2 / Don Quixote, Part 1 (1605) / Ch. 23-32 (pp. 173-272)
Wed, Feb 4 / Don Quixote, Part 1 (1605) / Ch. 33-41 (pp. 272-368)
Fri, Feb 6 / Don Quixote, Part 1 (1605) / Ch. 42-52 (pp. 368-449)
Mon, Feb 9 / Don Quixote, Part 2 (1615) / Prologue, Dedication, and Ch. 1-15 (pp. 453-550)
Wed, Feb 11 / Don Quixote, Part 2 (1615) / Ch. 16-29 (pp. 550-652)
Fri, Feb 13 / Don Quixote, Part 2 (1615) / Ch. 30-41 (pp. 653-727)
Mon, Feb 16 / Don Quixote, Part 2 (1615) / Ch. 42-53 (pp. 727-809)
Wed, Feb 18 / Don Quixote, Part 2 (1615) / Ch. 54-63 (pp. 809-883)
Fri, Feb 20 / Don Quixote, Part 2 (1615) / Ch. 64-74 (pp. 884-940)
Mon, Feb 23 / Renaissance Poetry II (ELMS)
Wed, Feb 25 / Voltaire, Candide (1759) / I-XVIII (pp. 1-48)
Fri, Feb 27 / Voltaire, Candide (1759) / XIV-XXX (pp. 48-88)
Mon, Mar 2 / Voltaire, Candide (1759) / ***Paper on Don Quixote due by beginning of class
UNIT 2: ROMANTICISM, REALISM, AND THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
Wed, Mar 4 / Goethe, Sorrows of Young Werther (1774) / Book One
Fri, Mar 6 / Goethe, Sorrows of Young Werther / Book Two
Mon, Mar 9 / Goethe, Sorrows of Young Werther
Wed, Mar 11 / Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1857) / Part One (pp. 1-59)
Fri, Mar 13 / Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1857) / Part Two I-VIII (pp. 60-133)
Mon, Mar 23 / Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1857) / Part Two IX-XV (pp. 134-198)
Wed, Mar 25 / Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1857) / Part Three I-VI (pp. 199-255)
Fri, Mar 27 / Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1857) / Part Three VII-XI (pp. 255-303)
Mon, Mar 30 / Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1857) / Excerpts from Correspondence (pp. 311-329)
Wed, Apr 1 / Dostoevsky, Notes from Underground (1864) / Part I
Fri, Apr 3 / Notes from Underground (1864) / Part II
Mon, Apr 6 / Notes from Underground (1864) / ***Paper on Madame Bovary due by beginning of class
UNIT 3: MODERNISM AND THE 20TH CENTURY
Wed, Apr 8
First night of Passover / Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time (1913) / Chapter 1, “Overture”
Fri, Apr 10
Good Friday / Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time (1913)
Mon, Apr 13 / Kafka,“The Metamorphosis” (1915) / complete story
Wed, Apr 15 / Kafka,“The Metamorphosis” / complete story
Fri, Apr 17 / Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse / Part 1: The Window I-XII (pp. 3-71)
Mon, Apr 20 / Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse / Part 1: The Window XIII-XIX (pp. 71-124)
Wed, Apr 22 / Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse / Part 2: Time Passes (pp. 125-143)
Fri, Apr 24 / Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse / Part 3: The Lighthouse I-IV (pp. 145-170)
Mon, Apr 27 / Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse / Part 3: The Lighthouse V-XIII (pp. 170-209)
Wed, Apr 29 / Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse
Fri, May 1 / Jorge Luis Borges, “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius” (1940) (handout)
Mon, May 4 / Tayeb Salih, Season of Migration to the North (1969) / First 4 sections (pp. 1-69)
Wed, May 6 / Season of Migration to the North / Sections 5-7 (pp. 70-115)
*** Paper on To the Lighthouse due by the beginning of class
Fri, May 8 / Season of Migration to the North / Sections 8-10 (pp. 116-169)
Mon, May 11 / REVIEW/CATCH-UP
COMPREHENSIVE FINAL
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