ENG216 -- Survey of American Literature, 1865-present

ENGLISH 216 SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE II: 1865 TO PRESENT

CRN 41588
Summer 1997
MUWH 2:00-2:50
108 Gilbert

Nicolas Witschi
PLC 16 — 346-5877
office hours: MW 12:00-1:30 . . . and by appointment
e-mail: witschi@darkwing

TEXTBOOKS:

The Norton Anthology of American Literature (volume II, 4th edition), ed. by Nina Baym, et al.

A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, by Norman Maclean.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This is the second course in a two-course sequence that surveys the history of American Literature from its beginnings to the present. By examining a variety of texts (short stories, essays, autobiographies, poems, plays, and two novels), we will develop our understanding of these texts as literary forms and learn about the historical and cultural contexts in which they exist, which includes both when they were first published and now. In short, we’re going to have fun reading around in a wide but representative selection of American literature from the late 19th- and 20th- centuries.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING:

Two short papers on the assigned readings 15% each

2-3 pages each. These papers will be on an assigned topics, to be handed out at a later date.

Midterm Exam 20%

Final Exam 25%

Pop Quizzes, Preparedness, and Participation 15%

There will be four (4) unscheduled quizzes given over the course of the term.

They will examine you on both the readings and the lectures. Quizzes cannot be made up.

Discussion Facilitation (everybody must do at least one) 10%

You will come to class on your assigned day prepared to lead off discussion by 1) providing a bit of historical context for the text in question, 2) setting forth your own initial interpretation of the reading or a section of the reading, and 3) engaging the rest of us with a question for us to chew over, discuss, and use as the basis for further exploration. No one is exempt from this requirement.

THE FINE PRINT:

Regular attendance is expected, as there will be several (4) unannounced quizzes that cover both readings and in-class material, as well as fascinating and informative interpretations available nowhere else (i.e., no "lecture notes" beyond those you take yourself). It should be clear that the more you show up, the more you will "get" out of this class.

All written work for this course must be typed or word processed, and I won’t be accepting papers in any other form. They must be double-spaced, printed in 12 pt. Times-Roman or similar typeface, with one-inch margins and a snappy, makes-me-want-to-read-more title. You may revise any paper you write, provided 1) you make an appointment with me to discuss possible revisions, and 2) your revisions reflect a substantive and thorough reworking of the paper’s argument. You will have one week after our meeting in which to turn in the revision. The better grade of the two versions will then be the one that counts.

Papers will lose one third of a grade (i.e., from A- to B+) for every calendar day late. You need to complete all assigned work (this doesn’t include pop quizzes) in order to receive a passing grade.

All work submitted in this course must be your own and must be written exclusively for this course. The use of sources must be properly documented. See The Writer's Brief Handbook for documentation rules and definition of plagiarism. Consult the Code of Student Conduct in the Schedule of Classes for a summary of the consequences of academic dishonesty. See me if you have any problems or questions.

READING ASSIGNMENTS & DUE DATES

Week 1	6/23 -- INTRODUCTION 6/24 -- "American Literature 1865-1914" (1-10); Mark Twain, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (15-18); Bret Harte, "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" (224-230). 6/25 -- "Joel Chandler Harris (446-457); Charles Chestnut, "The Goophered Grapevine" (613-620). 6/26 -- Sarah Orne Jewett, "White Heron" (459-465); Mary Wilkins Freeman, "The Revolt of ‘Mother’" (592-603).
Week 2	*6/30 -- Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn* (29-214). 7/1 -- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (cont'd). 7/2 -- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (cont'd). 7/3 -- Booker T. Washington, from Up From Slavery, ch. XIV (604-612); W.E.B. DuBois, from The Souls of Black Folk, ch. III (750-759); DUE: PAPER #1**
Week 3	7/7 -- Henry James, "Daisy Miller: A Study" (277-315). 7/8 -- Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper" (645-657). 7/9 -- Mary Austin, "The Walking Woman" (740-748). 7/10 -- Stephen Crane, "The Open Boat" (786-802); Hamlin Garland, "Under the Lion's Paw" (634-643).
Week 4	7/14 -- "Native American Oratory" & selections (265-274); Charles Eastman (621-633); Ghost Dance Songs (873-876). *7/15 -- Gertrude Bonnin, from Impressions of an Indian Childhood* (878-905). 7/16 -- REVIEW 7/17 -- MIDTERM EXAM**
Week 5	*7/21 -- Henry Adams, from The Education of Henry Adams, ch. I & XXV (909-921, 931-938); "American Literature between the Wars, 1914-1945" (939-50).* 7/22 -- Gertrude Stein, "The Good Anna" (1027-1063). 7/23 -- Modernist Poetry—Carl Sandburg (esp. "Chicago," Fog" and "Grass"); Wallace Stevens (esp. "Anecdote of a Jar" and "Of Modern Poetry"); William Carlos Williams (esp. "The Red Wheelbarrow") 7/24 -- Modernist Poetry—H.D. (esp. "Oread" and "Leda"); Marianne Moore (esp. "Bird-Witted" and "Poetry)"; Amy Lowell (esp. "In The Stadium," "September 1918" and "St. Louis")
Week 6	7/28 -- Modernist Poetry—Robert Frost (esp. "The Oven Bird" and "Directive"); Robinson Jeffers (esp. "Shine, Perishing Republic," "Carmel Point," and "Hurt Hawks") *7/29 -- William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying* (1526-1620). 7/30 -- As I Lay Dying (cont'd) 7/31 -- As I Lay Dying (cont'd); DUE: PAPER #2**
Week 7	8/4 -- "American Poetry since 1945" (2375-2382); Poetry—Elizabeth Bishop, "The Fish" 8/5 -- Poetry—Addrienne Rich, "Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law" and "To Ethel Rosenberg" 8/6 -- Flannery O’Connor, "Good Country People" (2102-2116); Alice Walker, "Everyday Use" (2240-2246) [optional: "American Prose since 1945" (1761-1770)] 8/7 -- Ralph Ellison, from Invisible Man (1903-1918); John Barth, "Life-Story" (2117-2125)
Week 8	8/11 -- Norman Maclean, "A River Runs Through It" (1-113) 8/12 -- "A River Runs Through It" (cont'd) 8/13 -- REVIEW 8/14 -- FINAL EXAM: 3:30 TO 5:20 P.M., 108 GILBERT