Fall 2001	Jennifer Bryan
English 121 (4112)	Rice 26, (440) 775-8586
TuTh, 1:30-2:45, King 121 E-mail: Jennifer.Bryan@oberlin.edu	Office hours: M, 9:00-10:00, Tu, 3:00-4:00 Th, 11:00-12:00, & by appt

The Romance Narrative

It seems to us natural that love should be the commonest theme of serious imaginative literature: but a glance at classical antiquity or at the Dark Ages at once shows us that what we took for 'nature' is really a special state of affairs, which will probably have an end, and which certainly had a beginning in eleventh-century Provence.

-- C.S. Lewis, The Allegory of Love, 1936

Lewis called the rise of romance "a change which has left no corner of our ethics, our imagination, or our daily life untouched." From the late eleventh century to the early twenty-first, "romantic love" in its various forms has proved one of the most flexible and durable models for mapping the geographies of nationality and subjectivity, of class, gender, sexuality, and society. Why is the romance narrative so powerful? What functions has it served, and for whom? How are its various forms related to particular cultural moments, ideologies, anxieties?

The terms "romance" and "romantic" are notoriously slippery. They are often used to describe, not only plots of delayed erotic gratification, but a wide variety of literary and artistic movements, styles, subjects, and narrative forms. Although this course is primarily focused on romance in the erotic sense, we will also pay attention to questions of genre -- of how literary classifications are constructed, and what those classifications might have to do with literary history, with gender ("chick flick"?), and with power.

Most importantly, however, the purpose of this class is to immerse you in the modes of thinking, reading, writing, and discussing that will help you to be successful in future courses in the English department, and at Oberlin in general. More than any particular subject or theme, the processes of literary analysis and critical expression will be our daily concerns.

Required Texts:

a reading packet, available in the English department (Rice 130)

Beroul, The Romance of Tristan (Penguin)

Chrétien de Troyes, Yvain (Waveland)

Marie de France, Lais (Penguin)

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (Norton)

Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights (Norton)

E.M. Forster, Maurice (Norton)

Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (Harper)

Course Requirements:

regular, informed, and enthusiastic participation in seminar

This is primarily a discussion course, so your active involvement is crucial to its success. And perhaps the most important element of participation is serious and thoughtful preparation -- before class. Don't be a passive reader. You must work with the texts. Underline; take notes; analyze; write down questions. Be aware and critical of your own responses. Come to class prepared to comment, react, question, and listen. This is a small class, and an invaluable opportunity: the more confidence you develop here in formulating and expressing your ideas, the more you will enjoy and benefit from the remainder of your time at Oberlin.

 

three protocols of 2-4 pages; three responses

"Protocols" are brief, somewhat informal written assignments that allow you to respond to some aspect of the day's reading. They may be turned in either Tuesday or Thursday of the week they are due, as long as they address the readings for that day.

 

Protocols are meant to be a forum for ideas which may or may not be fully worked out. They do not need to have introductions, conclusions, thesisstatements, or fully developed arguments. No matter how tentative your thoughts, however, I expect them to be communicated in language that is correct, concise, and engaging. Sloppy assignments will be returned for improvement.

 

Protocols will receive both peer and instructor comments. When youturn in a protocol, you should also receive one, which you must read andreturn to me by the following Tuesday (whether it was received on a Tuesday or a Thursday). Please respond to the protocol, but do not correct or grade it.

three 5-7 page analytical papers

Please note:

• With the exception of peer responses, all written assignments must be typed and double-spaced, with one-inch margins, informative titles (no separate title pages, please), and word counts. Late assignments will be penalized half a letter grade. If you need an extension, please see me before the due date.
• In order to receive a passing grade, you must complete all written assignments.
• Excessive absences (more than three, except in cases of prolonged illness) will adversely affect your grade.
• Everyone is late sometimes; it cannot be helped. Excessive tardiness, however, is discourteous and disruptive, and will not be tolerated.
• My office is in Rice 26 (the basement). You will be required to visit me once during weeks 1 or 2. But you should always feel free to drop in during my office hours, for any reason: to work out problems, to keep me informed, to discuss course material, or just to chat. If you cannot make my regularly-scheduled hours, please call to make an appointment at a more convenient time and/or place.
• If you do any research or receive any help whatsoever on an assignment -- including information from the internet -- you need to acknowledge your sources, even if you are not quoting them directly. Plagiarism is a very serious offense. If you are not sure how to cite sources properly, see me or consult a style guide.