Syllabus
English 152: Introduction to Narrative Fiction
(Section 2: MWF 9)
Semester I, 1997-98
Instructor: R. Longsworth
Office: Rice 128
Hours: M 4:30; Tu 10; W, F 8 a.m. (or by appointment)
Telephone: ext. 8571
Aims
As noted in the Course Catalogue, the objectives of this course
are, broadly speaking, "to provide increased appreciation of content
and style in narrative fiction, to develop discrimination and a coherent
critical method in its study, and to help students write effective analytical
prose."
Texts
- Conrad, Joseph. Nostromo. NY: Penguin, 1983 (orig. 1904).
- Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. NY: Vintage, 1995 (orig. 1947).
- Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia, eds. An Introduction to Fiction
(6th ed.). NY: Harper Collins, 1995.
- Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. NY: NAL, 1977.
- Silko, Leslie M. Ceremony. NY: Penguin, 1986 (orig. 1977).
- Smiley, Jane. A Thousand Acres. NY: Fawcett, 1991.
Course Requirements
- A. Attendance at and participation in class discussions.
- B. Reading assignments in advance of class discussion. This course
makes heavy demands in terms of reading, and you will need to make time
available in your schedule.
- C. Five scheduled papers. Except for the first and last, each paper
must be submitted and will be evaluated in draft form before the final
version is due. Only the grade of the final version will be recorded.
Deadlines for submission are:
- I. 2-5 pages, introducing yourself, due on 5 September;
- II. 3-4 pages, on an aspect of the shaping role of the narrator in
one of the short stories read to date in the course: first draft (required)
due 17 September; final version due 29 September;
- III. 4-6 pages, comparing the way in which a person, object, or idea
is presented in two works studied in the course to date: first draft due
17 October; final version due 31 October;
- IV. 4-6 pages, on an issue raised by your reflections on Conrad's Nostromo:
first draft due 10 November; final version due 24 November;
- V. 5-8 pages, on a topic to be chosen in consultation with the instructor:
final version due at end of reading period (14 December).
Approximate schedule of assignments
Sept. 3: Introduction
Sept 5: Tillie Olsen, "I Stand Here Ironing" (1961), Fiction
534-540; and Luke 15:11-32, Fiction 222
*paper I due
Sept 8: James Baldwin, "Sonny's Blues" (1957), Fiction
37-60; also 19-25
Sept. 10: T. Coraghessan Boyle, "Greasy Lake" (1985); Amy
Tan, "A Pair of Tickets" (1989), Fiction 129-154; also
110-12
Sept. 12: Katherine Anne Porter, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall"
(1930); Frank O'Connor, "First Confession" (1952), Fiction
70-77 and 528-534; also 67-70
Sept. 15: Discussion of Writing Papers
Sept. 17: Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon, ch. 1
*paper due (draft)
Sept. 19: Song of Solomon, chs. 2-3
Sept. 22: Song of Solomon, chs. 4-6
Sept. 24: Song of Solomon, chs. 7-9
Sept. 26: Song of Solomon, chs. 10-12
Sept. 29: Song of Solomon, chs. 13-15
*paper II due (final version)
Oct. 1: "Critical Approaches to Literature," Fiction
607-35
Oct. 3: Leslie Silko, Ceremony, 1-63
Oct. 6: Ceremony, 64-113
Oct. 8: Ceremony, 114-202
Oct. 13: Ceremony, 202-end
Oct. 15: Ceremony (reprise)
*paper due (first draft)
[Spring Break]
Oct. 27: Joseph Conrad, Nostromo, "Silver of the Mine,"
chs. 1-5
Oct. 29: Nostromo, "Silver of the Mine," chs. 6-8
Oct. 31: Nostromo, "The Isabels," chs. 1-6
*paper III due (final version)
Nov. 3: Nostromo, "The Isabels," chs. 7-8
Nov. 5: Nostromo, "The Lighthouse," chs. 1-8
Nov. 7: Nostromo, "The Lighthouse," chs. 9-13
Nov. 10: Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart," Fiction
62-65; James Joyce, "Araby," Fiction 177-182
*paper due (first draft)
Nov. 12: Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, chs. 1-5
Nov. 14: Invisible Man, chs. 6-10
Nov. 17: Invisible Man, chs. 11-15
Nov. 19: Invisible Man, chs. 16-20
Nov. 21: Invisible Man, chs. 21-end
Nov. 24: Jane Smiley, A Thousand Acres, chs. 1-9
*paper IV due (final draft)
Nov. 26: A Thousand Acres, chs. 10-18
Dec. 1: A Thousand Acres, chs. 19-27
Dec. 3: A Thousand Acres, chs. 28-36
Dec. 5: A Thousand Acres, chs. 37-end
Dec. 8: Discussion of Film and Text (assignment TBA)
Dec. 10: Concluding discussion
**Dec. 14: paper V due (in final draft)**
A note on discussion: Class meetings will rely heavily on discussion
by participants. Good discussions do not happen accidentally; they require
careful preparation, hard work (especially in the form of listening attentively),
and a measure of trust (particularly in a willingness to air and to reflect
thoughtfully on views that may prove to be unpopular). Any member of the
class may at any time request consideration of problems that may seem to
have arisen in this process.
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