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Spring 2000 |
George Boulukos |
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English 384 |
Rice 8 |
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Peters 234 |
Office hours: Tu 10-11:30; Th 3-4:30 |
Description
The subject matter of this course is slave narratives and fictional representations of slavery, in 18th century Britain and the Antebellum (i.e. Pre- Civil War) United States. We will examine the cultural work these texts perform, that is their impact on the politics of slavery and abolition, and also their key role in constructing a new discourse of racial difference. Our key concerns, then, will be the cultural history of race and slavery in the English-speaking world of the period. Central themes will be the complex relationships between the two primary genres (slave narrative and novel) and the two contiguous but distinct periods (British 18thc, US 19thc) under examination.
Goals
Because this is an advanced course, we will begin with the assumption that participants are well-informed, intelligent, diligent, and careful readers; therefore, our primary goal will be to gain as much insight as we can into our texts and into the cultural history of slavery and race. However, we will also work to build a group dynamic that helps each of us make our best contribution; to further develop our skills as writers, researchers, analytical readers, and public speakers; and finally, to attain a fluency in using literature to build cultural history.
Requirements
Papers
NB: Drafts will be critiqued in small groups meeting outside of class. Details below.
All papers must be typed, double-spaced, and printed legibly. Response papers will not be accepted late. Please plan ahead&emdash;write your paper before the day it's due, so you aren't at the mercy of a printer that suddenly breaks down or some other similar catastrophe.
Response papers will be brief, but analytical, accounts of your reactions to a text. Rather than trying to cover all the readings for a given day, or an entire narrative or novel, you should focus closely on a text. Some suggestions: show how the text relates to another text, or to a cultural/historical issue we have discussed; elaborate or refute a moral position set forth, or a critical interpretation offered; or develop the significance of a text to a contemporary debate or event. On days that you have a response paper due, you should come prepared to open the class discussion.
Long papers will be on one of three topics: a comparison of a slave narrative and a novel, of works from the British and the U.S. portions of the syllabus, or of a contemporary novel about slavery with a work from our syllabus. Other topics are possible with approval.
Presentations
Groups: early in the semester, you will be assigned to a small group that will meet outside of class for further discussion and to prepare presentations. Group presentations will open discuss of a day's reading through discussion of a relevant critical, historical, or theoretical work (ideally an essay or chapter), resulting in several discussion questions for the class as a whole. Groups should make sure to clear their topics with the instructor at least a week in advance.
Attendance & Participation:
In-class discussion and argument will fuel this course. Attendance and participation are therefore crucial. Three or more unexcused absences will adversely effect your grade; five will constitute grounds for a "No Entry." (Absences will be excused for documented sickness and family emergencies; if you are ill with the 'flu or another contagious disease, do us all a favor -- stay home and rest. But do let me know first.) Participation, including your response papers, group work, and contributions to class discussion, will be a major factor in your grade. Assignments should be completed before the beginning of class on the day they are listed. Missing a day on which you have a response paper or a presentation will result in a zero for the assignment, unless you have a documentedly dire medical or personal emergency. And remember, lateness is disruptive and rude.
Grading:
SCHEDULE OF READINGS & ASSIGNMENTS for Eng 384, Slave Narrative & Novel
Texts:
Course Reader (available at English Dept Office in Rice 8-4 m-f, $19 payable with check or exact change.)
Available at the student bookstore, back of South Hall:
Copies of each assignment should also be available on reserve.
Week 1: Intro
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Tu 2/8 |
Overview |
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Th 2/10
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IN READER: Gates, "Introduction: The Language of
Slavery," Allen, |
Week 2 Oroonoko
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Tu 2/15 |
Behn, Oroonoko |
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Th 2/17 |
End Behn; Brown & Sussman essays in Oroonoko |
Week 3 Robinson Crusoe
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Tu 2/22 |
Defoe, Robinson Crusoe |
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Th 2/24 |
Finish Robinson Crusoe |
Week 4 "The Grateful Slave": 18th Century fictions of slavery
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Tu 2/29 |
IN READER: Steele, "Inkle and Yarico"; Defoe excerpt from
Colonel Jack; |
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Th 3/2 |
IN READER: Edgeworth, "The Grateful Negro," St Lambert, Zimao; Sussman,"Women and the Politics of Sugar, 1792" |
Week 5 Equiano
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Tu 3/7 |
Equiano |
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Th 3/9 |
finish Equiano; IN READER: Gates "The Trope of the Talking Book,"SCHEDULE OF READINGS & ASSIGNMENTS for Eng 384, con't |
Week 6: Crossing the Atlantic
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Tu: 3/14 |
IN READER: Cugoano selections; Sancho, selected letters; Race and the Enlightenment, Selections |
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Th: 3/16 |
IN READER: Mary Prince; Lydia Maria Child |
Week 7: Douglass
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Tu: 3/21 |
Douglass, Narrative |
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Th: 3/23 |
"Contexts" and "Criticism" in Douglass Norton Critical ed. |
Week 8: Rebel Slaves
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Tu: 4/4 |
Melville, Benito Cereno; Douglass, "Heroic Slave," in Andrews, ed. Three Classic |
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Th: 4/6 |
IN READER: Confessions of Nat Turner; Horwitz, "Nat Turner"; Nelson, selection; Sundquist Essay |
Week 9: Uncle Tom's Cabin vol I
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Tu 4/11 |
Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin ch 1-11 |
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Th 4/13 |
Uncle Tom's Cabin ch 12-18 |
Week 10: Uncle Tom's Cabin vol II
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Tu 4/18 |
Uncle Tom's Cabin ch 19-34 |
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Th 4/20 |
Uncle Tom's Cabin ch 35-end; IN READER, Frederickson chapter |
Week 11: Crafts & Clotel
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Tu 4/25 |
IN READER Crafts, "Running"; Brown, "Clotel" in Andrews, ed. Three Classic |
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Th 4/27 |
finish Crafts & Clotel |
Week 12: Harriet Jacobs
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Tu 5/2 |
Jacobs |
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Th 5/6 |
Finish Jacobs; Fagin-Yellin, intro in Jacobs; IN READER,
Carby Chapter |
Week 13: Research Presentations
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Tu 5/11 |
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Th 5/13 |
CRITIQUES due |