Return to Donald Larsson’s home page

Updated 3 September 2006

 

 

English 671: Literary Criticism, Fall 2006
T 11:00-1:45 a.m., AH 202

Professor: Don Larsson                   Office: AH 301-L                 Phone: 389-2368
Office Hours: Monday and Thursday, 4:00-5:00 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00-11:00 a.m., and by appointment
E-Mail Address:   donald.larsson@mnsu.edu
Course Website: http://english2.mnsu.edu/larsson/LitCrit/syllf06.htm

 

Required Texts:
Michael Ryan.                                       Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction.
Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan .               Literary Theory: An Anthology.  2nd ed 

Ross Murfin and Supryia M. Ray.            The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms.
Elizabeth Bishop.                                   The Complete Poems: 1927-1979.
Henry James.                                        The Aspern Papers.
Toni Morrison.                                        The Bluest Eye.
William Shakespeare.                            King Lear.

 

Note: If you have a different edition of the primary texts we will be reading (Bishop, James, Morrison, and Shakespeare), you are welcome to use that copy.  Otherwise, you should purchase the ones at the bookstore

.

return to top

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

“ . . . to him the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze, in the likeness of one of those misty halos that sometimes are made visible by the spectral illumination of moonshine.”
                                                                                           --Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

 

§         Just what is "literature"? What works should we teach and study?

§         How is literature different from other kinds of writing?

§         Is an author’s history or psychology or gender or ethnicity relevant to how we read?

§         Is our own history or psychology or gender or ethnicity relevant to how we read?

 

These are a few of the questions we’ll encounter this semester as we examine some of the major trends and "schools" of literary criticism and theory, with particular focus on the 20th century. As we will see, there are many possible answers. We will begin by looking at some specific literary works that will provide us with "test cases" for ways of reading and understanding them.

 

The major "schools" of criticism that we will examine include:

§         Formalism--Approaches centered on the text itself, including the British and American "New Critics" and the Russian Formalists

§         Structuralism and Narratology--Approaches that seek the "laws" that govern the operation of literary works and that describe how narrative works tell their stories

§         Rhetoric and Reader-Response Criticism--Approaches that pay close attention to the reader's role in the understanding of literary texts

§         Psychoanalytic Criticism--Approaches that follow from theories of the unconscious, as proposed by Sigmund Freud and modified by Jacques Lacan

§         Marxist Criticism--Approaches that stem from concepts of historical process and class struggle, as proposed by Karl Marx and modified by Louis Althusser and others

§         Poststructuralism--Approaches that follow from questions about the very possibility of making meaning that have been posed by Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault and others

§         Feminist Criticism--Approaches that examine the roles of female identity in the creation, evaluation and reading of literary texts

§         Gender Criticism--Approaches that examine the roles that sexual orientation and gender identity have played in the creation, evaluation and reading of literary texts

§         New Historicist Criticism--Approaches that explore how literature is bound up in our understanding of history and is a product of that understanding

§         Post-Colonial Criticism--Approaches that explore how literature shapes and is shaped by understanding of national, cultural and ethnic identities

§         Cultural Criticism—Approaches that try to understand literature as a cultural product and culture as a "text" that can be "read"

 

I do not assume that you have much prior knowledge of any of these approaches (even though most of you already know more about them than you think you do!). I also do not assume any of these approaches is the "correct" one. This class should be a forum for free and open discussion of the strengths and shortcomings of all of the critics and approaches we examine. When I do have opinions of my own I will try to make them known, just as I expect you to do. I do expect that you have had a reasonably broad exposure to literature and are familiar with basic literary terms and concepts.

 

return to top

 

 

REQUIREMENTS:

Regular attendance and participation. We meet only once each week, so it is vital for you to come to class.  Unless you have made specific arrangements with me, three absences will result in a grade of F. If you have legitimate reasons for missing class, contact me as soon as possible before or after.

Completion of all reading assignments before the class meeting. Each week, you should all read

§         the listed literature readings (note that we will be looking at each of the novels and plays more than once)

§         the listed chapter in Ryan’s Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction (PI)

§         the 1-4 articles in the Ryan and Rivkin anthology (AA) that are listed on the schedule

 

In addition, you will usually be asked to choose one additional article from the anthology.  Even when an article is particularly difficult, I expect that you will be able to address the question of what you found difficult about it.

 

Weekly Summary: Each week you will pick one of the critical essays that we have read and summarize the main point(s) it is making, submitting the summary through Desire2Learn.

Discussion Leadership: Each of you will initiate one class discussion.  Your task will be to give your synopsis of a critical article to the class and use it to raise questions about some aspect of one or more of the literary texts that we are reading in class.  Your opening presentation should not take more than 10 minutes and it should be accompanied by a 1-2 page explanation of what you wanted the class to discuss from your presentation and why you thought that topic was important.

Midterm Paper:  This will be a summary and analysis of a particular critic, article or issue that we have raised in the first six weeks of class.  The paper should offer an account of the critic, article or issue and discuss the advantages and weaknesses of that particular critical approach on the basis of its theoretical assumptions and/or practical applications.  You may use a Weekly Summary or Discussion Leaderhip topic as your starting point.  Papers should be about 2,000 word (8 pages) long and use MLA formatting.

An analytical project. This final project will involve your own application of one or more of the critical or theoretical approaches we have studied to a work of literature.  You can offer your own, original take on one of the literary texts used for class or you may use another text of your own choice, as long as I approve it first.  The project may be in the form of a traditional seminar paper (especially encouraged for MA Lit students!) or a web site or PowerPoint demonstration.  Web sites, PowerPoints and other audio-visual projects must be accompanied by a two-page written explanation of what you want the reader/viewer to learn from your project and how the project promotes that kind of learning.

 

Scoring Breakdown for Assignments:

120 points (10 points/week):       Weekly Summary

80 points:                                  Discussion Leadership and Written Explanation.

100 points:                                Midterm Paper

200 points                                 Final Project and Presentation

 

Grade Breakdown

450-500 points = A         400-449 points = B         350-399 points = C        
200-249 points = D         0-199 points = F

 

Finally, let me assure you that this course actually can be fun! The concepts and their expressions will sometimes make your head hurt, but at the end of the quarter, those aches should turn out to be growing pains. You have an open invitation to drop by my office to ask questions, to protest injustice, or to discuss the readings, your work in progress and the nature of life and literature. Come by any time during office hours, or check with me for a different time when we can get together. I also readily welcome e-mail on any and all topics!

And, in class or out, remember: There is no such thing as a dumb question!   (Except, "Did I miss anything important?" and "Did you bring a stapler with you?")

 

return to top

 

 

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of the semester, you should be able to

§         Demonstrate familiarity with the major movements in literary theory and criticism in the last century

§         Discuss the advantages and limitations of these different movements

§         Apply principles of these movements to literary works

§         Write a documented seminar paper that either analyzes one or more of these critics and schools or analyzes a work of literature drawing on the methods and principles of one of these critical movements

return to top

 

 

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND READINGS
[subject to change!]

Note: "PI" refers to Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction; "AA" refers to Literary Theory: An Anthology

 

return to top