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Course objectives
1. To recognize the elements of structure in short fiction, drama, and poetry.
2. To improve the student's writing and analytical skills.
3. To familiarize the student with important ideas as they are expressed through literary
forms.
4. To understand the techniques used by individual authors. With each successive work, the
student should become increasingly aware of each author's handling of such elements as
plot, character, point of view, and so on.
5. To learn a language appropriate to critical analysis. Jargon for its own sake is to be
avoided, but specific terms common in the analysis of each genre should become a part of
each student's vocabulary.
6. To learn to evaluate a work by its literary and historical context.
7. To develop an appreciation for the aesthetic dimension of art.
8. To understand different cultures and cultural experiences through the study of
literature from non-Western societies.
Required texts
The textbook for this course is Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing
by E. Roberts and H. Jacobs. A good dictionary is also required.
Course Content
A. Short Fiction
1. Overview and precis: O'Brien, Walker, Williams
2. Plot and structure: Crane, Welty, Whitecloud
3. Character: Cather, Faulkner , Glaspell, Tan
4. Point of view: Bierce, Jackson, Mansfield, Moore, Olsen, Updike
5. Setting: Chopin, Greenberg, Ozick, Poe
6. Tone: Atwood, Hemingway, Hodgkins, Munro, O'Connor
7. Symbolism and Allegory: Aesop, Hawthorne, St.Luke, Poe, Steinbeck, Tremblay
Not all of the works cited will be discussed specifically in class, but students should
have them all read by the assigned class and are responsible for them. There will be two
short essays (3 pages each) on the topics above.
B. Drama
1. Overview and types of drama: Glaspell, Hughes, Keller, O'Neill
2. Tragedy: Sophocles, Shakespeare
3. Comedy: Shakespeare, Chekhov, Henley
We will expect to spend about a week discussing the first group of plays, and a week on
each of the following plays. Because of the longer length of the Shakespearean plays, the
student would benefit from allocating more time to read these works. We will, if time
permits, be seeing videotapes of one or more plays in class. There will be two written
assignments (3 pages each) on topics relating to drama such as structure (exposition,
complication, climax, denouement), setting, characterization (protagonist, antagonist),
action, theme, and tone.
C. Poetry
1. Overview, the nature of poetry, paraphrasing poetry
2. Diction
3. Imagery
4. Rhetorical figures (metaphor, simile, apostrophe, personification, hyperbole)
5. Tone
6. Rhythm and sound devices (alliteration, assonance, rhyme patterns)
There will be two written assignments (3 pages each) on these elements of poetry. Students
might be asked to discuss a poem of their choice in class with regard to the above topics
which would then form a part of their final grade under the category of class
participation.
Course requirements
This course is largely discussion-based and good class attendance is therefore essential.
Excessive absences (more than 1 or 2 absences without a doctor's note) will count against
the student in his or her mark for class participation. The essays assigned should be
completed promptly. We will dedicate class time to first drafts of written assignments
which will impact on the final grade of each assignment. If the student foresees a reason
for a late paper, an extension can be granted provided the student has discussed this with
me prior to the due date. In addition to the essays mentioned above, there will be
mid-term exam and a longer written assignment toward the end of term. This last
will be about 6 pages in length and will address works from different genres in a
comparison/contrast exercise. There will be a final exam covering all the material above.
Determination of final grades
Final grades will be determined in the following manner:
Short essays 50%
Long essay 20%
Class participation 10%
Final exam 20%
Page last reviewed 04/17/01
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