Schedule of Readings and Essays
Prose Fiction: Short Stories
Jan 30–Feb 03: Intro to Formalist Criticism (read 2168-2172, 2116-2128, 2135-2143) and to Mythological Criticism (read 2189-2194); Review of Plot (11-12)
Read “Godfather Death,” on 8-10; read also 11.
Read “Appointment in Samarra,” on 4
Read “A & P,” on 14-18
Read “Young Goodman Brown,” on 606-616
Read "Writing Critically," 381
Write essay: “Writing Assignment,” on 21: “Summarize the plot. . . .” In the assignment on that page, substitute for the word “some” the number “3.”.
Feb 06–10: Psychological Criticism and Review of Narrative Point of View (2185-2189; 22-27)
“Tell-Tale Heart,” 35-39; 75
“Rose for Emily,” 28-35
“Paul’s Case,” 535-550
Feb 13–17: Review of Characterization (77-80)
“Everyday Use,” 88-95
“Gimpel the Fool,” 95-106; 106-108
Write essay: Look at p. 95, question 7: respond in your essay to the question, “ How much truth is there in Dee’s accusation. . . .” You must provide at least six (6) quotations or examples from throughout the story in your essay.
Feb 20-24: Break
Feb 27–Mar 03: Review of Setting (109-111)
“The Storm,” 112-116; 152
“Greasy Lake,” 128-136
“Araby,” 639-643
Write essay: your editors ask on p. 153 that you “analyze how the dirty, remote lake (in . . . “Greasy Lake”) brings out behavior that the characters would not demonstrate elsewhere.” Let’s look at bit deeper: is it the lake that brings out that behavior? Or, what is it about that lake that Boyle uses? You must provide at least six (6) quotations or examples from throughout the story in your essay.
Mar 06–10: Review of Irony (175-176)
“The Necklace,” 177-183; 175-176
“Saboteur,” 184-192
Mar 13–17: Review of Tone (150-157)
“A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” 158-161
“Barn Burning,” 162-175; 193-194
“First Confession,” 719-725
Write essay: “Writing Assignment,” 194, “Consider a short story. . . .” I suggest that you use “First Confession.” You must provide at least six (6) quotations or examples from throughout the story in your essay.
Mar 20–23: Review of Theme (195-197) (Q3 ends 04/08; gradebook closes 04/01):
“Babylon Revisited,” 216-233
“Harrison Bergeron,” 233-239
Mar 27–Mar 31: Sociological and Gender Criticism; Review of Symbol (243-245)
“Chrysanthemums,” 245-253; 274-277
“The Lottery,” 254-261
Write essay: “Further Suggestions for Writing,” 278, either #1 or #2 (at teacher assignment). You must provide at least six (6) quotations or examples from throughout the story in your essay.
Prose Fiction: A Short Novel
Apr 03–Apr 07 and Apr 10–13: read Metamorphosis (345-379) in its entirety before class, focusing particularly on issues of power. Bring other critical approaches to bear also.
Write essay: explore the theme of personal change in the novella. Focus primarily on a single character in depth. You must provide at least six (6) quotations or examples from throughout the story in your essay.
Apr 17–21: break
Tragic Drama (1380-1381):
Apr 24–Apr 28: read Oedipus Rex (1382-1423)
Guide: using as many critical approaches as help you, answer orally 1424, #9;
May 01-May 05:
(at teacher assignment):
either Hamlet (1568-1681)
Write essay: limiting yourself to one or two characters, answer 1681, “General Questions,” #4 (You must provide at least six (6) quotations or examples from throughout the play in your essay.);
or Death of a Salesman (1877-1950)
Essay: after reading Miller's own comments on his play (1948-1951), explain how his creation, Willy Loman, shows his "indestructible will . . . to achieve his humanity." (1950) (You must provide at least six (6) quotations or examples from throughout the comments and play in your essay.).
Poetry
May 08–Jun tba:
Students try to distinguish between prose, poetry, “the poetic,” using Forche, “The Colonel,” 986 and the reprinted excerpts from Thomas Mallon, Two Moons, NY: Pantheon, 2000 (in handout).
Then contrast open form with closed form of poetry.
Students apply these technical terms and earlier literary approaches as appropriate to:
Open Form: e.e. cummings, “Buffalo Bill’s,” 978; W.C. Williams, “Dance,” 979; Crane, “Heart,” 981; Gildner, “First Practice,” 985; 991; 995.
Students define rhyme, meter, foot, iamb, trochee, anapest, dactyl, spondee, alliteration, consonance, assonance, personification, simile, metaphor; 901-924; 925-967.
Closed Form: Frost, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” 1016; McKay, “America,” 1048; Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium,” 1094; Browning, “My Last Duchess,” 751; Hamlet, II, ii, 476-533 (1612-1614).
Jun tba: final exams (Jun 09-14)
Jun 15–23 Regents exams
You will notice that this schedule leaves very little time for flexibility. For that reason, and because each assignment builds on the preceding, you need to turn in your work on time. Late papers will lose points.
About grades— your evaluation will depend on demonstration of critical thinking in writing, primarily, but we may develop other procedures. I will reserve the obligation to include quiz grades in calculating the quarter grades if that becomes necessary.
You can calculate your quarter grade roughly by averaging your composition grades (weighted as 90% of the report card) and any tests (weighted as 10% of the report card grade).
| A
|
93 and higher
|
4.0
|
C
|
75-77
|
2.0
|
|
| A-
|
90-92
|
3.7
|
C-
|
72-74
|
1.7
|
|
| B+
|
87-89
|
3.3
|
D+
|
69-71
|
1.3
|
|
| B
|
84-86
|
3.0
|
D
|
66-68
|
1.0
|
|
| B-
|
81-83
|
2.7
|
D-
|
63-65
|
0.7
|
|
| C+
|
78-80
|
2.3
|
F
|
62 and below
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plagiarism
We are bound, by honor and by the Dundee discipline code, to attribute others’ ideas, information, and phrasing to those others. Any assignment violating this requirement AT ANY STAGE OF ANY DRAFT will earn a zero, IMMEDIATELY. Read the Student Handbook for other consequences. If you have doubts or questions about what you are doing, see your teacher. See Kennedy and Gioia, 2100 ff. for support on documentation of sources.
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