Spring
2003-Tues
and Thurs 1:30-3:00-Logan
Hall 402
Jim
English
Office:
BH 308
Hours:
W 2-3, Th 3-4
TA:Nancy
Srebro
Office:BH
4th Floor
Hours:
TBA
DESCRIPTION:
This
course is intended as a general introduction to the twentieth-century British
novel.We will be reading four novels
by canonical writers of the pre-WWII, or roughly "modernist" period ??
Portrait
of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce (1916), Quartet
by Jean Rhys (1929), Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh (1930), and Between
the Acts by Virginia Woolf (1941) ?? and five novels by writers of
the postwaror "postmodernist" period
–
Under the Net by Iris Murdoch (1954),
The Millstone by Margaret
Drabble (1965), Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
(1985), Atonement by Ian McEwan (2001), and Half a Life by
V. S. Naipaul (2001).While these
are very different novels, and we will be considering them from a variety
of standpoints, a recurring focus will be on the different ways they represent
the figure of the literary artist and the changing place of that figure
in British and global culture over the course of the last century.
TEXTS:
All
texts for the class are available from the House of Our Own Bookstore,
3920 Spruce Street.Please do not
substitute variant editions, as this will make it difficult for you to
follow along with lectures and discussions. REQUIREMENTS: The
format of this course is part lecture, part discussion.Attendance
is required, and you will be expected to come to class prepared to pose
and answer questions about the texts.Some
of the novels we will be studying are challenging ones, but the reading
load is not especially heavy, averaging less than 200 pages per week.Do
read them carefully, as there will be four exams during the semester, covering
all of the books in detail.Written
work will include a 5-6 page essay, which must be revised and resubmitted,
and a longer, 8-10 page essay, for which you must submit a provisional
opening paragraph two weeks before the essay is due.The
course is affiliated with WATU, and depending on enrollment numbers some
or all students will be meeting with Nancy Srebro, our TA, to discuss their
writing and ways to improve it.Exams
and essays will be graded on a 0-100 scale, and will count as follows toward
the final grade: 10% for each exam, 20% for first essay (average of original
and revision grades), 30% for final essay, and 10% for attendance and participation.Keep
in mind that a zero score in this last category (for habitual absences)
will drop your final grade by one full mark. SCHEDULE: Jan
14 Introduction Jan
16 Portrait
of the Artist,
ch. 1 ---------- Jan
21 Portrait
of the Artist,
chs. 2-5 Jan
23 Portrait
of the Artist,
conclude ---------- Jan
28 Quartet,
ch. 1-15 Jan
30 Quartet,
conclude ---------- Feb
4 Vile Bodies,
ch. 1-6 Feb
6 Vile Bodies,
ch. 6-8 ---------- Feb
11 Vile Bodies,
conclude
EXAM #1 Feb
18 Between the
Acts, pp. 1-56 ---------- Feb
18 Between the
Acts, pp. 56-189 Feb
20 Between the
Acts, conclude ---------- Feb
25 Under the
Net, ch. 1-12
ESSAY # 1 DUE FEB 25th Feb
27 Under the
Net, ch. 12-16 ______ Mar
4 Under the
Net, conclude
EXAM #2 Mar
6 Review and discussion ---------- BREAK ---------- Mar
18T he Millstone,
pp. 1-150 Mar
20 The Millstone,
conclude ---------- Mar
25 Oranges Are
Not, “Genesis” – “Joshua”
ESSAY #1 REVISIONS DUE MAR 25th Mar
27 Oranges Are
Not, conclude ---------- Apr
1 Oranges
BBC adaptation – in-class screening Apr
3 Discussion of
film
EXAM #3 ---------- Apr
8 Half a Life,
pp. 1-150
ESSAY #2 INTRO PAR DUE APR 8th Apr
10 Half a Life,
conclude ---------- Apr
15Atonement, pp. 1-150 Apr
17Atonement, pp. 150-250 ---------- Apr
22Atonement, conclude
EXAM #4 Apr
24Review and wrap-up ______ ESSAY
#2 DUE APRIL 29th