Comparative Literature 121

Comparative Literature 121 – Fall 2001
International Short Story
MWF 10:10, Machmer E-35

Instructor : Corinne Oster

Office : 309 South College ; Tel. 545-0929

Office Hours : Monday 11:00-12:00 and by appointment

E-mail : corinne@ipo.umass.edu

Course Description :

This course will consist in lectures and discussions in which we will read and discuss shorts stories from America, Europe, Africa and Asia. The purpose of the class is multifold :

Get acquainted with literature from various times and places : discover new ideas, enjoy good stories from around the world !
Get familiarized with the specificity of the short story as well as with a few methods of analysis : we will learn how to make structural and comparative analyses, and how to write well-argued papers according to these criteria. We will also read a few specific examples of literary analysis and discuss their pertinence in the context of the stories.
Learn how to read between the lines and pay attention to the subtext of some of these stories in order to understand the cultural claims or political messages behind the texts.

Required texts :

The Turn of the Screw. Henry James.
Heart of Darkness. Joseph Conrad.
These two books will be available at Food for Thought Books in Amherst.
COMLIT 121 Course Packets #1 and #2 (available at Copycat in Amherst)

The course packets will also be available in the reserve department on the 3^rd floor of the library.

Course Requirements and Policy :

Since most of the reading consists in short stories, we will read at a pace of two to three stories a week. These readings must be completed by the time they appear on the syllabus. Films will be screened on the date they appear on the syllabus.

Attendance : 10%. Attendance is mandatory. Grade will drop after 2 unexcused absences.

Participation : 10%. Participation is mandatory. A part of the class will consist in open discussions of the stories. You are expected to participate actively in these discussions, and your input will contribute greatly to the quality of your learning. As a general rule, you will enjoy the class and learn more if you and your classmates are sharing your ideas.

Mid-Term Exam : 10% ; October 19, 2001.

Short Assignments : 20% : 5 unannounced short assignments worth 4 points each. No make ups.

Papers : 30%

Short Story + Analysis (4-5 pages) = 10% ; due Monday September 17 in class

Paper 1 (3-4 pages) = 10% ; due Friday October 05 in class

Paper 2 (4-5 pages) = 10% ; due Monday November 05 in class

Final Exam : 20% ; Friday, December 14, 2001 or during the exam period (date to be determined).

Note : The instructor reserves the right to assign additional quizzes if it becomes obvious that the readings are not done in time. These quizzes will be pro-rated in the short assignment percentage of the grade.

Absences : If you will miss the class due to religious observance, please notify me in advance. If you will miss the class for medical reasons, you will need to give me a note from your doctor.

Late Papers : Late papers will not be accepted unless special arrangements are made in advance. Please note that the night before the paper is due is too late to make special arrangements.

Course Schedule :

I. Introduction

Wed., September 5 : Introduction. Purpose of the course. The specificity of the Short Story : history, form and purpose. Excerpts from Matthews, Poe... (Handouts)

Fri., September 7 : Elements of methodology : How to analyze a Short Story. (Handout)

II. 19^th Century Classics

Mon., September 10 : « The Black Cat. » Edgar Allan Poe.

Wed., September 12 : « The Monkey’s paw. » W.W. Jacobs.

Fri., September 14 : Discussion and/or in-class exercises.

Mon., September 17 : « An Accursed House. » Honoré de Balzac. « The Ancient Coffer of Nuri Bey. »
Short Story + Analysis due today.

Wed., September 19 : « Hautot and His Son. » Guy de Maupassant.

Fri., September 21 : Discussion and in-class exercises.

Mon., September 24 : « Sleepy. » Anton Chekhov.

Wed., September 26 : « The Sand-man. » E.T.A. Hoffmann. Excerpt from Freud : « The Uncanny. »

Fri., September 28 : Discussion and/or in-class exercises.

III. Reader’s Manipulation...

Mon., October 1^st : « The Adventure of the speckled Band. » Arthur Conan Doyle.

Wed., October 3 : « An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. » Ambrose Bierce.

Fri., October 5 : Short Story into Film : An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Robert Enrico. Paper 1 due today.

Mon., October 8 : NO CLASS: Columbus Day.

Wed., October 10 : The Turn of the Screw. Henry James. Excerpt from Edmund Wilson : « The Ambiguity of Henry James. »

Fri., October 12 : Finish The Turn of the Screw.

Mon., October 15 : « This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen. » Tadeusz Borowski.

Wed., October 17 : « Viewfinder. » Raymond Carver.

Fri., October 19 : Mid-Term Exam.

IV. Grotesque and Surrealist Stories

Mon., October 22 : « A Good Man is Hard to Find. » Flannery O’Connor. Excerpt from O’Connor : Mystery and Manners.

Wed., October 24 : « The Lame Shall Enter First. » Flannery O’Connor.

Fri., October 26 : Discussion and/or in-class exercises.

Mon., October 29 : « The Magic Chalk. » Kobo Abe.

Wed., October 31 : « Gogol’s Wife. » Tomasso Landolfi.

Fri., November 2 : Surrealism : « The Debutante. » Leonora Carrington. « A Life Full of Interest. » Benjamin Péret. Discussion and/or in-class exercises.

VI. Power relations : Race and Place

Mon., November 5 : Film : On Orientalism. Edward Saïd. Paper 2 due today.

Wed., November 7 : « Sarzan. » Birago Diop.

Fri., November 9 : « Six Feet of the Country. » Nadine Gordimer.

Mon., November 12 : NO CLASS: Veteran’s Day.

Wed., November 14 : Heart of Darkness. Josef Conrad. Excerpt from Chinua Achebe : « An Image of Africa : Racism in Heart of Darkness. »

Fri., November 16 : Finish Heart of Darkness.

Mon., November 19 : « In the Mirror. » Kon Krailat.

Wed., November 21 : Discussion and/or in-class exercises.

Fri., November 23 : NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break.

VII. Power relations : Gender issues

Mon., November 26 : « The Man Who Was Almost A Man. » Richard Wright.

Wed., November 28 : « She Has No Place in Paradise. » Nawal El Sadaawi.

Fri., November 30 : « The Yellow Wallpaper. » Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Excerpts from newspapers and articles on « The Yellow Wallpaper. »

Mon., December 3 : « The Grave. » Katherine Ann Porter.

Wed., December 5 : « The Barking. » Ingeborg Bachmann.

Fri., December 7 : Discussion and/or in-class exercises.

VIII. Conclusion

Mon., December 10 : « The Garden of Forking Paths. » Jorge Luis Borges.

Wed., December 12 : « The Aquatic Uncle. » Italo Calvino.

Fri., December 14 : Last day of class. Final Exam.**

** A similar (but not the same) exam will be scheduled officially during exam period for those who prefer. LET ME KNOW before the in-class exam if you want to take the exam during final exam period.