Assignments

English 3900 Critical Approaches to Literature, Spring 2011

Section 01 (CRN 20270): TR 2:00-3:15PM, Arts & Sciences 340B

In Class Activities

1. New Criticism and Russian Formalism

In order to help us learn each others' names, cover the remaining objective critics, and practice a miniature close reading, today we're going to divide into groups of four or five and explain two key passages from a theoretical work and interpret a key passage from a literary work. How does the theorist say we should critically approach any work of literature? What images, symbols, connations, tensions, ambiguities, ironies, paradoxes, and tensions are evident in the primary text itself, and what is the unified, universal theme of the work?

  1. Group 1
    • Cleanth Brooks, "The Heresy of Paraphrase" (Leitch 1213-29)
      • The structure meant is a structure of meanings, evaluations, and interpretation; and the principle of unity which informs it seems to be one of balancing and harmonizing connotations, attitudes, and meanings. . . . It united the like with the unlike. . . . It is a positive unity, not a negative; it represents not a residue but an achieve harmony. (1218-9)
      • The truth of the matter is that all such formulations lead away from the center of the poem─not toward it; that the "prose-sense" of the poem is not a rack on which the stuff of the poem is hung; that it does not represent the "inner" structure or the essential" structure or the "real" structure of the poem. We may use─and in many connections must use─such formulations as more or less convenient ways of referring to parts of the poem. But such formulations are scaffoldings which we may properly for certain purposes throw about the building: we must not mistake them for the internal and essential structure of the building itself. (1221)
    • James Joyce, Araby (online)
      • North Richmond Street being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian Brothers' School set the boys free. An uninhabited house of two storeys stood at the blind end, detached from its neighbours in a square ground. The other houses of the street, conscious of decent lives within them, gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces.
  2. Group 2
    • William K. Wimsatt, Jr. and Monroe C. Beardsley, "The Intentional Fallacy" (Leitch 1230-46)
      • There is a difference between internal and external evidence for the meaning of a poem. And the paradox is only verbal and superficial that what is (1) internal is also public: it is discovered through the semantics and syntax of a poem, . . . while what is (2) external is private or idiosyncratic; not a part of the work as a linguistic fact. . . . There is (3) an intermediate kind of evidence about the character of the author or about private or semi-private meanings attached to words or topics by an author by a coterie of which he is a member. (1239)
      • Critical inquiries are not settled by consulting the oracle. (1246)
    • Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
      • However, as you can see, I did not go to join Kurtz there and then.  I did not. I remained to dream the nightmare out to the end and to show my loyalty to Kurtz once more. Destiny. My destiny! Droll thing life is—that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of yourself—that comes too late—a crop of unextinguishable regrets. I have wrestled with death. It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. It takes place in an impalpable greyness with nothing underfoot, with nothing around, without spectators, without clamour, without glory, without the great desire of victory, without the great fear of defeat, in a sickly atmosphere of tepid scepticism, without much belief in your own right, and still less in that of your adversary. If such is the form of ultimate wisdom then life is a greater riddle than some of us think it to be. (86)
  3. Group 3
    • William K. Wimsatt, Jr. and Monroe C. Beardsley, "The Affective Fallacy" (Leitch 1246-61)
      • The Intentional Fallacy is a confusion between the poem and its origins, a special case of what is known to philosophers as the Genetic Fallacy. It begins by trying to derive the standard of criticism from the psychological causes of the poem and ends in biography and relativism. The Affective Fallacy is a confusion between the poem and its results (what it is and what it does), a special case of epistemological skepticism, though usually advanced as if it had far stronger claims than the overall forms of skepticism. It begins by trying to derive the standard of criticism from the psychological effects of the poem and ends in impressionism and relativism. The outcome of either Fallacy, the Intentional or the Affective, is that the poem itself, as an object of specifically critical judgment, tends to disappear. (1246)
      • In short, though cultures have changed and will change, poems remain and explain; and there is no legitimate reason why criticism, losing sight of its durable and peculiar objects, poems themselves, should become a dependent of social history or of anthropology. (1261)
    • James Joyce, Araby (online)
      • Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.
  4. Group 4
    • Boris Eichenbaum, from The Theory of the "Formal Method" (Leitch 921-51)
      • Before the appearance of the Formalists, academic re-search, quite ignorant of theoretical problems, made use of antiquated aesthetic, psychological, and historical "axioms" and had so lost sight of its proper subject that its very existence as a science had become illusory. (927)

      • I shall indicate briefly the evolution of the formal method during these ten years:
            1. From the original outline of the conflict of poetic language with practical we proceeded to differentiate the idea of practical language by its various functions (Jakubinsky) and to delimit the methods of poetic and emotional languages (Jakobson). Along with this we became interested in studying oratorical speech because it was close to practical speech but distinguished from it by function, and we spoke about the necessity of a revival of the poetic of rhetoric.
            2. From the general idea of form, in its new sense, we proceeded to the idea of technique, and from here, to the idea of function.
            3. From the idea of poetic rhythm as opposed to meter we proceeded to the idea of rhythm as a constructive element in the total poem and thus to an understanding of verse as a special form of speech having special linguistic (syntactical, lexical, and semantic) features.
            4. From the idea of plot as structure we proceeded to an understanding of material in terms of its motivation, and from here to an understanding of material as an element participating in the construction but subordinate to the character of the dominant formal idea.
            5. From the ascertainment of a single device applicable to various materials we proceeded to differentiate techniques according to function and from here to the question of the evolution of form—that is, to the problem of historical-literary study. (950)

    • Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
      • Marlow ceased, and sat apart, indistinct and silent, in the pose of a meditating Buddha. Nobody moved for a time. "We have lost the first of the ebb," said the Director suddenly. I raised my head. The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky—seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness. (94)

Conference

To make up for the day we'll miss when I'm presenting at a conference as well as to see the critical approaches in practice, you'll attend at least one panel at Startling Figures: A Celebration of the Legacy of Flannery O'Connor and write a two page summary of the presentations' arguments, noting with special attention to the theoretical approaches they utilize. Failure to attend the conference and write a summary will result in a 1 letter grade penalty to your Article Summary grade.

Article Summary

GeorgiaVIEW Post

You will summarize a particular theorist's essay and post your summary to our course discussion board at GeorgiaVIEW > Discussions > Article Summaries. The summary should

Informal Presentation

You will also be responsible for a brief, informal presentation which introduces the essay by defining key points and terms (without simply reading your written summary) and broaching issues for class discussion.

Due Dates

  1. Your written article summary will be due in GeorgiaVIEW > Discussions > Article Summaries three days before we are scheduled to discuss an article. If you do not submit your written summary to GeorgiaVIEW before the article is discussed in class, you will fail the assignment.
  2. Your brief, informal presentation will be due on the day we discuss the essay in class. This date is approximate for we will sometimes fall a day behind.
  3. I will return your graded article summary to you in GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Article Summary approximately one week after we discuss the article in class.
  4. For example, we are scheduled to discuss Frye on Tuesday, 2-1. Therefore, someone's summary will be due in GeorgiaVIEW by Saturday, 1-29. In class on Tuesday, 2-1, that student will informally present the main ideas of Frye's essay. I will return the graded article summary to her the following week in GeorgiaVIEW >Assignments > Article Summary.

Note: As I wrote on the syllabus course schedule, we may have to slow down for certain theorists and theories. We will not be able to discuss each and every article in class. Thus, some articles may only be summarized on GeorgiaVIEW's Article Summaries discussion board and presented to the class by the person assigned to the article. Therefore, it is extremely important for each person to turn in the summaries on time and attend class for the presentation component. Summaries will be penalized one letter grade for each day, not class period, that they are turned in late. Failing to present the article to the class without providing a valid absence excuse will result in a one letter grade penalty.

 

GAV Due Date Presentation Due Date Reading Student
S, 1-29
T, 2-1

Jakobson, "Linguistics and Poetics" and/or from "Two Aspects of Language and Two Types of Aphasic Disturbances"

Emily Barkelew

Frye, "The Archetypes of Literature"

Cohen Edenfield
M, 1-31
R, 2-3

Todorov, "Structural Analysis of Narrative"

Ben Wilkerson

Barthes, "The Death of the Author"

Sophie Dunne
S, 2-12
T, 2-15

Foucault, "What Is an Author?"

Bethany Deskins
M, 2-14
R, 2-17

Derrida, from Of Grammatology or from Dissemination

Kathryn Dee
S, 2-19
T, 2-22

de Man, "Semiology and Rhetoric"

Victoria Dobson
S, 2-26
T, 3-1

Butler, from Gender Trouble

Amy Theobald
M, 2-28
R, 3-3

Baudrillard, from "The Precession of Simulacra"

Christina Rogers
M, 3-7
R, 3-10

Lacan, "The Mirror Stage" or "The Signification of the Phallus"

Brooke Woodard
S, 3-12
T, 3-15

Kristeva, from Revolution in Poetic Language

  

Deleuze and Guattari, from A Thousand Plateaus

Keli Ross

M, 3-14
R, 3-17

Mulvey, "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"

Lauren Kelley
M, 3-28
R, 3-31

Trotsky, from Literature and Revolution

Amanda Beck

Lukács, from The Historical Novel

Dana Moody
S, 4-2
T, 4-5

Horkheimer and Adorno, from "The Culture Industry"

Charles Kinamon

M, 4-4
R, 4-7

Althusser, from "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses"

Ashley Jenkins
S, 4-9
T, 4-12

Hall, "Cultural Studies and Its Theoretical Legacies"

Ellie Ebert

Exam 1

Exam 1 will cover New Criticism and structuralism and will be taken in class on Tuesday, February 8. There will be two essay questions. In the first essay, you will be asked to compare and contrast the New Criticism and structuralist methodologies. The second essay question will ask you to demonstrate and practice the New Criticism and structuralist critical approaches to literature on your choice of one text from the following: A. E. Stallings's "Fairy-tale Logic", Monica Ferrell's "Myths of the Disappearance", or Margaret Atwood's "Happy Endings". You may bring printouts of the literature to the exam; but you may not use your textbooks.

 

Your theory essay will be graded on 1) your ability to balance a broad understanding of the general theory with a healthy amount of specific terms from particular theorists as well as on 2) your ability to assess similarities and differences between the two general theories.

 

Your application essay grade will be based on how you interpret the text; in other words, illustrate your understanding of the critical methodologies by making apparent the questions a New Critic and structuralist ask of a text.

 

If I were to study for this exam, I would 1) create an outline of key terms and compose their definitions, 2) write practice essays comparing and contrasting New Criticism and structuralism using those keys terms, and 3) write practice essays interpreting the one literary work from New Critic and structuralist perspectives using those key terms.

 

Note: It is impossible to illustrate your knowledge of all of these terms in a 75 minute exam. Prioritize the ones that are fundamental for an understanding of the general theory and distinguish particular theorists within that theory.

Exam 2

Group Presentation

In the formal presentation, groups of 3-4 will collaborate to teach a theory to the class.

 

I expect each group member to respect the group, communicate with the group, attend group meetings, and do her fair share of the work. If there is a major problem that the group cannot manage, let me know (anonymously if warranted).

 

One week before the presentation, the group should inform the class of what 1 overview article (if not in Tyson's Critical Theory Today) and 1-2 theoretical articles it will teach as well as provide the professor with clean copies of the articles (if not in Leitch's Norton Anthology).

 

During the 30-40 minute presentation followed by 10 minute question and answer session, the group should

Sign Up

Date Theory Students
R, 4-14

Lesbian, Gay, and Queer Criticism

Keli Ross

Christina Rogers

Brooke Woodard
T, 4-19

African American Criticism

Emily Barkelew

Ellie Ebert

Ashley Jenkins
R, 4-21

Postcolonial Criticism

Lauren Kelley

Amy Theobald

Ben Wilkerson
T, 4-26

Ecocriticism

Amanda Beck

Kathryn Dee

Cohen Edenfield

Charles Kinamon
R, 4-28

Cognitive Criticism

Bethany Deskins

Victoria Dobson

Sophie Dunne

Dana Moody

Exam 3

Student Work of Literature Theorists

Emily Barkelew

Collins, The Hunger GamesTrilogy

Marx and Engels, Lukács

Amanda Beck

Boccaccio, The Decameron

Bordo, Lacan

Kathryn Dee

Mishima, The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea

Freud, Lukács

Bethany Deskins

Rowling, Harry Potter series

Freud, Bloom

Victoria Dobson

Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns

Marx, Lukács

Sophie Dunne

Swift, "A Modest Proposal"

Trotsky, Hall

Ellie Ebert

Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Freud, Rich

Cohen Edenfield

McCarthy, No Country for Old Men

Todorov, Lacan

Ashley Jenkins

Brooks, Maud Martha

Brooks, Eliot

Lauren Kelley

Halaby, Once in a Promised Land

Lacan, Fanon

Charles Kinamon

Poe, "The Black Cat"

Freud, Brooks

Dana Moody

The Office (US)

Althusser, Mulvey

Christina Rogers

Chopin, The Awakening

Lacan, Rich

Keli Ross

Black Swan

Freud, Rich

Amy Theobald

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One

Althusser, Freud

Ben Wilkerson

Tolkein, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Todorov, Saussure

Brooke Woodard

du Maurier, Rebecca

Baudrillard, Todorov

 

© Alex E. Blazer 2024