English 230: Great Narrative Works
Spring 2001, Purdue University Instructor: John C. Goshert
Office: 420 HEAV
Phone: 494-3767 / e-mail: goshert@purdue.edu
Office Hours: T/H 12:00 - 1:00

     Required Texts

Homer.  The Odyssey.  Bantam Classics.
Diderot.  Jacques the Fatalist.  Oxford World Classics.
Blake.  The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Dover Thrift.
Twain.  Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins.  Norton C.E.
Kafka.  The Trial.  Schocken.
Ellison.  Invisible Man.  Vintage.
Johnson.  Oxherding Tale.  Plume.

All books are available at Von's--Please buy the correct editions.

Additional readings will be assigned from the reserve room of the HICKS library.
 

     Course Policies/Grading Criteria

Narratives--whether fictional, historical, political, or even scientific--are at some level all concerned with the "stories" their various forms tell.  Over the course of the semester we will examine a set of texts that are concerned not so much with providing functional narratives (coherent plots, characters, scenes, events, etc.) than they are with assessing the processes by which narratives become functional at all.  Beginning with one of the oldest Western narratives, The Odyssey, we trace the transition from oral to literary narrative and the shifting concerns with questions of audience.  Modern works, from the Eighteenth Century often (and sometimes in infuriating ways!) call into question the presuppositions and expectations of their readers.  Contemporary works (Invisible Man and Oxherding Tale) paradoxically revisit the literary history upon which social identities, such as ethnicity, have been formed.  In addition to the major reading assignments, we will also explore the criticism that deals with these "narratives about narrative," which have come to be known as "metafictional" or "surfictional" texts.

Class periods will be spent discussing the reading assigned for the day, exploring contexts and developing the strategies for becoming informed respondents to the texts.  Therefore, in order to get the full benefit of the course, you must come to class each day prepared to participate in these goals.  Attendance and participation will become a major part of your final grade.

Short response/reaction papers will be due each week.  These papers will be about two pages in length and will address any topics you find significant in the reading.  Because you will certainly become informed and motivated by class discussions, lectures, and/or student presentations, these papers are not difficult if you follow the above advice.

There will be a take-home midterm.

A term paper of 8-10 pages on the approved topic of your choice will be due on the last day of class.  The paper will demonstrate significant research concerning the topic.

Papers will follow MLA style guidelines (to be discussed).
See Purdue's Online Writing Lab for a brief summary/example of paper design click here (you may need to scroll up to the top of the page).

Plagiarism will result in failure of the course and administrative action.

    Grade Distribution

Response Papers: 30%
Midterm: 20%
Term Paper: 20%
Participation: 30%

Response Paper Guidelines

While the response paper is, primarily, an expression of your opinion, you are by no means excused from forming a cogent, well-written argument!  The best responses are often those that take on a specific topic from lecture, class discussions, and/or presentations (or, of course, from your own reading alone), and then work that topic out in some detail.  That is, avoid trying to fit an entire week's reading into your response, since this leaves you with such a broad scope that any detailed examination is rather difficult.

Avoid simply summarizing the text and, instead, argue for a particular position, for a particular "reading" of the text.  Your treatment of whatever topic you choose will be enhanced not only by a cogent argument, but also by your incorporation of specific material from the text; that is, present details, such as dialogue or other citations from the text.  This is in keeping with that old adage of "showing" rather than "telling" as you work out your argument/position.

Consider also, addressing questions you have about the reading--perhaps centered around a scene, event, character, etc.  How do specific questions or parts of the novel/essay/poem inform the significance of the whole?  You may also think about developing connections between works--how do formal characteristics, topics, characters, etc. resonate across historical periods, across national and/or ethnic boundaries?  How are those characteristics treated differently and why?

These are simply preliminary remarks/guidelines.  Feel free to drop me an e-mail if you have other questions that need to be addressed here, or bring questions to class.

See two sample response papers from January 23.

Presentation Guidelines

Presentations can be made either by individuals or by a "panel" of up to three people--think of taking about 10 minutes per person, and bringing to the class material that has not been (at least in significant detail) discussed.  Try to focus on the reading for the day (as with the response papers, avoid trying to talk about the entire work in a short amount of time), and have follow-up questions or discussion topics prepaers for after the presentation.

One effective (I'll resist saying necessary!) strategy for presentations is to incorporate outside material that has not come up in class, or present an expansion of specific topics/arguments that have come up in class.  For example, if you do a presentation on Diderot--an author who is, by far, better known as a philosopher than a novelist (is Jacques the Fatalist a novel anyway?)--present your reading of one of his shorter philosophical works and demonstrate its relevance to the novel (to a scene, a character, the dialogic form).  Or, consider reading a critical essay (or more than one) that deals with the author, the novel, the historical context of either novel or author, etc.  Again, if we take Diderot as an example, the eighteenth century is a period marked by numerous "philosophical novels"--in France (Voltaire's Candide), England (Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Sterne's Tristram Shandy), and Germany (Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther, Novalis' Heinrich von Ofterdingen)--how is Diderot connected to or different from these other writers?  What are their common concerns, their differences?  What is it about the period--the rise of "Reason" in the age of Enlightenment--that seems to foster the development of this genre?

Again, let me know by e-mail or in class if you need more direction on the presentations generally, or if you'd like suggestions for a particular topic.
 

Tentative Schedule of Assignments

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