TOPICS IN
LITERATURE: THE RISE OF THE SHORT STORY
ENGLISH 108, SECTION 02
T, TH
Professor: Porter Shreve
E-Mail: p_shreve@uncg.edu
Phone: 334-4692
Office: 119 McIver Building
Office Hrs: T, TH 5-6 and by appointment
Text: The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short
Fiction, unabridged fifth edition, edited
by Ann Charters
Course Description
In this course we will read a variety of short
stories and a couple of novellas, mostly by American authors such as Edgar
Allan Poe, William Faulkner, Richard Wright, Flannery O’Connor, Joyce Carol
Oates and Louise Erdrich. The semester will be
divided among the elements of fiction: part 1 will focus on image, setting and
symbol; part 2 on plot, character and dialogue; and
part 3 on point of view, structure and style. By beginning our analysis with
the various elements we will better understand how stories are constructed. We
will read for what happens next but more importantly for whom, where and why,
and in doing so will discover the underground root systems, the internal
circuitry, the bones beneath the flesh of the narrative — insert your analogy
here. Though the course is not a survey and the primary goal is to make us
better readers of individual stories, we will pay attention to historical
context and the progress of literary influence. We
will track, for example, how the emotional and psychological transformation in
Angela Carter’s “The Company of Wolves” works in response to traditional fairy
tales and how the significant detail and heightened emotion of Anton Chekhov
influenced the minimalist realism of Ernest Hemingway and Raymond Carver.
At the completion of this course, you should be able
to:
1.
Identify and understand the varied
characteristics of literature
2.
Apply the techniques of literary analysis
to texts
3.
Use literary study to develop your skills
in careful reading and clear writing
4.
Demonstrate an understanding of the
diverse social and historical contexts in which the assigned literary texts
have been written and interpreted.
Requirements
Workload
1.
Participation in class
discussions
2.
Three exams
3.
Frequent pop quizzes or short
assignments
4.
One group presentation (25-30
minutes)
5.
Final paper (5-8 pages)
Attendance
Since this
course depends on a full and lively classroom, we all suffer when seats are
empty. The attendance policy, therefore, is strict and absolute: Any unexcused
absences will affect your grade. Perfect attendance will be rewarded. But if
you miss two classes, each subsequent absence will cost you as much as a full
letter grade.
Participation
Active participation in classroom discussion is critical to the success of this
class. Come prepared, and be aware that in my effort to get everyone involved I
will call on people. If for whatever reason you have not done the reading for a
given class, do not skip it. Come and listen, catch up, and don’t neglect the
reading again. If you’re quiet or nervous about speaking in class, stop by my
office hours and we’ll talk about it.
Paper
You will
have two due dates for the final paper: a 1-2-page prospectus and a final draft
of 5-8 pages. The prospectus and the paper should be typed, double-spaced,
spell-checked, numbered, and carefully proofread. Even though this is not a
writing intensive class, I will nevertheless expect a strong standard of
mechanical and stylistic proficiency. Good grammar, organization and clarity
are integral to good ideas.
Late Work
Because of
our tight schedule you need to get your prospectus in on time. You will be
penalized accordingly if you do not. Also, I absolutely, positively do not give
makeup exams or accept late final papers.
Grades
The
breakdown will be as follows:
Exam 1:
15%
Exam
Exam
Final
Paper: 15%
Pop
Quizzes & Short Assignments: 20%
Participation:
20%
*Note:
Presentations constitute a significant part of the participation grade
Plagiarism
You all know intuitively what it is: using
someone else’s words or ideas and claiming them as your own. The thrust of this
course is to think for yourself. Please don’t put me
in the position of checking line with line, word with word. Plagiarism is an
extremely serious matter. It can result in failure of this course and possible
expulsion from the university.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
*Note:
I. IMAGE, SETTING, SYMBOL
T 1/14
Syllabus, Presentation sign-up
“Introduction” Ann Charters
“The House on
“The
“The Moths” Helena María Viramontes
Optional
T 1/21
“The Overcoat” Nikolai Gogol
Optional
TH 1/23
Setting
Presentation 1: Charlotte Perkins
Gilman
“The Yellow Wallpaper” Charlotte
Perkins Gilman
Optional
Presentation 2: Franz Kafka
“The Metamorphosis” Franz Kafka
Optional
Optional
TH 1/30
“The Jewbird”
Bernard Malamud
T 2/4
Presentation 3: D.H. Lawrence
“The Rocking-Horse Winner” D.H.
Lawrence
TH 2/6
“The Man Who Was Almost a Man”
Richard Wright
“
T 2/11
“The Red Convertible” Louise Erdrich
“Fiesta, 1980” Junot
Díaz
TH 2/13
Exam 1
II. PLOT, CHARACTER, DIALOGUE
T 2/18
Presentation 4: Edgar Allan Poe
“The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar
Allan Poe
“The Tell-Tale Heart” Edgar Allan
Poe
Optional
TH 2/20
“A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
Flannery O’Connor
“Good Country People” Flannery
O’Connor
Optional
T 2/25
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You
Been?” Joyce Carol Oates
“The Company of Wolves” Angela Carter
Optional
TH 2/27
Presentation 5: Anton Chekhov
“The Darling” Anton Chekhov
“The Lady With
the Pet Dog” Anton Chekhov
Optional
Optional
T 3/4
Presentation 6: Eudora Welty
“Why I Live at the P.O.” Eudora Welty
“A Worn Path” Eudora Welty
TH 3/6
Presentation 7: Amy Tan
“Two Kinds” Amy Tan
“In the American Society” Gish Jen
T 3/11
T 3/18
Dialogue
“
“Hills Like
White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway
“Cathedral” Raymond Carver
“Say Yes” Tobias Wolff
Optional
T 3/25
Film: Cathedral
TH 3/27
T 4/1
“A Rose for Emily” William Faulkner
“That Evening Sun” William Faulkner
Optional
TH 4/3
“Sonny’s Blues” James Baldwin
Optional
Final paper prospectus due
T 4/8
“The Lottery” Shirley Jackson
“Gimpel
the Fool” Isaac Bashevis Singer
TH 4/10
Presentation 9: Stephen Crane
“The Open Boat” Stephen Crane
Optional
T 4/15
“The Things They Carried” Tim
O’Brien
“Writing about Short Stories” Ann
Charters (p. 1696)
Optional
“The Swimmer” John Cheever
“The Way We Live Now” Susan Sontag
T 4/22
Style
Presentation 10: Katherine Mansfield
“Bliss” Katherine Mansfield
“The Garden-Party” Katherine
Mansfield
Optional
“The Management of Grief” Bharati Mukherjee
“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” Ursula K. LeGuin
“Menagerie: A Child’s Fable” Charles
Johnson
“Happy Endings” Margaret Atwood
* 5-8 page Final Paper due in my
office by