Writing About Literature
Spring 1997


The goal of Writing About Literature is to engage with literary texts in meaningful ways: to acquaint you with various approaches to literature, to assist you in your discovery of the readings, and to aid you in your continuing efforts to think critically and write analytically about what you read.  You will have the opportunity to explore reactions to the readings in class discussions, short response papers, and longer analytical essays.  All essays will reflect the course theme, "Understanding what it means to be human."  Required class texts are The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature (Meyer, 4th ed.) and A Student's Guide to First-Year English (Pinnow, Gaslin, and Whitt, 8th ed.).  See your syllabus for a detailed explanation of the writing activities and class policies.

Schedule

Date Topic (Read assignments before class) Writing Due
WEEK ONE

W 3/26 Overview
F 3/28 Talking and Writing About Literature: read 3-8, 1439-1443, 469-472
WEEK TWO

M 3/31 read: "Word Choice, Word Order" (480-486)
Brooks, "The Mother"
Dickinson, "The Bustle in a House"
Frost, "Home Burial"		 response paper
W 4/2 read: "Sounds and Rhyme" (557-567)
Hall, "My Son, My Executioner"
Plath, "Daddy"
Roethke, "My Papa's Waltz"		 response paper
F 4/4 attend one conference panel, Friday or Saturday; read "Patterns of Rhythm" and "Poetic Forms" (576-590, 590-608) response paper
WEEK THREE

M 4/7 read: "Symbolism" (537-546)
Ackerman, "A Fine, A Private Place"
Atwood, "you fit into me"
Croft, "Home-Baked Bread"		 response paper
W 4/9 read: "Figures of Speech" (520-528)
cummings, "since feeling is first"
Dickinson, "Wild Nights..."
Olds, "Sex without Love"		 response paper
F 4/11 read: Eliot, "The Love Song..."
Shakespeare, "My Mistress' Eyes..."
Shakespeare, "Shall I Compare Thee..."		 response paper
WEEK FOUR

M 4/14 read: Bishop, "The Fish"
Blake, "The Tyger"
Dickinson, "A Narrow Fellow..."		 response paper
W 4/16 read: Hopkins, "The Windhover"
Stafford, "Travelling through the Dark"
Frost, "Design"		 draft of essay one (2 copies) for workshop
F 4/18 read: Williams, "Spring and All"
Yeats, "The Lake Isle of Innisfree"		 essay one
WEEK FIVE

M 4/21 read: Blake, "The Chimney Sweep"
Frost, "After Apple Picking"
Dickinson, "Success is Counted Sweetest"		 response paper
W 4/23 read: Toomer, "Reapers"
Holman, "Mr. Z"
Robinson, "Richard Cory"
F 4/25 read: Piercy, "The Secretary Chant"
Kingston, "Restaurants"
Machan, "Hazel Tells LaVerne"		 response paper
WEEK SIX

M 4/28 read: Coleridge, "Kubla Khan"
W 4/30 workshop draft of essay two (2 copies) for workshop
F 5/2 no class essay two due in my box by noon
WEEK SEVEN

M 5/5 read: "Plot" (38-39)
Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily" 		 response paper
W 5/14 read: "Character" (74-79)
Mukherjee, "A Father"		 response paper
F 5/9 read: "Point of View" (131-135)
Chekhov, "The Lady with the Pet Dog"
Oates, "The Lady with the Pet Dog"		 response paper
WEEK EIGHT

M 5/12 read: "Symbolism" (168-170)
Ellison, "Battle Royal"
W 5/14 read: "Theme" (186-189)
Mansfield, "Miss Brill"
Gilb, "Love in L.A."
F 5/16 read: "Style, Tone, Irony" (208-212)
Olsen, "I Stand Here Ironing"
WEEK NINE

M 5/19 read: Carver, "Popular Mechanics" response paper
W 5/21 read: O'Connor, "Good Country People" response paper
F 5/23 read: Munro, "An Ounce of Cure"
WEEK TEN

M 5/26 University closed, Memorial Day
W 5/28 Workshop draft of essay three (2 copies) for workshop
F 5/30 review for final essay three due

Final Exam 10-11:45 on 6/6

return to class list