Literary Analysis
English 271 SCHEDULE
Following each date below are reading or other assignments due for that day. Also
following each date are tentative activities and topics for the class period. If you
miss a meeting, you should 1) get full notes and updates from several classmates;
and 2) check with me again you have specific, informed questions. Because this
schedule is flexible and subject to change, and because it's a workshop course, it's
vital that you attend regularly and keep up with current announcements. Be sure as
well to check your email and this online schedule regularly for changes and updates.
Week 1, Tues. Aug. 25
In Class
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Course introduction.
Laptop count.
Thurs. Aug. 27
In Class
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Take a look at Bb materials.
Review course intro.
In-class diagnostic essay. See Bb “Weekly Work.”
Week 2, Tues. Sept. 1
Before Class
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Watch White Oleander (YouTube or elsewhere ).
Read all of The Great Gatsby.
Read Tyson, Chap. 1, pp. 1-9.
Be sure you’ve posted your diagnostic essay to Bb “Weekly Work,” or given
me a hard copy.
In Class
A few course policies.
Look at student diagnostics and do thorough overview of theories.
Begin work with Psycho theory?
Freud’s couch!
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Thurs. Sept. 3
Before Class
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Read Chap. 2, "Psychoanalytic Criticism," pp. 11-48 (skip the "Lacanian
Psycholanalysis" segment, pp. 25-33, for now).
Possibly review White Oleander. (Use checked-out instructor copy or watch
YouTube, Amazon, or Netflix et al.)
Be sure you’ve read all of Gatsby!
In Class
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Get a good look at Gatsby together (bring book to class).
Workshopping the theory: initial analysis of 3 characters in film (Bb).
Freudian psycho crit. ppt presentation and talk about how one applies any
theory to a particular book or film.
Freudian analysis worksheet (Bb).
Week 3, Tues. Sept. 8
Thurs. Sept. 10
"they f*** you up, your
mum and dad"
—Philip Larken
Before Class
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Complete Freudian Worksheet and post in Bb.
Read Lacanian segment of Tyson, Chap. 2, pp. 25-33.
Read O’Connor’s, “Everything that Rises Must Converge”
www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~cinichol/271/OConnorEverythingThatRises.
docx
In Class
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Go over White Oleander analysis. Apply Freud to Ai and O’Connor.
Lacan .ppt presentation.
Groups write paragraph analysis using Lacanian lens (O’Connor story or
White Oleander).
Possibly begin brief class presentations.
Week 4, Tues. Sept. 15
In Class
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Complete brief class presentations.
Continue discussion of Lacan.
Possible Jung .ppt presentation.
Thurs. Sept. 17
Before Class
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Read Hoagland, “Adam and Eve”:
www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~cinichol/271/HoaglandPoems.docx
Read Tyson, Chap. 3, "Marxist Criticism," pp. 51-76.
In Class
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Review psychoanalytic theory.
Discuss semester-long annotated bibliography assignment.
Work with Marxist theory.
Pre-read Modern Times.
Week 5, Tues. Sept. 22
Before Class
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Read Hawthorne's “Young Goodman Brown”:
www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~cinichol/271/HawthorneYoungGoodman
Brown.docx
Watch Chaplin film, Modern Times: http://ffilms.org/modern-times1936/
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In Class
o
Continue work with Marxism. Apply to assignments.
Thurs. Sept. 24
Before Class
o
Read Tyson, “Feminist criticism,” pp. 79-100, up to “Multicultural
feminism.”
In Class
o
Work with feminist criticism of assigned readings to date.
Week 6, Tues. Sept. 29
Before Class
Read Tyson, pp. 100 (beginning with “Multicultural criticism”)-126.
In Class
o
Work with latter part of Tyson chapter.
Thurs. Oct. 1
Before Class
o
Read Tyson, Chap. 12, “Postcolonial criticism,” pp. 398-441.
In Class
o
Work with poco crit.
Week 7, Tues. Oct. 6
In Class
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Continue work with poco crit.
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Thurs. Oct. 8
Before Class
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Carefully study:
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Elements of Poetry,
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/poetry/elements.html

Elements of Fiction,
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/fiction/elements.asp
Note: I’m a bit leery of the Bedford St. Martin definition of "theme" (at the
Elements of Fiction link above). Please see our .ppt presentation titled
"Literature Bootcamp" in Blackboard "Course Documents" for an
alternate definition. Much of the Bedford St. Martin material, however, is
very good. Please study it carefully.
In Class
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Formalist boot camp.
Week 8, Tues. Oct. 13
Before Class
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Be studying .ppt in Bb.
In Class
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Formalist bootcamp, cont.
Thurs. Oct. 15
Before Class
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Read Tyson, Chap. 5, “New Criticism,” pp. 129-158.
In Class
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Formalist bootcamp, cont. Begin work with the New Criticism.
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Week 9, Tues. Oct. 20
Before Class
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Read piece on psycho crit—connecting it to formalist and New Critical
concerns:
www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~cinichol/271/LacanEssayGoodConnection
sFormalism.docx
In Class
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Continue with the New Criticism.
Thurs. Oct. 22
Before Class
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Read Tyson, Chap. 8, “Deconstructive criticism,” pp. 235-265.
In Class
Week 10, Tues. Oct. 27
In Class
o
Continue work with deconstruction.
Thurs. Oct. 29
In Class
o
Continue work with deconstruction.
Week 11, Tues. Nov. 3
Before Class
o
o
Read Tyson, Chap. 9, “New historical and culturalist criticism,” pp.
267-298.
Be reading Fight Club.
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In Class
o
Work New Historical and cult crit.
Thurs. Nov. 5
Before Class
o
Finish Fight Club.
In Class
o
o
Continue work with New Historical and cult crit.
Form groups for collaborative essay.
Week 12, Tues. Nov. 10
Before Class
o
Individual work on collaborative essay.
In Class
o
Groups write collaborative essay on Fight Club.
Thurs. Nov. 12—
Before Class
o
Groups meet as-needed.
In Class
o
o
Complete group essay.
Course review and exam practice.
Week 13, Tues. Nov. 17—
Before Class
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o
Read essay assignment.
In Class
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Go over group essays.
Course review.
Choosing lens for essay. Exam to include research/review for essay.
Take-home exam sent out.
Thurs. Nov. 19—
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Work on take-home exam.
Week 14, Tues. Nov. 24—
Before Class
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Work on take-home exam. Include research for chosen lens in essay.
CAREFULLY read/watch Power Point titled, "Essay Conventions,
Drafting, and Documentation/Plagiarism Review."
In Class
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EXAM DUE at start of class. All materials MUST be stapled.
Go over exam.
Begin work on essays.
Thurs. Nov. 26—Thanksgiving Holiday
Week 15, Tues. Dec. 1
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First draft essay due. Bring 2 copies. Print out peer critiques.
Thurs. Dec. 3—
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Conferences. Second draft due at the time of your scheduled apt.
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Week 16, Tues. Dec. 8—
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Conferences. Second draft due at the time of your scheduled apt.
Thurs. Dec. 10—
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Final version of essay due. Include 2nd draft with instructor comments
and peer critiques. STAPLE ALL MATERIALS.
MORE COMING!
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