Anderson—ENGL 465—S2014
Professor Emily Anderson
402J Taper Hall, x03744
email: ehanders@usc.edu
OH: Mondays 2-4pm
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Spring 2014
ENGL 465—32739R
M/W 12-1:50pm
THH 115
ENGL 465: The Foundations of the Novel
In this course, we will study the development of a now-beloved genre of literature: the
novel. Focusing on its emergence in eighteenth-century England, we will look at, among
other things, how and why the novel’s subject matter shifted from fantastic tales
(featuring knights and dragons) to realistic ones (featuring everyday people whom
readers could conceivably encounter in their everyday lives); how the seduction stories
of the beginning of the century evolved into moralistic ones depicting proper conduct;
and how both metafictional novels such as Tristram Shandy and gothic “ghost” stories
such as The Castle of Otranto motivated readers to question what was real. Readings will
range from Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko and Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe to Jane
Austen’s Northanger Abbey. We will end the course by looking at how a twentiethcentury author, J.M. Coeztee, appropriates and analyzes these same questions in his novel
Foe. Goals for the class include developing a familiarity with the emergence of nowstandard novelistic conventions; learning how to read and retain detail from large
amounts of text; and developing skills in argument and analysis through focused readings
of select passages and the assessment of other literary critics’ argumentative techniques.
Required Texts: Please buy these specific editions
Aphra Behn, Oroonoko (Norton)
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (Norton)
Eliza Haywood, Fantomina and Other Works (Broadview)
Samuel Richardson, Pamela (Oxford)
Eliza Haywood, Anti-Pamela and Shamela (Broadview)
Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy (Norton)
Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto (Penguin)
Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey (Norton)
J.M. Coetzee, Foe (Penguin)
Course Mechanics and Grade Breakdown
Attendance Policy / Plagiarism
Effective discussion depends upon your presence in class. More than three absences will
result in you being penalized a half-a-letter grade. More than seven absences can result
in you failing the course. Plagiarism of any kind can also result in a failing grade for the
assignment or, in certain cases, the entire course.
Reading Quizzes—20%
In lieu of a midterm, we will have five reading quizzes over the course of the semester,
worth 20pts. each. Three of the quizzes will be administered on the “wrap up” days
indicated below; these quizzes will be cumulative, in that they will encompass the
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reading covered in each unit. The other two quizzes will be unannounced; these will
cover only the reading assigned for that day. Quizzes must be taken in class on the day
they are administered; they cannot be made up. If you keep up with the reading, these
quizzes should be straightforward.
Papers—40%
You have two options for how to fulfill the writing requirement of this course. You may
do four short papers, 2-3 pages maximum, due on the dates indicated below. For the
short papers, you will do a close analysis of one isolated passage of text. If you choose
the second option, you will submit two medium-length analytical papers, 5-7 pages, due
on the dates indicated below, in which you make a broader claim about a text and support
it with a range of textual evidence. The options cannot be combined; you must choose
one or the other. All papers are due Fridays by noon, in my office (THH 402J) or in my
faculty mailbox (THH 404).
Student Presentations—10%
Each of you will give a 10 minute in-class presentation on a scholarly essay or a
historical-cultural topic related to our reading for that specific day. You will be asked to
summarize (and, in the case of the scholarly essay, evaluate) the relevant material, to
draw explicit connections between that material and our reading for the day, and to
provide a one-page handout for your classmates. You will sign up for your topic at the
beginning of the second week of class.
Final Exam / Final long paper—30%
You have two options for how to fulfull the final project requirement of the course: you
may sit for a two-hour in-class final exam, which will consist of definitions, short
identifications, and longer essay questions; or, you may submit a longer, comprehensive
final paper, 8-10 pages in length, which can build on ideas you’ve started to develop in
your short or medium-length papers and in the student presentations. I’ll be providing
more information on both assignments as the semester progresses.
Novel Parodies—Extra Credit
Inspired by our readings of Shamela and Anti-Pamela, and looking ahead to our
discussion of Northanger Abbey and Foe, students will select one text from our reading
thus far and write a short, 2 page, creative parody or imitation of that novel’s plot, main
characters, or style. A well-executed parody can add up to 20 pts. to your quiz grade.
Pardoies will be shared in class. Other extra credit opportunities may be availble during
the semester.
Schedule of Assignments
Unit 1: Travel Writing, Realism, and Romance
Week 1
1/13 Introduction—definitions of the novel
1/15 Aphra Behn, Oroonoko
Anderson—ENGL 465—S2014
Week 2
1/20 NO CLASS; MLK day
1/22 Oroonoko (wrap up); start reading Robinson Crusoe
Week 3
1/27 Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (1-52)
1/29 Robinson Crusoe (52-112)
Presentations begin
Week 4
2/3
Robinson Crusoe (112-220)
2/5
Wrap up / Catch Up
2/7 Short Paper #1
UNIT 2: Seduction Fiction, Domestic Fiction
Week 5
2/10 Fantomina
2/12 Pamela (1-59)
Week 6
2/17 NO CLASS; Presidents’ day
2/19 Pamela (60-219)
Week 7
2/24 Pamela (221-378)
2/26 Pamela (378-438, 476-487, 500-503)
2/28 Short Paper #2
2/28 Medium Paper #1
Week 8
3/3
Shamela
3/5
Anti-Pamela, (p. 53-top of p. 165)
Week 9
3/10 Novel Parodies
3/13 Wrap Up / Catch Up
SPRING BREAK
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Anderson—ENGL 465—S2014
UNIT 3: Metafictions, Gothic Fictions, Parody
Week 11
3/24 Tristram, Vol. 1
3/26 Tristram, Vol. 2
Week 12
3/31 Tristram, Vol. 3
4/2
Tristram, Vol. 4
4/4
Short Paper #3
Week 13
4/7
Otranto, Chapters 1-3
4/9
Otranto, Chapters 4-5
Week 14
4/14 Northanger Abbey, Volume 1
4/16 Northanger Abbey, Volume 2
4/18
4/18
Short Paper #4
Medium Paper #2
Week 15
4/21 Wrap Up / Catch Up
4/23 Foe
Week 16
4/28 Foe
4/30 Foe; Final Reflections
Friday May 9, 11-1pm, Final Exam / Final Paper
Statement for Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to
register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of
verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the
letter is delivered to me (or to TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in
STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Website and contact
information for DSP:
http://sait.usc.edu/academicsupport/centerprograms/dsp/home_index.html, (213) 7400776 (Phone), (213) 740-6948 (TDD only), (213) 740-8216 (FAX) ability@usc.edu.
Statement on Academic Integrity
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic
honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the
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expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an
instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by
others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to
understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook,
(www.usc.edu/scampus or http://scampus.usc.edu) contains the University Student
Conduct Code (see University Governance, Section 11.00), while the recommended
sanctions are located in Appendix A.
Emergency Preparedness/Course Continuity in a Crisis In case of a declared emergency if travel to campus is not feasible, USC executive
leadership will announce an electronic way for instructors to teach students in their
residence halls or homes using a combination of Blackboard, teleconferencing, and other
technologies.