ENGL 102H, Spring, 2014
Dr. Harnett
TuTh Week 1 Class Notes, page 1
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
TuTh Class (#1425) Meets 9:10-10:35 AM in SR 324.
1. Welcome to class! It is truly great to be able to have you all in class. Roll
and Waiting List. We can have up to the seating capacity of this lab
enrolled.
2. Introductions to the class, my approach, my contact information, and
office hours.
3. Class email list.
4. Syllabus:
a. Texts and materials, including Tartuffe.
b. Grading: 2 Essays, 3 Exams, RP, Final.
c. Policies
i. Please read the syllabus thoroughly and refer to it so that you
are aware of assignments for each class.
ii. Be sure that you know the information, policies, and
procedures of the class.
5. Have a way to save your classwork, such as GoogleDrive or
SkyDrive. I will check classwork for each class day.
Literary Criticism: What is it? What do you think of when you see the word
criticism? [next page]
ENGL 102H, Spring, 2014
Dr. Harnett
TuTh Week 1 Class Notes, page 2
What it is not (when you see the word criticism, you think of an evaluation or
judgment. But…
What Literary Criticism is: Important ideas that are worth reading and
thinking about.
Literary criticism is the analysis of literature in the interest of pointing out
important insights (critical ideas) about it. As a result, we understand people,
ourselves, the world, how to do a task systematically and logically, etc. better than
before. That benefits everyone, since past mistakes are less likely to be repeated
with enhanced insight. That’s one reason that people read. Other reasons:
curiosity, escapism, desire for challenges and novelty (note that a work of fiction
is called a novel. Etymology of novel from Merriam-Webster Online: “Middle English,
from Middle French, new, from Latin novellus, from diminutive of novus new.” There
are other reasons too.
Some preliminary readings and literary critical activities. Discuss some
questions about each one; I have more questions here than we are likely to be
able to address. Take notes in response to each item that we discuss, and save
them. Then you will write a brief essay in response to a topic I will give you.
1. SKIP? Guy de Maupassant, “The Necklace” at
http://www.bartleby.com/195/20.html
a. Describe and briefly explain your sympathies toward:
i. Mathilde Loisel
ii. Monsieur Loisel
b. What’s the turning point of the story? Explain your reasoning.
c. How does the ending affect reader’s response to the story?
d. What’s the moral of the story?
2. Poem: “Cinderella” by Sylvia Plath
http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/sylvia-plath/cinderella/.
a. What’s the point of view of this poem—through whose eyes is it
told?
b. What is the strongest, most emotional line of the poem? Explain
your selection, what it might mean, and why it is important.
3. Poem: “Cinderella” by John Dickson
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse/141/3#!/20594633/0
a. Describe the way the poem’s point of view develops.
b. Point out words and phrases that capture your attention. What
significance do they have?
c. Explain the main theme of this poem.
d. How does this poem bear similarities to Plath’s?
e. How is it distinct?
4. Ogden Nash Poems at http://www.westegg.com/nash/
a. “The Shrimp”
b. “The Turtle”
c. “Reflections on Ice Breaking”
d. “My Dream”
e. “The Purist”
ENGL 102H, Spring, 2014
Dr. Harnett
TuTh Week 1 Class Notes, page 3
i. Comment on the humor of each poem by Nash. Is there a
more serious message accompanying the main point of
each one?
ii. What outlook does each poem suggest regarding love
relationships?
iii. What themes do all of these works share in common?
Explain why you interpret things and derive insights as you do. Note that a
key word for you to have in mind in this course is insight, meaning deep,
profound, often original ideas, which you find by thinking carefully about what
you read. Insight is all about being able to see into the truth of an issue or concept
that a literary work presents.
Discuss the development of a thesis, with logical support, in an essay. How
does a writer derive a thesis insight, select relevant examples from sources,
organize a convincing argument in an effective order of ideas, and express ideas
and explanations clearly and precisely? Review the essential parts of an essay:



Introduction and Thesis
Development of ideas and examples as support
Conclusion that sums up the thesis and finishes the train of thought
[Start working on the Diagnostic Essay by 9:50.]
Diagnostic Essay In Class. You will have about 30 minutes for this short
essay. I will give feedback on it, but it does not count toward your course
grade. This essay is required by the English Division.
For Next Time: Read 4 stories carefully and print them out:
 “Orpheus and Eurydice” at http://www.bartleby.com/181/241.html
 Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour” at
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour/
 John Steinbeck, “The Chrysanthemums” at
http://nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/4/steinbeck/chrysanthemums.htm
 Irwin Shaw, “The Girls in their Summer Dresses” at
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/dresses.html
Be ready for a quiz and in class work. Refer consistently to the syllabus throughout the
semester. Let me know how I can be of help to you.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Announcements:
1. SI will start next week: one on Tuesday, one on Thursday, 12:30-1:30
PM in ____[rooms TBA]. SI Leaders will be James Ryu (Tuesdays)
and Naeiri Hakopian (Thursdays).
2. Books: Be sure to have all of the books by the time you need to read
them! Get the play The Beaux’ Stratagem, as adapted by Thornton
Wilder and completed by Ken Ludwig, (originally written in 1707 by
George Farquhar). It is published by Samuel French, Inc. (2010).
3. I will return the Diagnostic Essay ASAP.
4. Email list.
ENGL 102H, Spring, 2014
Dr. Harnett
TuTh Week 1 Class Notes, page 4
5. Other?
Analysis and Writing Exercise: Tragic Turns and their Effects.
Stories with Tragic Turns
 “Orpheus and Eurydice” at http://www.bartleby.com/181/241.html
 Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour” at
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour/
 John Steinbeck, “The Chrysanthemums” at
http://nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/4/steinbeck/chrysanthemums.htm
 Irwin Shaw, “The Girls in their Summer Dresses” at
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/dresses.html
1. Complete the chart to show the basic movement of the stories toward their
tragic turns and endings.
Story
Before the
tragic turn
The tragic
turn
Causes
Results
“Orpheus and
Eurydice”
“The Story of an
Hour”
“The
Chrysanthemums”
“The Girls in their
Summer Dresses”
2. Now write up your analysis of the four stories’ tragic turns in a
substantial paragraph (you may decide to make more than one
paragraph, but this is not a complete essay):
a. What do they share in common?
b. What does this common aspect reveal to you as a theme, maybe a
fundamental truth or concept?
Support your analysis with quotations, paraphrases, and summaries, as
appropriate, from each of the four stories. Cite all such references correctly,
according to MLA format.
Elements to include in your writeup:
 Topic sentence (background information and setup of it beforehand
optional) showing an insight you derived from your analysis of the 4
stories’ tragic turns.
 Supporting example for each of the 4 stories’ tragic turns in relation to
your insight (quote, paraphrase, summary, with citation) as you focus on
these aspects:
o Before
o During
o Causes
o Results (note that you might combine some of these factors)
ENGL 102H, Spring, 2014
Dr. Harnett
TuTh Week 1 Class Notes, page 5

Summation of your insight. What your insight and analysis mean and
imply.
Show me your work for Participation credit (save it on SkyDrive). I would like to
save as much paper as possible. Save all classwork in a reliable place for yourself
as a backup.
Discuss the best ways to develop an idea in depth and precisely. Note
that length does not ensure depth, though a certain amount is needed.
For Next Time (Tuesday, February 26, 2013):
Stories about Imagination vs. Reality
1. Bulfinch (trans), “Meleager and Atalanta” at
http://www.bartleby.com/181/181.html (focus on “Atalanta”)
2. Ambrose Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” at
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/375/375-h/375-h.htm
I will grade and return the Diagnostic Essay ASAP.