ENGLISH 3275 W01 AMERICAN WRITERS II:
Voicing American Experience in the 19th and 20th Centuries
WEC WINTER TRIMESTER, 2012 SYLLABUS
PROFESSOR GERI CHAVIS Office: 113 WHITBY HALL e-mail: ggchavis@stkate.edu
Phone: 651 690-6524 Office Hours: Tues., 3:15-4:30PM; Thurs., 8:45-9:45AM; and by
appointment
TEACHING ASSISTANT: KELLY HASLEIET e-mail: kkhasleiet@stkate.edu
Phone: 612 267-0678 Office Hours: Wed., 3:30-5:00PM
CLASS MEETS: SUNDAYS, 1-4:30PM in ROOM 318, WHITBY HALL (Room subject to
change-check registrar on-line schedule)
COURSE OVERVIEW:
In this course, we will study literary works of major authors who were writing during the
70-year period from 1875 to 1945. This era was characterized by substantial social,
cultural, economic and political changes and by the blossoming of a uniquely
“American” body of literature. We will ponder the question of what constitutes the
“American” experience and the “American Dream” and reflect upon how these are
captured, in diverse and creative ways, in literary works of this time. As we study the
assigned novels, short stories, play and poems, we will focus on the rise and flourishing
of realism, regionalism, naturalism, symbolism, imagism and modernism. We will, in
particular, explore how the literature reflects both class and gender issues, taking into
account the Women’s Movement and debates regarding feminine/masculine roles and
ideology; along with the various labor movements that sought to address the gap
between those enjoying the luxuries of the “Gilded Age” and those suffering the plight of
extreme poverty.
Together, we will function as a community of learners, as we read, reflect upon,
discuss, research and write about the assigned works and grow in our understanding of
these literary pieces and their authors within their socio-cultural context.
Class time will involve participation in large and small group discussions, panels,
debates, mini-writing activities, oral reading experiences, brief-background lectures,
and film clip showings.
REQUIRED TEXTS: (In order of assignment)
Mary Wilkins Freeman. The Revolt of Mother and Other Stories (1880’s-1909). Dover
Thrift Edition.
Kate Chopin. The Awakening and Selected Stories (1899). Intro. Sandra M. Gilbert.
Penguin Classics.
Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth (1905). Ed. Cynthia G. Wolff. Penguin.
Upton Sinclair. The Jungle (1905). Penguin.
F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby (1925). Preface Matthew J. Bruccoli.
Scribner/ Simon & Schuster.
Zora Neal Hurston. Spunk: The Selected Short Stories of Zora Neale Hurston
(1924-1933). Perseus Edition, 1985.
Tennessee Williams. The Glass Menagerie (1945). Intro. Robert Bray.
New Directions Paperback
Selected Short Stories by Mark Twain, Langston Hughes, & Dorothy Parker (Handouts)
Selected Poems by Langston Hughes and Dorothy Parker (handouts).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Term Paper (8-10 pages)
= 30%
In-class Midterm Exam
= 15%
5 Reflections (Homework and In-Class) = 35%
Classwork
= 20% (Includes participation in class
discussions and activities; and keeping up with assignments and attendance)
Your presence in every class is an ESSENTIAL aspect of this course’s effectiveness,
both for you and for others. Please note that more than two absences will adversely
affect your grade, and you will not be able to earn a passing grade in this course if you
are absent more than three times. Lateness to class will be considered as 1/3 absence.
Required written assignments include three Homework Responses to Reflection
Questions (2 word processed pages); two In-Class Written Reflections; a Take-Home
Midterm Exam; and a 8-10 page Term Paper on a topic of your choice focusing on at
least two literary works and involving research drawn from pertinent secondary
(critical) sources. For all word-processed assignments, please use 11 or 12-font and 1
½ spaces between lines and carefully PROOFREAD.
Your written work will be evaluated with the following criteria in mind:
1) Focus (all parts of your written responses are directly relevant to the specific
question being asked)
2) Development (response is carefully thought out, and general statements are
supported with well-chosen details and quotes from the texts)
3) Clarity (your meaning is clearly conveyed in grammatical sentences)
4) Coherence and Organization (your insights, examples, paragraphs and sentences
are linked and follow one another in a logical way)
5) Tone and content is appropriate to the audience addressed
Due dates for all writing and reading assignments are clearly marked on the syllabus.
Since Written Responses to Reflection Questions will often become part of our class
discussions, it is VERY IMPORTANT to hand them in on the due date. While I will accept
late responses (within one week from the due date), the penalty for late responses will
be one full letter grade. If you have an excused, unavoidable absence on an in-class
writing day, you will have the opportunity to complete a substitute written assignment in
my office within two weeks of the missed class. It will be your responsibility to request
this make-up assignment.
For all written work in this class, it is essential to be aware of and follow the College’s
“Academic Integrity Policy”. If you have questions regarding plagiarism, please consult
Geri Chavis.
COURSE SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS:
CLASS PREPARATION PERIOD- January 2nd -5th :
For our opening class (Jan. 8th), read the following seven short stories: Mary Wilkins
Freeman’s “The Revolt of Mother” (1890); “A New England Nun” (1891); “The
Selfishness of Amelia Lamkin” (1908) and “One Good Time” (1900) (found in The Revolt
of Mother and Other Stories) and Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” (1894); “A Pair of Silk
Stockings” (1897) and “Desiree’s Baby” (1893) (found in The Awakening and Selected
Stories).
Written Reflection #1: After reading the above stories carefully, complete a written
response to the following question that has three parts to it: Choosing one of the stories
read for today, 1) explore a major conflict that the main character experiences and 2)
explain whether or not this conflict is resolved. In your exploration, clearly set forth the
two sides of the conflict that are fighting or opposing one another. This “battle” may be
an internal one in which character experiences a dilemma between two opposing forces
or alternatives; or it could be an external one in which the character struggles with
another individual, or other people, or a societal force. 3) Add, at the end of your
exploration, a paragraph describing your personal reaction to the ways in which this
main character handles her conflict.
(Responses are to be approximately two word-processed pages, using 11 or 12 font
and 1 ½ spacing).
Jan. 8th – Course Introduction/ American Realism/ Regionalism/ The Short Story Genre
and Women’s Experience: The Short Stories of Freeman and Chopin (1880’s-1909).
Class Discussion will focus on the stories listed above.
***Written Reflection #1 (as described above) due today – to be handed in and
discussed in class.
Mark Twain’s short story, “The L1,000,000 Bank Note” will be handed out today.
Jan. 15th – Realism, Regionalism and Symbolism/ The American Dream and the Gender
Divide in the “Gilded Age”
Read for today’s class: Mark Twain’s short story, “The L1,000,000 Bank Note” (1893)
(handout) and Kate Chopin’s novella, The Awakening (1899).
***Written Reflection #2: In-Class Writing on the assigned reading for today.
Jan. 29th - Money, Status, Ethics and Leisure-Class Women.
Read for today’s class: Edith Wharton’s novel, The House of Mirth (1905).
***Written Reflection #3: to be completed as homework and submitted today in class:
Choose one relationship that Wharton develops in The House of Mirth. Discuss the
features and dynamics of this relationship and explain how this relationship helps to
convey or highlight a significant theme or message present in this novel.
In-Class: “Becoming the Character” activity; Exploring the novel in light of background
on Edith Wharton’s world and Thorsten Veblen’s “Theory of the Leisure Class.”
Viewing a few clips from film version of the novel.
***Take-Home Midterm Exams will be handed out today in class.
[***Feb. 5th – Optional Theatre Event: “Ragtime, the Musical” at Park Square Theatre in
downtown St. Paul, 2:00PM Matinee Performance with Discussion]
Feb. 12th – Naturalism/ Muckrakers and Rise of Labor Movements
Read for Today’s Class: Upton Sinclair’s novel, The Jungle (1905)
There will be no written reflection due today; however, to prepare for our class
discussion, think about how Upton Sinclair uses Jurgis and his family members to
support his Socialist views. In order to fully address this issue, it would be a very good
idea to look up Socialism to get a clear definition.
In Class: Discuss The Jungle and Sinclair’s mission as a writer. View film on Sinclair’s
work and the meat packing industry.
Midterm Exam Study Period Feb. 13-19: Completed Midterm Exams are due no later
than February 19th . You may e-mail them to ggchavis@stkate.edu or place them under
my office door (113 Whitby Hall).
Feb. 26th - The Jazz Age, The Roaring Twenties, and Modernism
Read for today’s class: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby (1925) and do a bit
of research on Fitzgerald’s life, so that you are prepared to talk about the ways in which
his novel relates to his life.
In Class: Written Reflection # 4 to be completed and discussed in class. Also, we will
view the PBS Video, “Without Fear or Shame” on Hurston (and Hughes) in preparation
for our upcoming on-line class.
* **Prospectus of Term Paper due today—include specific topic, one or two key
research questions, tentative thesis, overall organizing strategy, and preliminary
bibliography. E-mail these to me by today, and I will give you feedback via e-mail ASAP.
**Langston Hughes and Dorothy Parker stories and poems will be handed out today.
Mar. 2-8: Class Scheduled On-Line: The Harlem Renaissance: Hurston and Hughes
On March 4th, at our course’s blackboard site, you will be expected to post your
response to an assigned thought question and engage in a virtual conversation on the
following readings: Zora Neale Hurston’s short stories (1924-1933): “Isis”; “Sweat” and
“the Gilded Six Bits” (found in Spunk) and Langston Hughes’ short stories (1934): “Cora
Unashamed” and “Slave on the Block”. In addition to submitting your response to the
assigned question, you will be required to communicate with at least two other
students, commenting substantively on their entry.
March 18th: Two Modern Voices on Gender and Race: Parker and Hughes
Read for today’s class: Dorothy Parker’s short stories: “Big Blonde” (1929); “the Lovely
Leave” (1943); and “Mr. Durant” (1924) and poems by Dorothy Parker and Langston
Hughes (handout)
In Class: Group Work and Character-Dialogue Activity
***Draft of Term Paper due today (Include separate page with Thesis and Organizing
Strategy or General Outline)
Mar. 25th - The Flourishing of Modern American Drama:
Read for Today’s Class: Tennessee Williams’ play, The Glass Menagerie
***Written Reflection #5: to be prepared as homework and handed in today: Subject to
be announced.
Draft of Term Paper will be returned today
Bring to class: Self-addressed double-stamped 8 ½ -X 11 envelope, for the mailing of
your graded term paper
Mar. 26th - April 1st : Final Exam Study Period: Work on revising term paper drafts.
April 2nd - **Revisions of Term Papers are due absolutely no later than today.
TERM PAPER INFORMATION:
In this paper, involving the integration of primary and secondary sources, focus on at
least two literary works, either those assigned for this course or others by authors we
are studying. Select a topic that “grabs” you, one that you find personally stimulating.
Length: Approximately 8-10 word processed pages, using 11 or 12 font and 1 ½ spaces
between lines)
Due Dates: : Prospectus – Feb. 26th
Draft – March 18th
Revision – April 2nd
Once you have chosen your topic and research questions, carefully re-read pertinent
parts of your chosen literary works, in order to generate a tentative thesis (the
assertion about your topic that you will be supporting) and make a preliminary decision
on an organizing strategy (basic outline) that fits best with the wording of your thesis.
Before generating a thesis, you may find it necessary and worthwhile to do some
preliminary research involving reference materials (encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.)
or primary sources other than the major literary text(s) of your study. Such primary
sources may involve an author’s letters, memoirs, or essays, or a work by Marx or
Freud or Jung (if your approach is Marxist or psychological). Once you have
determined your thesis and gathered relevant primary source material, turn to
secondary (critic’s) sources, choosing them selectively based on your topic and
particular focus. You will be expected to include at least three secondary sources.
After you have completed your research and you begin writing your draft, you may find
it necessary to refine or substantially revise your thesis. Do not be distressed if this
happens, because this dynamic process is very much a normal aspect of scholarly
endeavors.
Kelly and I will act as resource advisers and coaches during your creation of this
paper, holding conferences at your request and reviewing your topic, research
questions, preliminary plan, draft, and revision for this paper.
Your draft should include the following: 1) an introduction that clearly sets forth your
thesis (or focus for the essay; 2) body paragraphs with supporting details from primary
and relevant secondary sources; 3) documentation of sources; 4) a conclusion; and 5) a
working bibliography (Works Cited) page. A guide to the MLA style is available in the
Reference room of the SCU Library.
Paper Topic Suggestions:
Heroism/ The Male Hero/ The Female Hero
American “Aristocracy”
Classism
Racism/ Racial/ Ethnic Bias
The “American Dream”
“Realism” vs. “Romance”
The “Leisure Class”
American Businessman
House/ Home Imagery
Cage/Prison Imagery
Depictions of Adultery
Depictions of the American Family
Depictions of Mothers/ Fathers/ Children/ Parenting
Depictions of Family Strife/ Togetherness
Women’s Roles
Women in the Work Place
The Social Visit/ Dinner Parties
The Woman’s Movement
Depictions of Marriage
Women as Possessions
Gift-giving
American Satire/ Comic Vision
Women’s or Men’s Friendships
Depictions of Poverty
Symbols of Wealth
Metaphors of Time or Space
Author’s style/ biases/ narrative mode
Gossip/ Reputation
Woman’s Modesty
Definitions of Social Success
Author’s Use of imagery/ Image Patterns (ex. Color, Wind/ Fire, Food)
The Gilded Age
The Angel in the House
Sister Relationships
Clothing as Metaphor
Courting Conversations
Standards of Behavior for Women
Female Sexuality