ENGL 102H, Spring, 2016
Dr. Harnett
TuTh Week 1, Tuesday, page 1
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
TuTh Class (#1370) Meets 9:10-10:35 AM in SG 136.
1. Welcome to English 102H (Honors Critical Thinking and Literary
Analysis)! It is truly great to be able to have you all in class. Roll call.
Please note that I take attendance every day and that Participation is part
of your grade.
2. Introductions to the class, my approach, my contact information, and
office hours.
3. Syllabus:
a. Texts and materials:
i. John Kennedy Toole A Confederacy of Dunces,
ii. George Bernard Shaw, You Never Can Tell,
iii. Bart Edelman, The Geographer’s Wife,
iv. J. D. Salinger, Nine Stories
b. Grading: 2 Essays written in steps, 2 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.
4. Have a way to save your classwork, such as GoogleDrive, or show
me printed or handwritten notes. 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, 2016
Dr. Harnett
TuTh Week 1, Tuesday, page 2
What it is not in this context: When you see the word criticism, you think
of an evaluation or judgment. But…
Literary Criticism is the development of important ideas that are made
worthwhile to share though insight, logic, depth, and precision. That
development is the process of academic writing.
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. Refer to the
document called First_Day_Readings. Discuss some aspects of each one.
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. 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”
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?
iv. Against what is Nash rebelling, as shown in his poems?
How do the poems show his rebellion?
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.
2. Literary Criticism (excerpt from
http://www.pennilesspress.co.uk/prose/rebel_without_a_pause.htm
Blyth, Steven. “Rebel Without a Pause: The Poetic Structures of Ogden Nash.”
n.p., n.d. Penniless Press. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.
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:
ENGL 102H, Spring, 2016
Dr. Harnett
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TuTh Week 1, Tuesday, page 3
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 take notes:
“Orpheus and Eurydice” at http://www.bartleby.com/181/241.html
Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour” [PDF on the main ENGL 102H page]
John Steinbeck, “The Chrysanthemums” [PDF]
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.
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