English 305.003: DIMENSIONS OF WRITING AND LITERATURE (final version)
Fall 2011
T R 10:30-11:45, Science Technology II 220; Recitation W 5:55 pm - 7:10, Innovation Hall 105
Professor Michals
Office Hours: TR 2:30-3:30 and by appointment: Robinson A 428
993-1160
tmichals@gmu.edu
Home page: http://mason.gmu.edu/~tmichals
This six-credit course is the core requirement for all English majors. It fulfills the Writing-Intensive
requirement in the English major through four 6-page essays and a number of one-page responses to the
reading; you should plan to write something for this class every week. At least one of these 6-page essays
will be completed through a draft/feedback/revision process; you are invited to use this process for your other
6-page essays as well. This course stresses the close reading of fiction, poetry, drama, and film. It will also
introduce you to a range of the critical methods literary critics use to understand texts and to explore their
larger cultural contexts. In addition to our meetings in this classroom, this course includes a series of weekly
lectures (W 5:55 pm - 7:10 pm Innovation Hall 105) by a variety of faculty, demonstrating some of the
critical, creative, and research possibilities in the field of literary studies today. Exams and assignments will
include material covered in these lectures. English majors must earn a C or better in this course to continue in
the program.
REQUIRED TEXTS
William Inge, Summer Brave
Ticket to live performance: to get your free ticket to the performance of Summer Brave, bring your GMU ID
to the box office in the Center for the Arts two weeks before the first show. http://cfa.gmu.edu/students/ If all
the free tickets are gone, then the cost is $10.00.
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis (Norton Critical Edition)
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (Bedford Case Study)
William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lyrical Ballads (Broadview)
The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms, 3rd edition.
Access to the electronic databases Literature On-Line (LION) http://lion.chadwyck.com.mutex.gmu.edu/ . If
not hard-copy texts listed above, readings will either be available in LION or will be posted on Blackboard.
Plan to print and bring them to class, or bring them on a laptop.
COURSE POLICIES.
Attendance and Participation:
You are strongly advised to come to every class, on time, having read the assigned text more than once,
having drawn stars, arrows, question marks, exclamation points or any other notation you find useful in the
margins by striking or confusing passages, and having written down some questions or insights that you plan
to bring up in class discussion. In addition to our class meetings and the Wednesday recitations, you will
attend one live theater performance of Summer Brave.
Blackboard Responses:
The goal of these responses is to let the rest of the class (and me) have some idea what you’re thinking about
course content before we meet, as well as to create a record that will be useful for review. You must post
twelve responses in all. Please post on the reading or the recitation for the current week – although you are
more than welcome to make connections with earlier readings or recitations, and with classmates’ comments.
In fact, I will be delighted when you do. You will post two different kinds of responses: a response to the
reading before we discuss that reading in class (8 times), and a response to the Wednesday recitation before
class on Thursday (four times). You must do half of these responses before the Columbus Day break and the
rest by our last day of class. Aside from that requirement, you may do them any week you like – please plan
ahead for busy times and malfunctioning technology! These responses will help you to begin to analyze the
readings and lecture presentations so that you can more profitably participate when we talk about them in
class. In addition, they give you a chance to start thinking in writing about the texts without the constraints of
a formal essay and provide a record of your thoughts. Express yourself as clearly as possible in these
responses. You can address the response prompt listed on the syllabus, or take another direction entirely: ask
a question and explain why you think it matters, disagree with something in the text, relate some element of
its form to its content, or take a classmate’s response to the reading one step farther: Do not merely
summarize the text! If your response does not rise beyond summary, you won’t get credit for it (if this is
the case, I’ll let you know by the end of the week). Each response must be at least 250 words.
I will not accept late responses, although I encourage you to compare later readings and lectures to earlier
ones – synthesize as you go! Then the midterm and final will make sense. I also encourage you to use your
responses as starting points for your formal essays. If you want to explore a response further in an essay,
please let me know.
6-Page (1800 word) Essays:
I like talking to students about work-in-progress: please come to my office hours or make an appointment to
discuss your writing. Since this class emphasizes the development of your own close reading skills, you are
not encouraged to consult secondary sources; that is, your essays are not intended to be research papers. If
you're having trouble getting started with an assignment, I advise you to get help from the Writing Center or
from me in my office hours rather than flipping through a random and quite possibly overwhelming selection
of critics. If you do chose to look at some criticism, you must cite all the articles or books your own final
reading quotes or draws on, however indirectly, using a standard citation format, including a bibliography.
You are strongly encouraged to go to the Writing Center (Robinson A116) for help at any stage of the
writing process: call 993-1200 to make an appointment in advance. You must complete all required writing
assignments to pass this class.
PLEASE NOTE: Hand in your essays in person at the beginning of class on the day they are due. Essays left
in my mailbox will be considered late and may never reach me at all; essay slid under my office door will be
considered late and may be trampled on. Your work must be stapled, typed, double-spaced, proofread, use a
reasonable font and MLA format for citations, and have one-inch margins. Always keep a copy of the work
you hand in. Unless you have discussed a problem with me before the due date and I have approved a late
submission, I will deduct one grade increment for each class period that the assignment is late: for example,
and A- essay would become a B+ if it is late one class.
Plagiarism: It Can Happen Without Evil Intent:
Taking words, phrases, ideas, or any other elements from another person's work and using them as if
they were yours is plagiarism. Be sure to fully document any source you use, including introductions to
editions of the text or study aids such as Spark Notes, following a standard citation format. We will discuss
plagiarism in class. If you are ever unsure about this issue please discuss the work in question with me
immediately, before you hand it in, because if someone else's words or ideas end up in your writing without
being cited you have committed plagiarism, whether or not you intended to deceive.
Exams:
There will be a mid-term exam and a final examination. There will also be a brief quiz most Thursdays on the
Wednesday-night lecture.
Grades:
Here are the percentages for your final grade; please note that the quality of participation in class will
affect borderline final grades.
* 4 6-page essays (before the Columbus Day break, one must be substantially revised after comments from
me, for a new grade): 60%
* 12 Blackboard postings. Half of your postings must be completed before the Columbus Day break, all must
be at least 250 words, and all must be completed by our last class: 15%
* Quizzes: 5%
* Midterm exam: 10%
* Final exam: 10%
A Note on Grading Standards for Essays:
An "F" paper does not satisfy the purposes of the assignment. A "D" paper makes a visible effort to satisfy
the purposes of the assignment, but still reads like a draft because of difficulty with writing clear sentences,
developing and organizing an argument, and / or using textual support. A "C" paper shows fairly consistent
mastery of the mechanics of organization and grammar, and uses textual evidence to support a thesis. A "B"
paper shows very consistent mastery of mechanics, and a more thoughtful use of textual support. An "A"
paper makes me smile as I read it - it proves that someone has mastered the peculiar form of the literary
critical essay so completely that it can persuasively communicate his or her individual response to a text. An
“A” paper shows both that you speak the language of the profession, and have something to say.
MASON EMAIL ACCOUNTS:
Students must use their MasonLIVE email account to receive important University information, including
messages related to this class. See http://masonlive.gmu.edu for more information.
OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES:
If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the
Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through
the ODS. http://ods.gmu.edu
COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES (CAPS):
(703) 993-2380; http://caps.gmu.edu
Aug. 30 Introduction: Close Reading
Aug. 31: Lecture: Professor Sample, “Technologies of Reading”
All lectures are held W 5:55 pm - 7:10 pm in Science Technology I 131
Before the lecture (1) Browse the online Gutenberg Bible at the Ransom Center (at the University
of Texas at Austin). In particular, follow and read the links that explain the "Anatomy of a Page,"
"The Ransom Center Copy," and the "Selected Passages."
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenberg/
2) Explore the "The Whale Hunt" by Jonathan Harris, a "storytelling experiment" comprised of
over 3,000 photographs documenting an Inupiat whale hunt. http://thewhalehunt.org/
(3) Delve into "We Feel Fine," Jonathan Harris and Sepandar Kamvar's "exploration of human
emotions," culled daily from millions of blog posts. http://www.wefeelfine.org/
* Last day to drop with no tuition penalty *
Sept. 1: Formalism, New Criticism (BG 189, 335); Figure of Speech (BG 178); Metaphor, (Vehicle,
Tenor) and Simile (BG 297, 477): Craig Raine, "A Martian Sends a Postcard Home"; Langston
Hughes, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers"; A.E. Housman, "Stars, I Have Seen Them Fall"; Walt
Whitman, "A Noiseless Patient Spider"
Excerpt from John Ciardi, “How Does a Poem Mean?”
Response: Pick the poem that interests you most. Who is speaking? What words must you look up?
Which words have the strongest auditory, visual, or emotional power? How would you paraphrase
the poem's most challenging sentence? What's the poem's topic (remember that lyric poems do not
have plots, so do not create a scenario)? Is your favorite image in this poem a metaphor or a simile
or something else? Or, what do you think of Ciardi’s advice to a hypothetical young would-be
poet?
Sept. 6 Tone, Diction, Syntax (BG 517, 112): Hayden, "Those Winter Sundays"; Larkin, "This Be the
Verse"; Robert Fink, "The Ex-Grunt Writes His Last Letter to His Former Professor"
Response: Tone is the attitude of a work towards its subject. Which of these poems is the angriest?
What is it angry about?
Sept. 7: Lecture: Professor Eisner, “Reading Like a Major”
Sept.8: Allegory (BG 10):Robert Southwell,"The Burning Babe"; Emily Dickinson, "Because I Could Not
Stop for Death"
Symbol (BG 504): Miller Williams, "Listen"; Wallace Stevens, "Anecdote of the Jar"; Ezra Pound,
"In a Station of the Metro"; W.B. Yeats. "The Second Coming"
Response: Pick the poem that interests you most. Who is speaking? What words must you look up?
Which words have the strongest auditory, visual, or emotional power? How would you paraphrase
the poem's most challenging sentence? What's the poem's topic (remember that lyric poems do not
have plots, so do not create a scenario). Is your favorite image in this poem a symbol, or not? How
do you know? Or, compare and contrast allegory and symbol as forms. Why do you think allegory
has become a relatively uncommon form today?
Sept.13: DRAFT OF ESSAY #1DUE: Bring a copy to class.
Ben Percy, “Home Improvement”: Click here to read Ben's article "Home Improvement: Revision as
Renovation" from Poets & Writers magazine.
Sept.14: Lecture: Professor Lawrence, “Rhetoric and Writing”
* Last day to drop with no tuition penalty *
Sept.15: Point of View (BG 391); Naturalism (BG 329): F. Scott Fitzgerald, “May Day”
“The Bonus Army” http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm203.html
Response: What perspective is this story told from: first, third, or second-person? Is the narrator
named or unspecified? Any narrator bias - is the narrator positively or negatively disposed towards
particular characters? How reliable is the narrator? Is this story inhabited exclusively by
unsympathetic characters? Why create sympathetic or unsympathetic characters? What elements
of this story reflect Naturalism?
Sept.20: Short Story (BG 474):
Ben Percy, “Refresh, Refresh”
Re-read “Home Improvement: Revision as Renovation”: Click here to read Ben's article "Home
Improvement: Revision as Renovation" from Poets & Writers magazine.
Response: Compare and contrast the tone of “Refresh, Refresh” towards military service with that
of “May Day.” Or, is Percy a naturalist writer? Why or why not? How does he see social class, in
comparison to Fitzgerald? In comparison to Fitzgerald, how does he see people in general?
This week only! Attend a Fall for the Book Festival event September 18 - 23 (in addition to Ben
Percy’s talk), and post your reaction to it on Blackboard instead of posting about the week’s
reading. See the schedule of visiting authors and events at http://www.fallforthebook.org
ESSAY #1 DUE
Sept.21: Lecture: Ben Percy, Johnson Center Cinema
Sept.22: Novel (BG 343):
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis (first section); Kafka Chronology 211
Sept.27: Finish Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis
Sept.28: Lecture: Professor Scarlata, “Form in Film”
Sept.29: DRAFT OF ESSAY #2 DUE: Bring a copy to class.
Oct. 4
Psychoanalytic Criticism (BG 411):
Corngold, "Kafka’s The Metamorphosis: Metamorphosis of the Metaphor”
Oct. 5:
Lecture: Professor Lathbury, “Form in Poetry”
Oct. 6:
Form (BG 188); Ballad, Ballad Stanza (BG 35, 36):
In-Class workshop: Ballads and Limericks
ESSAY 2 DUE
Oct. 11: Columbus Day recess (Monday classes/labs meet Tuesday. Tuesday classes do not meet this week;
also known as “University Monday”)
Oct. 12: Lecture: Professor Kaufmann, “Relatable Me”
Oct. 13: Gender, Gender Criticism (BG 196, 197):
Pelikan Straus, "Transforming Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis
Santner, Kafka’s “Kafka’s Metamorphosis and the Writing of Abjection”
Oct. 18 MIDTERM EXAM
Get Your Tickets for Mason Players - Summer Brave
 October 27, 2011 - October 29, 2011 at 8:00 pm
 October 29, 2011 at 2:00 pm
 November 3, 2011 - November 5, 2011 at 8:00 pm
 November 5, 2011 - November 6, 2011 at 2:00 pm
TheatreSpace
Adults: $15
Students/Seniors: $10
15.00. Limited Student Tickets Available on October 18, 2011
Oct. 19 Lecture: Professor Anderson, “Southern Literature”
* Remember to get your free ticket for The Elephant Man starting March 17 from the box office in
the Center for the Arts: (888) 945-2468. http://cfa.gmu.edu/students/ *
Oct. 20: Ballad and Ballad Stanza Revisited (BG 35, 36): “Sir Patrick Spens,” "Bonny Barbara Allen";
John Keats, "La Belle Dame Sans Merci"; Marilyn Nelson, "The Ballad of Aunt Geneva"; Dudley
Randall "Ballad of Birmingham"
Sound, Scansion, Sonnet (BG 459, 481): John Milton, "When I Consider"; John Keats, "When I
Have Fears"; William Wordsworth, "Nuns Fret Not"; John Donne "Holy Sonnet 14"; William
Shakespeare, Sonnet 18, 55, 73
Response: Pick the poem that interests you most. Who is speaking? What words must you look up?
Which words have the strongest auditory, visual, or emotional power? How would you paraphrase
the poem's most challenging sentence? Unlike lyric poems, ballads do have plots - what's the plot
of one of these ballads? Does this ballad evoke an oral tradition? How? Or, how does the form of
one of these sonnets contribute to its meaning?
Oct.25: Lyric, Poetic Diction, Historicism (BG 276, 388, 227):
Lyrical Ballads (1798)
“Advertisement,” Skip “The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere,” “The Foster Mother’s Tale,” “The
Nightengale”; pay special attention to “Goody Blake and Harry Gill,” “Lines Written at a Small
Distance. . .,” “Simon Lee,” “We are Seven,” “Lines Written in Early Spring” “The Thorn,” “The
Last of the Flock,” “The Idiot Boy,” “Exposulation and Reply,” “Old Man Travelling,” and “Lines
Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey”
Oct.26: Lecture: Professor Hoffmann, “Theatre”
Oct.27: Lyrical Ballads (1800, Vol. 2)
“Preface” and Appendix:--"by what is usually called Poetic Diction"
Pay special attention to “There Was a Boy,” “Strange Fits of Passion,” “Song,” “A slumber did my
spirit seal,” “Lucy Gray,” “Poor Susan,” “Nutting,” “Three years she grew is sun and shower,”
“The Old Cumberland Beggar,” “Michael”
Nov. 1
Discuss Summer Brave live performance.
Nov. 2: Lecture: Prof Howard Kurtz on Summer Brave
Nov. 3: DRAFT OF ESSAY #3 DUE: Bring a copy to class.
Nov. 8
Lyrical Ballads
Contemporary Reviews
Nov. 9: Lecture: Professor Nanian,”Words Fail”
Nov. 10: Free Verse, Semiotics (BG 191, 467): Alan Ginsberg, "A Supermarket in California"; Lawrence
Ferlinghetti, "A Coney Island of the Mind"; James Merrill, "Casual Wear"; Carolyn Forche, "The
Colonel"
Response: Pick the poem that interests you most. Who is speaking? What words must you look up?
Which words have the strongest auditory, visual, or emotional power? How would you paraphrase
the poem's most challenging sentence?
ESSAY #3 DUE
Nov. 15: Fairy Tale (BG 163):E-Reserve: “Little Red Riding Hood” (Tatar 3-22)
Nov. 16: Lecture: Professor Shutika, “Folklore”
Nov. 17: E-Reserve: “Cinderella (Tatar 101-131)
Nov. 22: DRAFT OF ESSAY #4 DUE: Bring a copy to class.
Nov. 23: Thanksgiving Break
Nov. 24: Thanksgiving Break
Nov. 29: Heart of Darkness
“Imperialism in the Congo”
Nov. 30: Lecture: Professor Weinberger, “English Accents”
Dec. 1: Heart of Darkness
Edward Said, “Two Visions of Heart of Darkness”
ESSAY #4 DUE
Dec. 6
Heart of Darkness
Torgovnick, “Primitivism and the African Woman”; Roberts, “Masculinity, Moderninty, and
Homosexual Desire”
Dec. 7: Roundtable on Heart of Darkness
Dec. 8: Conclusion
* Final Examination: Dec.13, 10:30-1:15 *