Introduction to World Literature 195:101:01 Index #43815 Spring 2013
Professor Janet A. Walker
jwalk@rci.rutgers.edu
Monday 2nd period Scott 207
Thursday 2nd period Education 025B
Instructor’s Contact Information
Professor Walker’s office hours (in Scott Hall 238) are Monday and Thursday after
class: 11:15 A.M.-12:30 P.M. and by arrangement. Her mailbox is in Scott 330,
CAC. She can be reached by phone at 732-932-7605 (Office of the Department of
Asian Languages and Cultures).
About the Comparative Literature Program
Comparative Literature is an exciting interdisciplinary program that allows you to
study literature as it shapes and is shaped by the world of science, religion,
economics, politics, sexuality, and other cultural and historical forces. It is a
discipline that should be attractive to students with a wide-ranging interest in
literature, theory, and cultural studies. Students may choose from a minor that
requires 18 credits and a major that offers several attractive options. See the
Comparative Literature website, which includes descriptions of the major and minor,
and faculty pages: http://complit.rutgers.edu. The current Undergraduate Director is
Professor Jorge Marcone (jtmarcone@yahoo.com, jmarcone@rci.rutgers.edu).
Learning goals satisfied by Introduction to World Literature
This course meets the following learning goal of the SAS Core Curriculum (for
Classes beginning with the Class of 2015):
Section C. Arts and the Humanities. p. An arts and humanities course “analyzes
arts and/or literatures in themselves and in relation to specific histories, values,
languages, cultures, and technologies.”
For students from the Class of 2014 or earlier, this course fulfills a) the
Humanities and 2) the Global Awareness requirements of the SAS Liberal Arts
Distribution Requirements, Part II Section C.
This course also fulfills the following Learning Goals of the Program in
Comparative Literature:
1) Students will demonstrate familiarity with a variety of world literatures as well
as methods of studying literature and culture across national and linguistic
boundaries and evaluate the nature, function and value of literature from a global
perspective.
1
2) Students will demonstrate critical reasoning and research skills and will write a
clear and well-developed paper or project about a topic related to more than one
literary and cultural tradition. If they decide to major or minor in Comparative
Literature, they will design and conduct research in an individual field of
concentration (such as literary theory, women’s literature, postcolonial studies,
literature and film, etc.).
Introduction to World Literature (195:101:01): Course objectives
The term “world literature” can be taken to mean “literature of the whole world,” and
this course aims to introduce students to outstanding works of fiction, plays, and
poems from both the Western (European, North and South American), and nonWestern (Chinese, Japanese, and Indian) parts of the world. We will focus on
questions of culture, class, and gender, and on the role of translation in the study of
world literature. As we read and discuss the various texts, we will try to understand
how literary works from different cultures ask the question “What does it mean to be
human?” All texts will be read in translation. The course will work to develop
students’ skills in critical thinking, close reading, and writing.
Required readings: The following four books for the course are available for
purchase at Barnes and Noble at Rutgers, 100 Somerset Street:
1) Euripides: Bacchae. Trans. Paul Woodruff. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co.,
1998. ISBN#10-0872203921. [Hackett offers an e-book of Bacchae.]
2) Jean-Baptiste Molière: Tartuffe and Other Plays. Trans. Donald M. Frame (Signet
Classics) New York: Penguin Group, 1981. ISBN#10-045130330. (We will read
only the play Tartuffe.)
3) Ousmane Sembene: Xala. Ttrans. Clive Wake. Chicago: Chicago Review Press-Lawrence Hill Books, 1976. ISBN#10-1446520700.
4) Toni Morrison: Beloved. Vintage International. New York: Random House, 2004.
ISBN#10-307-26488-2.
If you decide to purchase these books online, I have given you the ISBN
numbers so that you can buy these editions. I have chosen # 1 and 2 because of
the outstanding quality of the translations; there is only one translation of #3. The
rest of the readings are available on Alexander Online Reserve. Access the Rutgers
library website, then log in, then click Reserve, then Walker, J., and finally
Introduction to World Literature.
Required readings available on online reserve for the course are the following: 1)
Chinese philosophical texts: Confucius, Laozi, Zhuangzi; 2) Indian poetry; 3)
Cervantes: background, Don Quixote (excerpts), and Amadís of Gaul (excerpts); 4)
Molière: background; 5) Japanese Haiku; 6) Dostoevsky: background, Beatitudes,
and The Meek One; 7) Xala (background); and 8) Chinweizu. reading.
Bringing of required texts to lecture and discussion sections
2
Students should be sure to have ordered and received all the relevant texts by the day
on which they are needed. And please bring all required books and materials from
Alexander Online Reserve (in Xeroxed form) to class on the day they are needed.
Students must have a print copy of each text in class, either a book or a Xeroxed
document
Use of electronic devices
Please note that computers, cell phones, and all other technological devices (beepers,
iPods, MP3 players, etc.) must be turned off during class out of respect for the
instructor and fellow students.
SYLLABUS (#1)
Please note: items in bold type refer to the number of the item on Alexander Online
Reserve.
Jan. 24 (Thursday) Introduction to content and format of the course; introduction to
the concept of world literature; the importance of translation in literary study
Jan. 28 (Monday) Euripides: Bacchae. Greek 5th century, B.C.E. [book]
Jan. 31 (Thursday)
Bacchae
Feb. 4 (Monday) Chinese philosophical and religious texts: Confucius. 6th century,
B.C.E.
#2—Readings #2 for Feb. 4:
1) “Confucius” (background): “Confucius (Kongfuzi) 551-479 B.C.E.
The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The Ancient World,
Beginnings-100 C.E. Ed. Paul Davis et al. New York: Bedford/St.
Martins, 2004.
2) Confucius: The Analects. 6th century B.C.E. Trans. Arthur Waley.
New York: Random House, 1938. [both on Alexander Online Reserve]
Feb. 7 (Thursday) and Feb. 11 (Monday) Chinese philosophical and religious texts:
Daoism, including Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi . 6th century-4th century, B.C.E.
#3—Readings #3 for Feb. 7 and Feb. 11
1) Lao Zi (background) and Lao Zi—Dao De Jing. 6th century or
later. The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The Ancient
World, Beginnings-100 C.E. Ed. Paul Davis et al. New York:
Bedford/St. Martins, 2004.
3
2) Zhuang Zi (background) and Zhuang Zi—The Zhuang Zi. 4th
century or later. The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The
Ancient World, Beginnings-100 C.E. Ed. Paul Davis et al. New
York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2004. [both on Alexander Online
Reserve]
Feb. 14 (Thursday) Classical Indian poetry. Sanskrit. Ca. 700-1050
#4--Readings #4 for Feb. 14:
1) Sanskrit Poetry from Vidyâkara’s “Treasury.” Trans. and ed. Daniel
H. H. Ingalls. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1965.
Sanskrit 700-1050 C. E.
2) The rasa theory, suggestion, and impersonality in Sanskrit poetry.
Sanskrit Poetry. Trans. and ed. Daniel H. H. Ingalls. [pp. 11-25—
read these pages but there is no need to print them out and bring them
to class]
Feb. 18 (Monday) and Feb. 21 (Thursday) Classical Indian poetry. Urdu. 1800-1850.
#5--Readings #5 for Feb. 18 and 21:
Mirza Ghalib (background): “India: Jewel in the Colonial Crown” and
“Ghalib”—poems. The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The
Nineteenth Century, 1800-1900. Ed. Paul Davis et al. New York:
Bedford/St. Martins, 2004. [on Alexander Online Reserve]
Feb. 25: First short paper due
Feb. 25 (Monday), Feb. 28 (Thursday), and Mar. 4 (Monday)
Miguel Cervantes:
Don Quixote (Part I). Spanish. 1604.
#6—Readings #6 for Feb. 25, Feb. 28, and Mar. 4:
1) Don Quixote background. The Bedford Anthology of World
Literature: The Early Modern World, 1450-1650. Ed. Paul Davis et al.
New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2004.
2) Don Quixote. Trans. Edith Grossman. New York: Ecco (Harper
Collins), 2003. Prologue, pp. 3-9; Chapters 1-13, 25.
3) Rodriguez de Montalvo: Amadís of Gaul. Spanish. 1300s. Amadís of
Gaul, Books I and II. A Novel of Chivalry of the 14th Century
Presumably First Written in Spanish. Trans. Edwin B. Place and
Herbert C. Behm. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky,
1974. [all on Alexander Online Reserve]
Mar. 7 (Thursday), Mar. 11 (Monday) Jean-Baptiste (Poquelin) Molière: Tartuffe
(trans. Donald M. Frame). French.1669
4
#7—Reading #7 for Mar. 7 and 11: Molière background. The Bedford
Anthology of World Literature: The Eighteenth Century, 1650-1800. Ed.
Paul Davis et al. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2004. [Alexander
Online Reserve]
Tartuffe. In Tartuffe and Other Plays. [book]
Mar. 14 (Thursday)
Translation and Comparative Literature
Readings will be handed out in class.
Spring Break (Mar. 16-Mar. 24)
Mar. 25 (Monday), Mar. 28 (Thursday), and April 1 (Monday)
Haiku. Japanese.
From late seventeenth to early nineteenth centuries
#8—Readings # 8 for Mar. 25 and 28, and April 1:
1) Matsuo Bashô (background): “Japan: The Tokugawa Era,” “Matsuo
Bashô,” and The Narrow Road Through the Back Country (trans.
Richard Bodner, excerpts), The Bedford Anthology of World Literature:
The Eighteenth Century, 1650-1800. Ed. Paul Davis et al. New York:
Bedford/St. Martins, 2004.
2) Matsuo Bashô. “A Visit to Sarashina Village.” The Narrow Road to
the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches. Trans. Nobuyuki Yuasa.
Baltimore: Penguin, 1966.
4) Haiku of Yosa Buson and Kobayashi Issa. Late eighteenth century
and early nineteenth century. Robert Hass, ed. and the one
responsible for verse translations of the haiku. The Essential Haiku.
New York: Ecco. An Imprint of HarperCollins, 1994. [all on
Alexander Online Reserve]
April 4 (Thursday) and April 8 (Monday) Fyodor Dostoevsky: The Meek One.
Russian. 1876
#9—Readings #9 for April 4 and 8:
1) Dostoevsky background. The Bedford Anthology of World
Literature: The Nineteenth Century, 1800-1900. Ed. Paul Davis et
al. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2004.
2) Dostoevsky: The Meek One. In The Eternal Husband and Other
Stories. Trans. and annot. Richard Pevear and Larissa
Volokhonsky. New York: Bantam Books, 1997.
3) The Beatitudes: The Bible: The Book of Matthew: The Sermon on
the Mount. The New English Bible with the Apocrypha. New
5
York: Oxford University Press, 1971. [all on Alexander Online
Reserve]
April 11: Second short paper due
April 11 (Thursday), April 15 (Monday), and April 18 (Thursday) Toni Morrison:
Beloved. American. 1987.
Reading for April 11, 15, and 18: Beloved pp. 1-156 [book];
Excerpts from the film Beloved, directed by Jonathan Demme (1998)
April 22 (Monday) and April 25 (Thursday) Beloved (continued)
Reading for April 22 and 25: Beloved pp. 157-324
Excerpts from the film Beloved
April 29 (Monday)
Ousmane Sembène: Xala. French. Sénégal. 1973.
#10—Reading #10 for April 29:
1) Xala (background). “Colonialism: Europe and Africa.” The
Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The Twentieth Century,
1900-The Present. Ed. Paul Davis et al. New York: Bedford/St.
Martins, 2004 [Alexander Online Reserve]
2)
Xala pp. 1-53 [book]
Excerpts from the film Xala, directed by Ousmane Sembene
(1980)
May 2 (Thursday)
Xala (continued)
#11—Reading #11 for May 2:
1) “Chinweizu” and his ‘Decolonizing the African Mind.’” The
Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The Twentieth Century,
1900-The Present. Ed. Paul Davis et al. New York: Bedford/St.
Martins, 2004. [Alexander Online Reserve]
2) Xala pp. 53-103 [book]
May 6 (Monday) Summing up: comparison and contrast of the texts read
May 15 (Wednesday): Final paper due at 12 Noon
Requirements
1) Attendance. Students are expected to attend all classes and attendance will be
taken. Each student is allowed two unexcused absences for the semester;
exceeding that number will result in a lowering of the “Participation, quizzes,
and short writing assignments” grade by one point for each absence. Religiously
observant students should indicate in advance that they wish to be excused on
religious holidays, and these absences will be considered excused absences,
6
following university regulations. Athletes needing to attend practice or to take
part in sport events at certain times should officially inform me in advance;
absences for these reasons will also be considered excused absences. Students
should also let their section leader know if they have transportation emergencies
or scheduled job interviews, as these are also excused absences. For short-term
health or emergency absences, students should use the Rutgers Self-Reporting
Absence Website: https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/. For long-term absences (longer
than 1-2 weeks), students should see the Dean of Students so that that office can
notify all of the student’s professors of the student’s situation.
2) Participation, quizzes, and short writing assignments. This is an interactive
class. Students are therefore expected to be ready to discuss the reading for each
class. Pop quizzes will be given during the semester to encourage students to
complete the longer readings. There will be four short writing assignments—
length: one single-spaced page.
3) Two 3-4-page papers. Each of these requires a close reading of one literary text.
Due dates are Feb. 25 (First short paper) and April 11 (Second short paper).
A 5-7-page comparative paper that requires a close reading and comparison of two
literary texts in their historical and cultural contexts. The due date is Wednesday
May 15 at Noon. *Please note: students will be assessed on this paper according
to the Core Requirement goals for the Arts and Humanities requirement: “C.
Arts and the Humanities. p. Analyze arts and/or literatures in themselves and in
relation to specific histories, values, languages, cultures, and technologies.”
Grading Policy
Participation and short writing assignments: 20%
Quizzes: 10%
Two 3-4-page papers: 20% each=40%
5-7-page comparative paper: 30%
------------------------------------------Total
100%
Grading Rubric
A 90-100
B+ 87-89
B 80-86
C+ 77-79
C 70-76
D 60-69
F 59 and below
7
Policy on Plagiarism
Plagiarism involves using information from published materials (including the
internet) without acknowledging the source, teaming up with a classmate to write
papers, and having someone else write some or all of the paper for you. In this
course, I am interested in your ideas, in your work. If I should discover evidence
of plagiarism, I will pursue it following the university’s Policy on Academic
Integrity,
which
is
available
at
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/files/documents/AI_Policy_9:01_2011.pdf.
Here is a plagiarism tutorial:
“Consult Don’t Plagiarize: Document Your Research!” This informs you how to take
notes so that you don’t plagiarize by accident.
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/lib_instruct/instruct_document.shtml
Policy on Disability
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey abides by the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments (ADAA)
of 2008, and Sections 504 and 508 which mandate that reasonable accommodations
be provided for qualified students with disabilities. Students with disabilities should
contact their instructors early in the semester so that they can be provided with
accommodations they may need. They should also register with the Office of
Disability Services, which is located in the Kreeger Learning Center, 151 College
Avenue, Suite 123, phone number 732-932-2848. Full disability policies and
procedures are to be found at http://disabilityiservices.rutgers.edu/
8