ENGL 101.02, INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
Fall 2015, Louis Mazzari, louis.mazzari@boun.edu.tr
Office: TB 508, office hours: Wednesdays, 10:00 to 12:00 and by appointment
We will read a number of short works of English and American literature from the nineteenth
century through the present, and we will consider some of the various elements of writing,
including plot, character, narration, and style. We will think about what makes literature
different from other kinds of writing. We will also consider questions about writers’
relationships to their societies. What have some of the best writers cared about? That is, what
was important to them and how did they express themselves? We will also read works that
reflect the times in which the authors lived, so we can better understand ourselves and our
own places in the world. Please know that I will always welcome your questions and
comments.
Texts
A course reader will be available at the library copydesk. In addition, please download or
purchase a copy of the play, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.
Assignments
To be successful, students should read the material that has been assigned for each day and
attend class regularly. There may be quizzes on the day’s reading. Also, students will:
(1) Write a three-page essay during the semester.
(2) Respond to readings through in-class writing.
(3) Take a mid-term and final examination, which will include in-class essays.
Grading
The two exams and an essay will each count thirty percent of a student’s final grade. In-class
writing and homework will account for the remaining ten percent of the grade. No late essays
will be accepted. No extra-credit projects will be accepted. If any student needs to miss an exam
because of a medical emergency, please email me before the exam time. And please note that
any student who misses the midterm will not be allowed to take the final exam.
Essay
Students will write a three- page essay. Analyze and argue or agree with the texts, then offer
evidence for your viewpoint. The key to good writing is revision. Allow enough time to revise
your papers before the due date. Essays should be typewritten, 12-point type, and doublespaced. Footnote all quotations and material that is not your own. If you would like to meet, I
will enjoy talking about your ideas.
Academic integrity
I encourage students to talk about their ideas with each other, but all of your work must be
completed independently and must be entirely the result of your own writing. Sources must be
cited, and quotations attributed in your written work using standard footnoting procedures.
Class schedule by week
28 September
George Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant”
5 October
Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart”
12 October
J.D. Salinger, “For Esme: With Love and Squalor”
19 October
James Joyce, “Araby”; John Updike, “A&P”
26 October
Eudora Welty, “A Curtain of Green”
2 November
Ernest Hemingway, “The Big Two-Hearted River”
9 November
John Barthes, “The Fun House”
16 November
Midterm exam
23 November
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire
30 November
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire
7 December
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire
14 December
Elia Kazan, A Streetcar Named Desire
21 December
Review; essay due
To be announced
Final exam