UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL FLUMINENSE
DEPARTAMENTO DE LETRAS ESTRANGEIRAS MODERNAS
Literaturas de Língua Inglesa
Disciplina: Ficção e Poesia em Língua Inglesa: metodologias
2011.1 (14/3 - 16/7)
Profa Dra Sonia Torres
Profa. Me. Vanessa Cianconi [estágio docente de doutorado: mediadora do blog MAGIC BARREL]
COURSE SYLLABUS
Course description:
This course will use as its point of departure (module I) short fiction written in the last decades of
the 19th century – situated within the stream of Realism, represented by local color, the Westering
movement in the U.S., social realism, psychological realism, and the gothic and detective genres. In
module II students will become familiarized with fictional texts written in the 20 th century.
Considering that this is a course in reading/teaching methodology, we will read and compare
different models of short fiction, from the simpler Maupassant model of the 19th century, with its
swift action and surprise ending, to more complex forms produced in the 20 th century, with an
emphasis on the two post WW periods. We will also be reading a novella, in order to
compare/contrast forms and narrative structures. Module III is comprised of 20 th century poetry.
The selection of poets is intended to reflect different themes, attitudes, and perspectives, in order to
provide diverse aesthetics and politics.
Course format:
The course will be divided into 1) in-class discussions of assigned readings and presentations of
critical texts, and 2) responses from students, via our class blog, mediated by Vanessa.
Evaluation:
Full participation is expected, and students will be graded for both oral presentations and comments
on blog. REMEMBER, YOU WILL BE GRADED FOR YOUR RESPONSES VIA BLOG. I final written exam
will be given, as well as a V.S. exam for those who do not achieve a satisfactory final average.
IMPORTANT:
1) Due to the format of this course, with one weekly in-class activity, full
attendance is required. No excuses.
2) Most
assigned
readings
are
available
for
download
at
<http://magicbarrel.wordpress.com> ; others will be available at the
copycenter on the 5th floor of bloco C, folder #60 (please note indication
of “pdf” or “folder” in Course Program, below)
3) Students presenting critical texts will be dismissed from posting
comments on one (1) of their group’s designated days.
4) I WILL BE AWAY FROM JUNE 6-20. VANESSA WILL WALK YOU THROUGH
THESE 2 WEEKS ONLINE AND, IF NECESSARY, WILL MEET WITH YOU.
DURING THIS PERIOD, A FILM WILL ALSO BE SCREENED (Monday, June
13th).
 ATTENTION: DUE TO THE HOLIDAY ON JUNE 23RD (CORPUS
CRISTI), YOU WILL HAVE A CLASS WITH ME ON MONDAY, JUNE
20TH.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Methodologies for reading and presenting short fiction
Some questions we will be asking:
 What is a short story?
 What is a novella?
 What is a romance?
o How do these narrative modes differ from the novel?
THEORETICAL SUPPORT
“A Theory of the Short Story”, by James Cooper Lawrence (students will read O’Connor’s classic The
Lonely Voice in the LLI short story course “O Conto: Cânones e Dissidências”)
“Teses Sobre o Conto”, by Ricardo Piglia (from Laboratório do Escritor)
O Foco Narrativo, by Lygia Chiappini M. Leite
[an online version of this tiny but precious book is available and will be sent to students via email]
Some elements to be explored throughout our reading:













setting
atmosphere
characterization
themes
symbols
the 19th century Maupassant model [swift action, surprise ending]
the Frietag Triangle
narrative point of view and its implications
importance of form in the short story
short story as “slice of life”
what is epiphany?
What is the metanarrative technique? (support for “O Conto: Cânones e Dissidências”)
What is parody? (support for “O Conto: Cânones e Dissidencias”)
COURSE PROGRAM WITH WEEKLY READINGS & ACTIVITIES
Module #1 – the 19th century
Week 1 – Social Space in the United Kingdom
MON., March 14th - Intro. to short fiction – first considerations & becoming
familiar with MAGIC BARREL
THURS., March 17th “The Man with the Twisted Lip” (Arthur Conan Doyle)
(pdf)
– setting; atmosphere; characterization; themes; symbols
 Assigned reading for next week: “The Manchester Marriage” (Elizabeth Gaskell)
(pdf)
Week 2 –Social Space…cont’d
MON., March 21st – GROUP#1: BLOG RESPONSES TO “THE MAN WITH THE
TWISTED LIP
THURS. March 24th – Discussion of “The Manchester Marriage”
Plot; setting; atmosphere; social context; women and marriage in the 19th
century
 Assigned reading for next week: “Mammon and the Archer” (O. Henry (pdf)
Week 3
MON., March 28th – GROUP #2: BLOG RESPONSES TO “THE MANCHESTER
MARRIAGE”
Humor in “the making of America”
THURS., March 31st – Discussion of “Mammon and the Archer” (O. Henry)
 methodology: the Frietag Triangle
 assigned reading for next week: “The Luck of Roaring Camp” (Bret Harte, pdf) &
critical text (“The Feminization of Roaring Camp: Bret Harte and the American
Woman’s Home” (Axel Nissen, pdf)
Week 4- Humor…cont’d
MON., April 4th – BLOG WRAP-UP SESSION – DEADLINE FOR POSTING
COMMENTS ON TEXTS READ UP TO NOW
THURS., April 7th – discussion of “The Luck of Roaring Camp”; student
presentation of critical text “The Feminization of Roaring Camp…”
 assigned reading for Monday of week 6: “Teses sobre o conto” (R. Piglia) FOR
DISCUSSION VIA BLOG: available in folder; there is also a link at MAGIC BARREL
Week 5- Methodology: Narrative Point of View
MON. , April 11th – Group#3: BLOG RESPONSES TO “THE LUCK OF ROARING
CAMP”
THURS. , April 14th – theoretical class
 Methodology: point of view in fiction (Friedman’s classification) – a
handout will be provided
Week 6 - Women’s voices: gender and race
MON., April 18th – Group#4: BLOG RESPONSES USING PIGLIA’S THESES ON
THE SHORT STORY
THURS., April 21st – HOLIDAY
 Assigned reading for next week: “Desiree’s Baby” and “The Story of an Hour”
Week 7 - Women’s voices…cont’d
MON. , April 25th – BLOG: DEADLINE FOR ALL THOSE WHO ARE BEHIND IN
POSTING THEIR RESPONSES
THURS., April 28th – “Desiree’s Baby” and “The Story of an Hour”
 Methodology: applying the Frietag Triangle to Chopin’s short stories
 Assigned readings for next week: “The Yellow Wallpaper” (Charlotte Perkins Gilman)
(pdf); 2 critical texts to be presented by students:
o “Gilman’s ‘Interminable Grotesque’: The Narrator of ‘The
Yellow Wallpaper’ “ (Beverley A. Hume) (pdf)
o “Gilman’s Gothic Allegory: Rage and Redemption in ‘The
Yellow Wallpaper’ ” (Greg Johnson) (pdf)
Week 8 - Women’s voices…cont’d
MON. , May 2nd – Group#5: BLOG DISCUSSION – EPIPHANY WITH VANESSA
THURS., May 5th – Discussion of “The Yellow Wallpaper” & student presentation
of critical texts ”Interminable Grotesque” and “Gothic Allegory”
 Assigned readings for next Thursday: “New England Nun” (Mary E. Wilkins
Freeman) (pdf) ; critical text to be presented by student - “The No-Man’s-Land of ‘A
New England Nun’ ” (Ben Couch) (pdf)
Week 9 - Women’s voices…cont’d
MON., May 9th – study hour: WRITTEN EXERCISE (to be handed in on Thursday,
May 12th)
THURS., May 12th – Discussion of “New England Nun” & student presentation of
critical text “No-man’s land…”
 Next reading assignments: “Araby” (Joyce); “Coming, Aphrodite!” (Willa Cather)
both in pdf – ATT. GROUP #1: MUST BE READ FOR MONDAY
Module #2 – 20th Century
Week 10 -The Modernists
MON., May 16th – Group#1: BLOG DISCUSSION: PREPARING FOR “ARABY”
& “APHRODITE”
THURS., May 19th – Discussion of Joyce’s “Araby” and Cather’s “Coming,
Aphrodite!”
 Methodology: setting; atmosphere; themes; epiphany; Modernism
 Next reading assignments: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Fitzgerald)
and “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” (Hemingway)
Week 10 – Modernists cont’d
MON., May 23rd – FILM: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (to be
screened in class by monitor)
THURS., May 26th – Fitzgerald & Hemingway
 Discussion of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” & “The Short
Happy Life…”
 The master vs. the disciple in Hemingway; Hemingway’s women;
Freudian pattern
 Next reading assignments:
 “Dry September” (Faulkner, pdf); “Why I Live at the P.O.” (Welty, pdf)
 Critical text (WITH VANESSA LEADING THE DISCUSSION VIA BLOG)
“The Moral Function of Distortion in the Southern Grotesque” (Presley)
(pdf)
Week 11 - The South: (Black?) Humor and the Grotesque : Faulkner, McCullers,
and Welty
MON., May 30th – Group#2: BLOG RESPONSES TO FITZGERALD AND
HEMINGWAY
THURS., June 2nd – Discussion of Faulkner’s “Dry September”
 The Southern code of chivalry; racial relations; the “belle of the
South”; tradition vs. innovation; distortions of the belle of the South
tradition
Week 12 – The South… cont’d [ACTIVITIES TO BE MEDIATED BY VANESSA
DURING MY ABSENCE]
MON., June 6th – Group#3: BLOG RESPONSES TO critical text on the Southern
grotesque, “The Moral Function of Distortion in the Southern Grotesque” (mediated
by Vanessa)
THURS., June 9th – Group#4: BLOG - Discussion of “Why I live at the P.O.”
 Narrative point of view; humor; distortion of the Belle of the South
tradition
 Next reading assignment: The Ballad of the Sad Café (Carson McCullers) (folder)
Week 13 – The South…cont’d
MON., June 13th – FILM The Ballad of the Sad Café (to be screened in
class by monitor)
THURS., June 16th – BLOG: Group#5: BLOG RESPONSES TO The Ballad of
the Sad Café
Next assigned readings: “The Magic Barrel” (Malamud) (pdf); “The Cure”
(Cheever) (folder); Critical text: “Malamud’s Unmagic Barrel” (Gary Sloan) (pdf)
Week 14 - Magic and Paranoia
MON., June 20th – Discussion of “The Magic Barrel” (Bernard Malamud) pdf
“Malamud’s Unmagic Barrel” (Gary Sloan) (pdf); “The Cure” (John Cheever)
(folder)
THURS. , June 23rd – HOLIDAY
Module# 3 – Poetry: 20th Century Voices: experimentation; protest and
irreverence; race and ethnicity (weeks 15 thru 17)
 THERE IS A SPECIAL LINK TO THE POEMS AT MAGIC BARREL
 POEMS WILL BE READ IN CLASS, ON MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS – BE SURE
TO READ THEM BEFOREHAND, IN ORDER TO BE PREPARED TO
PARTICIPATE
 BLOG: ULTIMATE DEADLINE FOR UPDATING COMMENTS. REMEMBER, MAGIC
BARREL IS A SPACE DESIGNED FOR STUDYING AND PREPARING FOR EXERCISES
AND EXAMS. YOU MAY ALSO POST QUESTIONS AND ANY DOUBTS YOU MIGHT
HAVE IN RELATION TO THE SHORT FICTION READ DURING THESE 14 WEEKS.
Week 15
MON., June 27TH – MODERNISM
“THE ROAD NOT TAKEN” (ROBERT FROST)
“NEXT TO OF COURSE GOD AMERICA”; “SPRING IS LIKE A PERHAPS HAND”; “ONE//T” (E.E. CUMMINGS);
“FINAL ESCAPE” (RAYMOND FEDERMAN)
THURS., June 30th - BEAT GENERATION & BRIT IRREVERENCE
US: “AMERICA”; “A SUPERMARKET IN CALIFORNIA” (ALLEN GINSBERG)
UK: “A MARTIAN SENDS A POSTCARD HOME” (CRAIG RAINE)
“THIS BE THE VERSE” (PHILIP LARKIN)
Week 16
MON., JUNE 4TH – ETHNIC POETRY
“DEMOCRACY”; “DREAM DEFERRED”; “DINNER GUEST: ME”; PO’ BOY BLUES ( LANGSTON HUGHES)
“STILL I RISE”; I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS” ( MAYA ANGELOU)
“TO BE YOUND, GIFTED, AND BLACK” (NINA SIMONE AND WELDON IRVING JR. )
“THE ART OF RESPONSE” (AUDRE LORDE)
Weeks 16 & 17
THURS., June 7th – FINAL WRITTEN EXAM
MON., June 11th – VS
x-x-x-x-x-x
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BRADBURY, Malcolm & RULAND, Richard. From Puritanism to Postmodernism. New York: Viking
Penguin, 1991.’
CHEEVER, John. The stories of John Cheever. New York: Ballantine, 1980.
COUCH, Ben. “The No-Man’s-Land of ‘A New England Nun’”. Studies in Short Fiction, 35 (2): 187198, 1998.
CURRENT-GARCIA, Eugene & PATRICK, Walton R. What is the short story? Glenview, Illinois &
Brighton, England: Scott, Foresman & Co, 1974.
_______ & _______. American short stories. Chicago/Atlanta/Palo Alto: Scott, Foresman and Co.,
1964.
FITZGERALD, F. Scott. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (1922), published by manybooks.net.
available at http://manybooks.net
GILBERT, Sandra M. & GUBAR, Susan, eds. The Norton anthology of literature by women. New York
& London: W.W. Norton & Company, 1985.
GILMAN, Charlotte Perkins [1892]. The Yellow Wallpaper and other stories. Mineola, NY: Dover
Publications, Inc, 1997.
HEMINGWAY, Ernest. The short happy life of Francis Macomber [and other stories]. Middlesex,
England & Ringwood, Victoria, Australia: Penguin, 1974.
HUME, Beverley A. Gilman’s “ ‘Interminable Grotesque’: The Narrator of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’”.
Studies in Short Fiction, 28 (4): 477-483, 1991.
JOHNSON, Greg. “Gilman’s Gothic Allegory: Rage and Redemption in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ ”.
Studies in Short Fiction, 26 (4): 521-529.
LAUTER, Paul, ed. The Heath anthology of American Literature, vol. 2. New York & Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1997. 3rd. ed.
LOGSDON, Loren & MAYER, Charles W., eds. Since Flannery O’Connor. Essays on the contemporary
American short story. Macomb, Illinois: Western Illinois University, 1987.
MALAMUD, Bernard. “The Magic Barrel”, in LAUTER, The Heath Anthology
MAY, Charles E., ed. Short Story Theories. Athens: Ohio U P, 1976.
McCullers, Carson. “Ballad of the Sad Café”. In Library of America, 2001. p. 395-458.
McMICHAEL, George, ed. Concise anthology of American Literature [2 nd edition] New York &
London: Macmillan/Collier Macmillan, 1985.
NISSEN, Axel. “The Feminization of Roaring Camp: Bret Harte and the American Woman’s Home”.
Studies in Short Fiction, v. 34, n. 3, 1997, p. 379
O’CONNOR, Flannery. Everything that rises must converge [and other stories] Middlesex & Victoria:
Penguin, 1965.
O’CONNOR, Frank. The lonely voice. A study of the short story. New York: Harper and Row, 1985.
O’CONNOR, William Van. The grotesque: an American genre [and other essays]. Carbondale:
Southern Illinois U P, 1962.
O’SHEA, José Roberto. Flannery O’Connor and the Grotesque: A study of “A Late Encounter with the
Enemy” and “Revelation”. In ESTUDOS ANGLO-AMERICANOS, vol. 16. São José do Rio Preto:
ABRAPUI, 1992, pp 81-90.
______. É difícil encontrar um homem bom (coletânea de contos de Flannery O’Connor). Introd. E
trad. José Roberto O’Shea. Rio de Janeiro: Ediouro, 2004.
PIGLIA, Ricardo. Laboratório do escritor. São Paulo: Iluminuras, s/d.
PROVOST, Kara. “Becoming Afrekete: The Trickster in the Work of Audre Lorde”. MELUS, v. 20, n. 4:
45-59, (Winter)1995.
SHOWALTER, Elaine. American Female Gothic. In_____. Sister’s choice: Tradition and change in
women’s writing. Oxford & New York: Oxford U P, 1994, pp. 127-144,
SLABEY, Robert. “Faulkner’s Nancy as ‘Tragic Mulatto’”. Studies in Short Fiction, 27 (3):409-412,
1990.
SLOAN, Gary. “Malamud’s Unmagic Barrel”. Studies in Short Fiction, 32 (1): 51-57, 1995.
STERN, Philip Van Doren, ed. A pocket book of modern American short stories. New York:
Washington Square Press, 1961.
THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Fiction. Literary Heritage Series. New York & London: Macmillan &
Collier Macmillan, 1974.
WELTY, Eudora. The collected stories of Eudora Welty. London & New York: Penguin, 1980.