Literature and Analytical Thinking: Enjoy Your Revenge!
ENGL 102W | Section 08 | MWF 12:10-1PM | Fall 2012 | Gillette 103
Prof. Emily King | Email: Emily.L.King@vanderbilt.edu |
Office Hours: Mondays, 8:30-9:50AM & by appointment in Benson 423
Course Description
Revenge permeates our popular culture, public policy, and even our personal lives. Given its pertinence,
then, this course studies revenge in a variety of films, essays, novels, plays, and poetry. Though this
analysis necessarily historicizes the cultural context of and literary approaches to revenge, we will
examine how revenge extends beyond those boundaries as well. For example, how might the revenge
machine operate in relation to imperialism (and romance!) in a 19th century British novel? Or, why might
considerations of reparation be confused with “revenge” in contemporary discussions of race in US
politics? Though this course is less interested in classifications of revenge as “right” or “wrong,” ethical
considerations will, no doubt, find their way into our classroom conversations. Yet we will also discuss
how vengeance might challenge current ethical frameworks. Finally, this course addresses examples of
aggression and “revenge” that defy logic altogether, leading us to consider whether this “motiveless
malignancy” is always already driving the human creature.
In addition, this course aims to develop students’ proficiency in the skills fundamental to a liberal arts
education: the ability to reason, to think critically, to communicate effectively, and to appreciate excellent
writing and thinking. In this class, you will learn how to communicate articulately in order to translate
your ideas onto paper. All writers, regardless of their abilities, can improve their skills, and a class
specifically designed to foster those skills will serve you well, regardless of your academic interests.
Course Requirements
Required Texts: Our required texts (Jane Eyre, The Woman Warrior, Paradise Lost, Wide Sargasso Sea,
Othello, Titus Andronicus, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) may be purchased at the campus bookstore.
All other assigned readings may be found online at OAK. Finally, I recommend Diane Hacker’s Rules for
Writers 7th Edition as an excellent writing resource.
Attendance and Participation: Some of the most significant discoveries occur during class, and as such,
there is no way to make up for the loss of a classroom learning experience. I permit three absences from
my class for illness, family emergencies, and other personal matters. After three absences, I will subtract
½ letter grade for each subsequent absence. Should you miss class, the class material and any associated
assignments are still your responsibility. You may not make up missed quizzes. Please note that
Vanderbilt athletic or extracurricular activities do not constitute “allowed” absences beyond the two
permitted for our class.
The educational benefits of a dynamic, interactive classroom that features engaging and respectful
discussions are numerous. However, I will not simply award full participation credit to students who talk
the most. I recognize that there are a myriad of ways to productively participate in a classroom, and I will
stimulate discussion to encourage this diversity. However, if you tend to be a “talker,” please make sure
that you’re listening to the ongoing discussion and encouraging the participation of your peers in addition
to furthering dialogue. If you are hesitant to speak in larger groups, please push yourself to speak once or
twice during each class period. Both you and your peers will reap the rewards of this effort!
Written Assignments and Grading Procedure
Short Papers: Because consistent writing improves writing skills, you will write four guided papers of 2
pages throughout the semester. Ideally, these short papers will provide a relaxed and comfortable space in
which you may brainstorm and prepare for the drafting process.
Quizzes: I will give out quizzes throughout the semester to test your progress. However, I will not assign
“pop quizzes” unless I suspect that the class is not completing the reading assignments.
Essays: Over the course of this semester, you will write three formal essays. These essays are designed to
hone your analytic, communication, organization, and research skills – skills that will provide long-term
benefits for your career at Vanderbilt.
Grading: Your final grade will be based on the following:
15% for Paper #1
25% for Paper #2
25% for Paper #3
15% for short papers
10% for class participation
10% for quizzes
Course Policies
Late Policy: Attendance is promptly taken at the beginning of each class. Tardy students disrupt the
classroom learning environment, so if you arrive late to class more than 3 times, I will count this tardiness
as an absence.
Late Papers: I collect papers at the beginning of class on the due date. I penalize late papers ½ letter
grade for each subsequent calendar day (e.g. B becomes B-).
Revisions: You may revise one paper, with the obvious exception of the final paper. However, a revision
does not necessarily translate into a “better” grade. Revisions must exhibit substantial changes concerning
ideas, organization, and evidence. Moreover, your grade will reflect the average of the original paper and
its subsequent revision. Each revision is due one week after I return your papers in class and must adhere
to the following guidelines:



Meet with me to discuss your work
Write a summary explaining both the reasoning behind your revisions and the method by which
you revised your paper
Hand-in your revision, your original paper, and my original comments along with your summary
Academic Integrity: Vanderbilt’s Honor Code governs all work in this course, and a violation of this
code carries serious consequences that may include a failing grade on the plagiarized assignment, a failure
in the course itself, suspension, or even expulsion. More importantly, you cheat yourself out of a valuable
learning experience. When you turn in an assignment, you tacitly acknowledge that this is your own work.
To avoid unintentional offenses, please document your work according to MLA style. Should you have
any questions concerning plagiarism or documentation, please don’t hesitate to ask me.
Students with Disabilities: If you haven’t already done so, please visit Vanderbilt’s EAD website to help
secure appropriate documentation: www.vanderbilt.edu/ead. In addition, please come to me with your
concerns, and I will do my best to accommodate your needs.
Final Thought on Attendance: Tom Wayman, “Did I Miss Anything”
Question frequently asked by
students after missing a class
Nothing. When we realized you weren't here
we sat with our hands folded on our desks
in silence, for the full two hours
Everything. I gave an exam worth
40 percent of the grade for this term
and assigned some reading due today
on which I'm about to hand out a quiz
worth 50 percent
Nothing. None of the content of this course
has value or meaning
Take as many days off as you like:
any activities we undertake as a class
I assure you will not matter either to you or me
and are without purpose
Everything. A few minutes after we began last time
a shaft of light descended and an angel
or other heavenly being appeared
and revealed to us what each woman or man must do
to attain divine wisdom in this life and
the hereafter
This is the last time the class will meet
before we disperse to bring this good news to all people
on earth
Nothing. When you are not present
how could something significant occur?
Everything. Contained in this classroom
is a microcosm of human existence
assembled for you to query and examine and ponder
This is not the only place such an opportunity has been
gathered
but it was one place
And you weren't here.
Course Calendar – Literature and Analytical Thinking: Enjoy your Revenge!
Fall 2012 – Emily King
Please note that this calendar is subject to change as we progress through our semester together!
August
22 (W)
Introduction to Course
I. Foundations of Revenge: What is Revenge?
September
24 (F)
David Sedaris, excerpt from Me Talk Pretty One Day
Zitkala-Sa, “School Days of an Indian Girl”
27 (M)
Due: Short Paper #1
29 (W)
Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy (Acts 1 & 2)
Quiz
31 (F)
Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy (Act 3)
3 (M)
Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy (Acts 4 &5)
Quiz
5 (W)
Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy
7 (F)
Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus (Acts 1 & 2)
Quiz
10 (M)
Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus (Acts 3 & 4)
12 (W)
Due: Draft of Formal Paper #1
14 (F)
Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus (Act 5)
Quiz
17 (M)
Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus
II. Revenge in Parodies and Politics
19 (W)
Visual Culture and Political Revenge
Due: Formal Paper #1
21 (F)
John Milton, Paradise Lost (Bk 2)
Quiz
24 (M)
John Milton, Paradise Lost
26 (W)
John Milton, Paradise Lost (Bk 10)
October
28 (F)
John Milton, Paradise Lost
1 (M)
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
Quiz
3 (W)
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
5 (F)
Fall Break – No class!
8 (M)
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
10 (W)
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
Quiz
12 (F)
My gift to you –No class!
15 (M)
Secondary reading from The Madwoman in the Attic
Due: Short Paper #2
17 (W)
Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea
Quiz
19 (F)
Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea
22 (M)
Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea
Secondary reading from Gayatri Spivak
III. Revenge in the Domestic Space
November
24 (W)
Edward Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Quiz
Due: Thesis for Formal Paper #2
26 (F)
Edward Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
29 (M)
Sigmund Freud, Excerpts from The Pleasure Principle
Due: Short Paper #3
31 (W)
Dan Chaon, “The Bees”
2 (F)
Sonnets from Wyatt and Surrey
Due: Formal Paper #2
5 (M)
Contemporary “revenge” poetry
IV. “Revenge” in Relation to Race and Nationality
7 (W)
Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior
9 (F)
Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior
Quiz
12 (M)
Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior
14 (W)
Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior
16 (F)
James Baldwin, “Going to Meet the Man”
Without Sanctuary photography (withoutsanctuary.org)
American Experience interview with James Baldwin
(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/mlk/sfeature/sf_video.html)
Due: Short Paper #4
V. “Motiveless Malignancy”
December
26 (M)
Shakespeare, Othello (Acts 1 & 2)
Quiz
28 (W)
Shakespeare, Othello (Acts 3 & 4)
30 (F)
Shakespeare, Othello (Act 5)
3 (M)
Boyle, Trainspotting
Quiz
5 (W)
Boyle, Trainspotting
7 (F)
Due: Final Paper by 8PM