The Department of Foreign Literatures and Linguistics
Course Description
LITERATURE 2014-2015
BA COURSES
1st YEAR REQUIRED
INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
Professor Barbara Hochman (fall) | Dr. Yael Ben-zvi (spring)
Yearly course -8 pts.
This course provides an introduction to the critical understanding of narrative, poetry and drama. We
will study a wide selection of texts written in the course of the last five centuries. Students will acquire
a critical/theoretical vocabulary appropriate to each genre. Through frequent writing assignments and
class discussions students will become accustomed to analyzing the structure, themes, and imagery of
literary works. We will also pay attention to the cultural context of production (the way individual
stories, poems, and plays reflect class conflicts, gender relations, and other issues characteristic of the
society in which they were produced). We will ask how literary works written centuries ago can still
speak to us today.
Semester A: Short Fiction and Poetry
In discussions of fiction we will emphasize diverse modes of narration (narrative voice) as well
as experiments in plotting and the representation of consciousness. In our discussions of poetry
we will consider the functions of poetic language, the role of rhythm, meter, and imagery.
Texts: short stories, poems, and critical essays
Semester B: Poetry, Novel, and Drama
Our discussion of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein (1818) will emphasize the generic
characteristics of the novel including the use of multiple voices and points of view, and will
consider the significance of the novel’s emergence in relation to early modern perceptions of
individuality. In discussions of drama we will examine the common ground between ancient
and modern tragedy, differences between drama and narrative, and the presuppositions and
conventions of theatrical performance.
Texts:
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (Norton Critical Edition, 2012)
Sophocles, Oedipus the King
Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman
Additional short plays
Course requirements
Attendance is mandatory: up to 3 absences allowed
Active participation in class
5%
Short writing assignments
30%
Research paper
15%
Mid-year examination
20%
Final examination
30%
ENGLISH LANGUAGE WORKSHOP
Dr. Hannah Komy Ofir
Yearly course – 4 pts.
Why is the English Language Workshop called a "workshop?" What are the goals of the course?
We call this course a workshop because we meet to do work connected with writing. Our goals this
year are:
to help you learn about English sentence structure and syntax;
to help you increase your academic vocabulary;
to make you aware of the ways in which language forms affect meaning;
to help you develop a critical awareness of the conventions of academic discourse, both spoken and
written;
to give you guided practice and feedback as you learn to develop your own ideas through reading and
writing.
What will we do in the course in order to achieve these goals?
1. Read and write English: Readings include articles and essays that have to do with the study of
literature, short works of literature, essays, and other texts. These texts introduce ideas and information
relevant to the goals of the course and, at the same time, serve as models that we will subject to close
reading and analysis. Writing will be for different purposes and to a more limited degree, for different
audiences:
♦ A paper proposal is a paragraph that states your thesis and explains how you will support it.
♦ A draft represents your thinking and writing up to a given point, a stage where you still regard
your work as incomplete. It is a work in progress, and is subject to change and revision. You
bring drafts to class and to conference hours so that you can test out your ideas and get
feedback, advice, criticism and encouragement from your peers, course assistant and instructor.
♦ A paper is an end product, a formal paper that you submit for evaluation and a grade. This is
your chance to communicate your ideas and to demonstrate your skill in representing your
ideas. We will assume that an assignment is the best you can do.
♦ In-class writing may be of several kinds, including written responses to an assignment for the
purposes of evaluation, exercises on specific writing topics, and more.
2. Speak English: We will use some of our workshop time to discuss ideas related to your academic
subjects. Discussion will often be in small groups or with a partner. This discussion is important on
both personal and intellectual levels. It gives us a chance to get to know each other and to learn about
our different ways of thinking, reading, writing, and learning. It also gives you experience that we
hope will increase your fluency and confidence in expressing yourself in English.
3. Increase your vocabulary: As you read and write, we will ask you to pay attention to the forms and
meanings of new words, to precise definitions (when these are given), to the degree of formality of the
language, to the connotations and nuances of words, and to the way the meaning of a word is tied to
the context in which it occurs.
4. Terminology: We will develop a common terminology as well as concepts for thinking about,
talking about, and analyzing written English discourse. For example, by the end of the course you
should understand what we mean when we talk about the coherence and cohesion of a text, the
relevance of information, the functions of introductions and conclusions, the structure of an
argument, and the strength of a claim.
Requirements and Grade for the Course
1.
Save ALL your writing, including weekly assignments, drafts, papers, proposals, exercises, and
class exercises.
2.
FORMAT: Leave a margin of 3 centimeters at the top, bottom and sides of the page.
Use Times New Roman or other standard size 12 font and double spacing only. In-class writing
ONLY: Use lined paper. Write in pen on one side of the page only. Leave every other line blank. No
handwritten assignments that are not in-class work will be accepted. (see assignment format template
on Highlearn)
3. Write your name, group (time of lesson), and the date in the upper left hand corner of your paper.
4. Pay attention to the appearance of your work. Careless-looking work makes a bad impression.
5. Revise and proofread your work.
6. ALL work must be done on time. This includes all work: not only assignments and reading
questions, but also all drafts and exercises. Late work will NOT be accepted unless there are
extremely extenuating circumstances—miluim or illness (with a doctor’s note).
7. All papers must be submitted in electronic form.
8. This is a workshop, which means that we work in the classroom. For this reason, it is of the utmost
importance that you attend all of the lessons and arrive on time. Attendance is mandatory. Habitual
lateness will detract from your participation grade, as will leaving class early.
9.
Points for work in the course are distributed as follows:
Participation
10%
Formal Papers
65%
All other short graded writing (including, but not limited to, proposals, drafts, exercises, and reading
questions) 25%
TOTAL
100 %
First semester papers will be worth a total of 30% of your grade, while second semester papers will be
worth 35% of the total grade. The weight of the papers will increase over time to allow us to take into
account the fact that you will progress throughout the year.
Since this is a writing workshop, writing assignments of varying lengths will be submitted on a weekly
basis. These will range from one-paragraph papers early in the course to essays of several pages by the
end of the second semester. A more detailed list of assignments will appear in the week-by-week
syllabus distributed at the beginning of each semester.
Classroom Rules
1. Lateness is not acceptable. If you arrive late to class, you must wait outside the
classroom until 15 minutes after the start of class, when you will be allowed in.
Anyone who arrives later than 15 minutes after the start of class on a given day will
not be allowed to enter the classroom on that day.
2. Before you enter the classroom, silence your cell phone and put it away. If your cell
phone rings during class, you will be asked to leave the classroom for the remainder
of the lesson.
3. No laptops are allowed to be open during this class. We work with hard copies of
texts ONLY, so there is no reason to have your computer open.
4. Use the bathroom before class, not during it. It is disruptive to have students going in
and out during class.
5. Fill your water bottles before class, not during it, in order not to disrupt the lesson.
6. Late papers will NOT be accepted under any circumstances, with the exception of
miluim or illness (with a doctor’s note).
7. Remember that you need at least a final grade of 70 in this course in order to pass into
Year 2 in the Department. Keep track of your grades.
8. If you miss more than 3 classes in a semester, you cannot pass this course. This is a
University rule.
9. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form. Any plagiarized work will automatically
receive a grade of 0.
10. Coming to class without the required text will result in points being taken off the
participation part of your grade.
11. Active participation will raise your grade; lack of participation will lower it.
Submitting Assignments
1. All assignments, with the exception of reading questions, are to be submitted to the course
email account only. Assignments not submitted to the correct address will not be graded.
2. Reading questions will be submitted in hard copy.
3. You are required to submit each assignment as a separate document.
4. Make sure to include the title of the assignment and your name in the document name and in
the subject line of your email.
Required Texts:
We put all the material that you need to read on "Highlearn" so that you can print it out and bring it to
class. The syllabus indicates what you need to read and print out for use in the classroom. It is your
‫‪responsibility to come prepared to each workshop, and that means keeping all of the necessary material‬‬
‫‪in a folder and bringing it to class each week. Make sure to check the syllabus each week, and never‬‬
‫‪come to class without a hard copy of the text we are using.‬‬
‫‪Recommended:‬‬
‫‪1. The Collins Cobuild English Dictionary or any other reliable English-English dictionary.‬‬
‫‪Electronic dictionaries are not recommended.‬‬
‫‪Office Hours: You are highly encouraged to come to office hours to consult on your work. If you have‬‬
‫‪a problem with the hours we offer, please feel free to ask questions via email. We accept drafts by‬‬
‫‪email, and will give you feedback on these.‬‬
‫‪Highlearn: Announcements and updates will be made on Highlearn. Please keep track of the course‬‬
‫‪site on Highlearn so that you don't miss any important information.‬‬
‫סדנת כתיבה באנגלית‬
‫קורס זה מכונה סדנת כתיבה משום שאנו נפגשים כדי לעבוד במשותף על סוגיות שונות בכתיבה‪ .‬מטרותינו השנה הן‪:‬‬
‫•‬
‫לעזור לכם ללמוד על מבנה המשפט וסינטקס בשפה האנגלית‪.‬‬
‫•‬
‫לעזור לכם להגדיל את אוצר המילים האקדמי שלכם באנגלית‪.‬‬
‫•‬
‫להאיר את תשומת לבכם לדרכים שונות בהן השפה משפיעה על משמעות הטקסט‪.‬‬
‫•‬
‫לעזור לכם לפתח מבט ביקורתי על הקונבנציות של השיח האקדמי בכתיבה ובעל פה‪.‬‬
‫•‬
‫לתת לכם הזדמנות לפתח את הרעיונות שלכם דרך כתיבה וקריאה תוך כדי הדרכה ואימון‪.‬‬
‫כיצד נשיג את מטרות הסדנא?‬
‫•‬
‫לכתוב ולקרוא באנגלית ‪ -‬חומר הקריאה כולל מאמרים וקטעי ספרות‪ .‬טקסטים אלו ישמשו אותנו כמקור לרעיונות‬
‫ומידע רלוונטיים למטרות הקורס‪ .‬כמו כן הם ישמשו כמודלים לכתיבה אשר ננתח לעומק‪ .‬הכתיבה בא נעסוק תהיה למטרות‬
‫שונות ולקהלים שונים‪:‬‬
‫טיוטה – הטיוטה מייצגת את עבודתך עד לשלב מסוים והיא ניתנת לשינוי וכתיבה מחדש בהמשך העבודה ‪ .‬עם זאת היא מהווה‬
‫חלק חשוב בתהליך הכתיבה‪ .‬הטיוטות יובאו לכיתה וצוות הקורס וחברי הסדנא יסייעו לכם לשפר את הכתיבה‬
‫עבודה – תוצר סופי‪ ,‬עבודה רשמית המוגשת להערכה ומתן ציון‪ .‬זו ההזדמנות שלכם להציג את כישוריכם ורעיונותיכם‬
‫ולהשתפר בהצגה זו‪.‬‬
‫כתיבה בסדנא – במהלך הסדנא נעסוק בכתיבה מסוגים שונים יחד בכיתה ‪.‬‬
‫•‬
‫לדבר אנגלית – במהלך הסדנא תקבלו הזדמנות לקחת חלק פעיל בדיונים אקדמיים בשפה האנגלית‪ ,‬כך שתוכלו‬
‫לשפר את הביטחון ושטף הדיבור בשפה ‪.‬‬
‫•‬
‫להגדיל את אוצר המילים שלכם באנגלית‪.‬‬
‫•‬
‫טרמינולוגיה – לפתח טרמינולוגיה משותפת וקונספטים בסיסיים בניתוח וחשיבה על כתיבה וקריאה באנגלית‪.‬‬
‫דרישות הקורס וציון‪:‬‬
‫•‬
‫לשמור בהישג יד את כול תוצרי הכתיבה בסדנא‪.‬‬
‫•‬
‫כל העבודות צריכות להיות מוגשות בזמן‪ ,‬ללא חריגים‪.‬‬
‫•‬
‫כל העבודות צריכות להיות מוגשות בדואר אלקטרוני‪.‬‬
‫•‬
‫נוכחות חובה‪.‬‬
‫•‬
‫איחורים יגרעו מציון ההשתתפות‪.‬‬
‫•‬
‫באחריותכם לעקוב אחר הודעות באי מייל וב‪.Highlearn-‬‬
‫•‬
‫הרכב הציון בקורס –‬
‫‪o‬‬
‫השתתפות )כולל כתיבה בכיתה והשתתפות בכל המטלות( – ‪.10%‬‬
‫‪o‬‬
‫עבודות פורמאליות – ‪ .65%‬עבודות שיוגשו בסמסטר א' ‪ ,30%‬עבודות שיוגשו בסמסטר ב' ‪.35%‬‬
‫‪o‬‬
‫מטלות כתיבה קצרות – ‪.25%‬‬
‫טקסטים נדרשים‪:‬‬
‫כל הטקסטים יופיעו באתר הקורס ב ‪ .Highlearn‬חומרים נוספים יחולקו בכיתה‪.‬‬
‫באחריותכם להדפיס את החומרים ולהביא אותם לכיתה לכל שיעור על פי התקדמות הקורס‪ .‬מומלץ להשתמש במילון אנגלי‪-‬‬
‫אנגלי‪ .‬לא מומלץ להשתמש במילון אלקטרוני‪.‬‬
‫‪1st AND 2nd YEAR ELECTIVES‬‬
‫‪READINGS IN THE WESTERN LITERARY TRADITION‬‬
‫‪Dr. Olga Kuminova‬‬
‫‪Yearly course– 4 pts.‬‬
‫‪This course familiarizes the students with major canonical texts of the Western literary and cultural‬‬
‫‪tradition, which comprise an indispensable background for studying English and American, as well as‬‬
‫‪other Western literatures (including Hebrew literature). We will trace the development of enduring‬‬
‫‪themes, characters and plots from their first known appearance through modern poetry, prose and‬‬
‫‪scholarship. These threads include the Trojan war, the stories of Odysseus, Oedipus and Antigone,‬‬
‫‪creation myths, relations between the human and the divine, concepts of evil, sin and justice, visions‬‬
‫‪of afterlife, questions of fate and free will, the individual and the state/ hierarchies of power, and more.‬‬
Primary texts:
Homer, The Odyssey (trans. Robert Fagles)
Plato, The Republic
Aritstotle, “On Tragedy” (from The Poetics)
Sophocles, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone (trans. Robert Fagles)
Euripides, The Bacchae (any edition)
Virgil, The Aeneid
The Hebrew Bible (King James translation)
The New Testament (King James translation)
St. Augustine, The Confessions
Dante Alighieri, The Inferno (trans. Mark Musa)
Course Requirements:
Midterm in-class test
25%
Final exam (end of spring semester)
50%
Presentation on a theme/character in visual arts
10%
Presentation on a later text using the ancient canon
15%
NARRATING CHILDHOOD: CHILD PROTAGONISTS IN ADULT FICTION
Dr. Naomi Rokotnitz – 2 pts.
First semester
In this short course, we will explore conceptions of "child" and "childhood" through consideration of
narration and narrative technique in three contemporary novels (written by adults for adults).
Close reading of the novels will allow us to trace different approaches to experience and its articulation,
as well as the different means by which the child-protagonists glean their knowledge of the world and
learn to interact with their environment.
Some of the questions we will address (but by no means exhaust) are: how do we come to know
anything? What happens if we do not know enough, or do not understand the right thing at the right
time? What advantages may be gained through multimodal inquiry? And how may this be conveyed
and/or challenged by novels?
We will be reading the following novels:
Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye
Arundhati Roy, The God of Small things
Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
YOU MUST READ ALL THREE NOVELS WITHOUT EXCEPTION.
We will be holding discussions, practicing close-reading exercises, doing quizzes and advancing our
thinking together in class.
Marks:
10% class attendance and participation
40% quizzes and short assignments
50% final paper
‫ גיבורים ילדים בספרות מבוגרים‬:‫לספר ילדות‬
‫ה וטכניקות הסיפורת בשלושה רומנים בני זמננו )אשר‬/‫בקורס קצר זה נתחקה אחר מושג "הילדות" דרך בחינת דמות הגיבור‬
.(‫נכתבו על ידי מבוגרים בעבור מבוגרים‬
‫ וכן לשיטות השונות בהן נעזרים‬,‫ תאפשר התבוננות בגישות שונות לחוויות ילדות ולתיאורן במילים‬,‫קריאה משותפת בספרות‬
.‫הילדים בספרים הללו ללמוד על סביבתם ולהתערות בה‬
‫ או איננו מבינים‬,‫ כיצד ניתן לרכוש ידע? מה קורה כאשר איננו יודעים מספיק‬:(‫חלק מן השאלות בהן נדון )אך כמובן לא נמצה‬
?‫את הדבר הנכון ברגע הנכון? מה הן המעלות של ידיעה רוחבית? וכיצד ניתן לתאר או לאתגר זאת בספרות‬
‫ המקרה המוזר של הכלב בשעת לילה‬,‫ אלוהי הדברים הקטנים מאת ארונדטי רוי‬,‫ העין הכי כחולה מאת טוני מוריסון‬:‫ספרים‬
‫מאת מרק הדון‬
FROM HOLMES TO BOURNE: THE MODERN DETECTIVE
Dr. Orit Rabkin
First semester – 2 pts.
In this course we will explore the birth and development of the modern detective from Sherlock
Holmes, the world’s first “consulting detective” to his descendants like Robert Ludlum’s Jason
Bourne. We will discuss the differences between Holmes (19th century), Sam Spade and Philip
Marlowe (the 1940’s and 1950’s Noir), and more recent incarnations. We will discover historical and
cultural contexts such as masculine rationality and control of information, conspiracies and secrets.
We will mention television detectives to see what we have inherited from the classic constructions and
what has changed.
‫‪Texts will include short Sherlock Holmes stories (by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), The Maltese Falcon‬‬
‫‪(by Dashiell Hammett), and experts from The Bourne Identity (by Robert Ludlum). We will also watch‬‬
‫‪movie clips from classic movies such as The Maltese Falcon and clips from the Bourne series.‬‬
‫‪Requirements: active participation (10%), 4 short assignment (1-2 pages each, 40%), final paper (3-4‬‬
‫‪pages, 50%).‬‬
‫‪This course includes guidance on how to write college essays.‬‬
‫מהולמס לבורן‪ :‬הבלש המודרני‬
‫בקורס נבחן את הבלש המודרני שרלוק הולמס ממקור דמותו כ"בלש היועץ" הראשון‪ ,‬ודרך התפתחותו עד לגלגוליו‬
‫העכשוויים בסרטים כמו ג'ייסון בורן‪ .‬נדון בהבדלים בין שרלוק הומלס במאה התשע עשרה לבין סם ספייד ופיליפ מרלו‬
‫בשנות ה‪ 40-‬וה‪ 50-‬של המאה העשרים )דמויות של הנואר( ונסיים עם התקופה הנוכחית‪ .‬נגלה שמקור ההבדלים ביניהם הוא‬
‫היסטורי ותרבותי‪ ,‬וקשור לתפיסת הגבריות הרציונלית‪ ,‬לשליטה על מידע‪ ,‬לאמונה בקונספירציות וסודות ועוד‪ .‬נזכיר גם‬
‫דמויות טלוויזיוניות פופולריות כדי לברר מה ירשנו מאותם בלשים קודמים ומה השתנה מאז זמנם‪.‬‬
‫נקרא‪ ,‬בין השאר‪ ,‬סיפורים קצרים של שרלוק הומלס )מאת ארתור קונן דויל(‪ ,‬הנץ ממלטה )מאת דשיאל המט(‪ ,‬וחלקים‬
‫מזהות כפולה )מאת רוברט לדלום(‪ .‬בנוסף‪ ,‬נצפה בקטעים מסרטים קלסיים כגון הנץ ממלטה ומסדרת סרטי בורן‪.‬‬
‫דרישות הקורס‪:‬‬
‫השתתפות פעילה )‪ 4 ,(10%‬עבודות קצרות )‪ 1-2‬עמודים כל אחת‪ ,(40% ,‬עבודת סיום )‪ 3-4‬עמודים‪.(50% ,‬‬
‫הקורס כולל הדרכה בכתיבת עבודות באנגלית‪.‬‬
2nd YEAR REQUIRED
SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE I: 1350-1680
Prof. Chanita Goodblatt
First Semester – 4 pts.
This course will provide the student with insight into the historical development and into the literary
texts of English literature. It will be comprised of two complementary parts: the lecture, providing
the historical and conceptual framework; and the tutorial, providing the students with guided
instruction for the two research assignments.
Requirements
1.
Required Attendance in Class (3 absences allowed)
2.
Required Attendance at Two Tutorials
3.
In-Class Examination
25%
4.
Donne Bibliography Assignment
30%
5.
Shakespeare Research Review
45%
Required Texts
Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. New Cambridge Shakespeare
Shakespeare. The Merchant of Venice. New Cambridge Shakespeare
Required Reading
I.
Introduction
Andrew Marvell. To His Coy Mistress
II.
The Bible
Genesis 1-2 / 2 Samuel 10-11
The Gospel of Saint Luke. Chapters 1-2, 10, 13, 15, 22-24
III.
Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales
The Wife of Bath’s Tale. The Prioress's Tale
IV.
Family & Sexuality
The Book of Common Prayer. Marriage Ceremony
Elizabeth I. Speeches on Marriage
Mary Sidney Herbert. Psalm 139
John Donne. Nethersole Marriage Sermon. A Valediction Forbidding
Mourning
William Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
V.
Religion
William Shakespeare. The Merchant of Venice
John Donne. Good Friday. 1613. Riding Westward. Holy Sonnet XIV:
Batter My Heart
George Herbert. The Collar. Easter-Wings. Prayer (I)
VI.
John Milton.
Paradise Lost. Books I, IV & IX
'‫סקירה ספרותית א‬
‫ית להתוודות להתפתחות ההיסטורית‬/‫ הוא מאפשר לסטודנט‬.‫קורס זה מציג סקירה של הספרות האנגלית מצ'וסר ועד מילטון‬
‫ בנוסף ליחידה‬.‫ וכמו כן לקריאה ביקורתית של טקסטים ספרותיים שונים ולסוגות ספרותיות שונות‬,‫של הספרות האנגלית‬
.‫ הרבט מרוול ומילטון‬,‫ דון‬,‫ שייקספיר‬,‫ צ'וסר‬:‫ הקורס יתמקד בסופרים מרכזיים‬,‫מורחבת בקריאת כתבי הקודש הנוצריים‬
‫חובות לקורס‬
(‫השתתפות וקריאה )מותר עד שלוש היעדרויות‬
.1
‫השתתפות חובה בשני שיעורי עזר‬
.2
25%
‫מבחן בכיתה‬
.3
30%
‫עבודה ביבליוגרפית על ג'ון דון‬
.4
45%
‫עבודת מחקר על וויליאם שייקספיר‬
.5
THE SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE II
Prof. Sicher
Second semester – 4 pts.
The Survey of English Literature gives a historical overview of English literature in the British Isles
designed to give literature students an understanding of the development of the themes and genres
which dominate English literature and shape its traditions. Although structured chronologically, the
survey shows continuity and change that can often connect different authors and periods. By the end
of the survey the student will be familiar with major authors and with the literary, political and social
context in which they wrote. This will enable them to take more specialized courses and seminars.
Part II takes students from the Restoration to the close of Romanticism.
Credits: 4 points. Students will be required to attend all lectures, which will correlate with close
reading of texts and instruction in writing assignments or papers with the teaching assistant
(mandatory).
Required reading:
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Ninth Edition (Eighth or Seventh Editions are
acceptable but not recommended alternates), volumes 1 and 2. You must have your own copy!
Copies are available in the library and at the Tsomet sfarim bookstore on campus.
Unless selections are indicated, the entire section must be read. The texts will be read in this order, but
additional readings may be assigned as background.
John Dryden, “Annus Mirabilis”
Samuel Pepys
Steele and Addison
Congreve: The Way of the World
Bunyan: from The Pilgrim's Progress
Daniel Defoe
Isaac Newton
Jonathan Swift: Gulliver’s Travels, Part 4; A Modest Proposal
Pope: from Essay on Man; The Rape of the Lock
Samuel Johnson: From The Rambler, The Idler, Rasselas.
Poetry of Sensibility: James Thomson; Thomas Gray; Oliver Goldsmith; George Crabbe; William
Cowper, The Task.
Blake: from Songs of Innocence and of Experience
Wordsworth: “Preface” to Lyrical Ballads; Selected Poems; Sonnets; from The Prelude
Coleridge: “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, “Kubla Khan”
Keats: “Ode to a Nightingale”, “La Belle Dame sans Merci”
Course requirements:
4 written assignments or short exercises 40% (due dates to be announced)
Research/biobibliographical paper 20% (due four calendar weeks after last class)
One thematic paper 20% (due four calendar weeks after last class)
Midterm test 20% (date to be announced)
The Midterm Test will be held in class and will consist of a passage from one of the texts on the
syllabus, about which questions of context and comprehension will be asked. In addition you will be
asked to write a very brief essay on a topic to be chosen from a list of themes or issues we have
discussed in class. No books, dictionaries or electronic aids will be allowed.
Research/Biobibliographical Paper
A researched paper on one author, including a biographical and bibliographical sketch. This must not
be an ‘encyclopedia entry’ but an account in your words of the author’s historical and literary context,
major works and themes, and the critical reception in the author’s day and in ours.
Term Paper
Write a paper on one theme that develops through English literature in the periods we have studied
this semester. You must write about at least six texts from the Norton Anthology from three different
periods between 1660 and 1850. For example: Woman (as image or as social issue), Women’s Writing,
War, Love, Marriage, Nature, the City, Empire. You must submit a draft with your topic and outline
six weeks before the end of the semester. Do not write more than ten pages, including bibliography in
MLA format.
You are urged to use the lecturer's conference hours for consultation and guidance. All references
must be cited. Any papers suspected of containing work that is not original will be graded zero and
forwarded to the university authorities for possible disciplinary action.
SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1865
Dr. Yael Ben-zvi
Second semester - 4 pts.
This class introduces students to some of the prominent texts, writers, and issues of American literature
before 1865. We examine the development of American literature while considering the relations
between the adjective “American” and U.S. culture, and those between the noun “literature” and the
diverse forms of writing that we study. Since many of the writers whose works we read were trying
actively to create a national literature, we explore the meaning of this concept in relation to the
ideological, political, cultural, and historical phenomena that shaped these texts. Major foci include
the Puritan tradition, the revolution, slavery, the concept of freedom, and transcendentalism. Authors
include Christopher Columbus, John Smith, Roger Williams, Anne Bradstreet, Mary Rowlandson,
Phyllis Wheatley, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Royall Tyler, Washington Irving, William
Apess, Edgar Allan Poe, Frederick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel
Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Rebecca Harding Davis. All texts
for this class are available in The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 8th edition, volumes A
(Literature to 1820), and B (1820-1865). Requirements: active participation (10%), 10 short questions
and discussions (10%), exercise (2-3 pages, 15%), paper (4 pages, 25%), final exam (40%).
1865 ‫סקירת הספרות האמריקאית עד‬
,‫הקורס בוחן את התפתחות הספרות האמריקאית תוך בדיקה ביקורתית של היחסים בין המונח "אמריקאית" לתרבות ארה"ב‬
‫ נבדוק את משמעות‬,‫ מאחר שרבים מהסופרים בהם נדון ניסו ליצור ספרות לאומית‬.‫ובין המונח "ספרות" לטקסטים אותם נקרא‬
‫ מוקדי דיון עיקריים‬.‫ וההיסטוריות שעיצבו את הטקסטים‬,‫ התרבותיות‬,‫ הפוליטיות‬,‫המושג הזה ביחס לתופעות האידיאולוגיות‬
‫ השתתפות פעילה בדיונים‬:‫ דרישות‬.‫ והטרנסנדנטליזם‬,‫ רעיון החירות‬,‫ העבדות‬,‫ המהפכה‬,‫כוללים את המסורת הפוריטנית‬
.(40%) ‫ בחינה סופית‬,(25% ,‫ עמודים‬4) ‫ עבודה‬,(15% ,'‫ עמ‬2-3) ‫ תרגיל‬,(10%) ‫ שאלות ודיונים קצרים‬10 ,(10%)
LITERARY THEORY IN THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY
Dr. Catherine Rottenberg
Yearly course – 4 pts.
In this course, we will trace the development of literary theory in the 20th century. Beginning with
New Criticism, we will discuss in detail a wide range of theoretical approaches to literature, such as
formalism, structuralism, deconstruction, psychoanalysis, feminism, reception theory, newhistoricism, cultural-materialism, and post-colonialism.
‫תיאוריה ספרותית‬
,‫ כגון ביקורת החדשה‬,‫ נדון במגוון רחב של גישות לספרות‬.20-‫בקורס זה נתחקה אחרי התפתות תורת הספרות במאה ה‬
.‫קולוניאליזם‬-‫ ופוסט‬,‫ ההיסטוריסיזם החדש‬,‫ דקונסטרוקציה‬,‫ סטרוקטורליזם‬,‫הפורמליזם הרוסי‬
Articles/Texts:
T Eagleton, “Introduction: What is Literature?
W.K. Wimsatt, “The Intentional Fallacy,” “The Affective Fallacy”
Victor Shklovsky, “Art as Technique”
R. Jacobson, “Linguistics and Poetics”
De Saussure, excerpts Course in General Linguistics
Levi-Strauss, “The Structural Study of Myth,”
G. Genette, “Voice”
W. Iser, “Interaction between Text and Reader”
S. Fish, “How To Recognize a Poem When You See One”
R. Barthes, “From Work to Text” “The Death of the Author”
J. Derrida, “Linguistics and Grammatology”
J. Culler, excerpts from "On Deconstruction"
M. Foucault, “What is an Author?”; excerpts from History of Sexuality: Volume 1
A. Kolodny, “Dancing Through the Minefield”
E. Showalter, “Feminist Criticism in the Wilderness,” “Towards a Feminist Poetics”
H. Cixous, “The Laugh of the Medusa”
S. Freud, “Creative Writing and Daydreaming,” “The Uncanny”:
P. Brooks, “Freud’s Master Plot: A Model for Narrative”
R. Williams, “Base and Superstructure in Marxist Cultural Theory”
F. Jameson, “On Interpretation: Literature as a Socially Symbolic Act”
A. Sinfield, “Art as Cultural Production”
L. Montrose, “Professing the Renaissance: The Poetics and Politics of Culture”
E. Said, “Overlapping Territories, Intertwined Histories”
H. Bhabha, “The Other Questions: The Stereotype and Colonial Discourse”
Requirements: Students must attend class, read the designated essays each week, and actively
participate in class discussions. You must bring your own copy of the assigned reading to class every
week. In preparation for each week’s discussion, I will ask you to answer a set of questions. These
“preparatory” exercises are meant to help you engage with the theoretical texts as well as facilitate our
weekly discussions. These exercises MUST be typewritten and they count for 15% of your grade.
I will collect these exercises at the end of each class. In addition, there will be at least one in-class
quiz each semester as well as a midterm and a final paper.
Grading: Participation: 10%; Preparatory exercises: 15%; Quizzes: 15%; Midterm: 30%, Final Paper:
30%
PLEASE NOTE THAT STUDENTS WHO HAVE THREE OR MORE UNEXCUSED ABSENCES
WILL NOT BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THIS COURSE
Students are required to come to class on time, put cell phones and computers away, and refrain from
leaving the classroom.
2nd - 3rd YEAR ELECTIVES
POSTWAR BRITISH DRAMA
Professor Efraim Sicher
Yearly course – 4 pts.
The course will survey ‘new wave’ drama on the British postwar stage as it reflects changes in culture
and society. We will read plays by four of the most well known contemporary dramatists, Osborne,
Wesker, Stoppard and Pinter. What are the ways in which these plays address ideological, class and
gender conflict? How does language in these plays draw our attention to identity and memory?
Course requirements
Active participation required in all classes
Mid-term test 20% (date to be announced)
1 Class Assignment (personal project) 40% (due four calendar weeks after last class)
1 Term Paper (from the list of set topics) 40% (due July 31, 2015)
NO FINAL EXAM
Required Reading
John Osborne, Look Back in Anger
Arnold Wesker, The Wesker Trilogy
Harold Pinter, The Birthday Party
Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Norton Anthology of English Literature, volume 2
Copies of required texts may be borrowed from the lecturer or from the library; if you wish to own
your own copy you may order it from the university bookstore or elsewhere. It is your responsibility
to have your own copies in print form.
Suggestions for additional texts (choose one for personal project)
Edward Bond, Saved; Lear
Brian Friel, Translations
Caryl Churchill, Top Girls
Louise Page, Golden Girls
Harold Pinter, The Caretaker; The Homecoming
Peter Schaeffer, Equus
Tom Stoppard, Travesties; Jumpers
Arnold Wesker, The Kitchen; Shylock
Bernard Kops, The Hamlet of Stepney Green
More choices are available in the university library.
The project will be presented in class on a prearranged date and submitted in writing by the end of the
semester. The oral presentation will include: analysis of a passage from the text, with copies to the
class and class discussion of the issues raised. It will be submitted in writing as a 10 page academic
paper (not a transcript of the oral presentation) no later than four calendar weeks after the last class.
No less than seven days before the presentation in class, a handout will be distributed including 2-3
short passages from the text and 3-4 questions to guide the discussion).
You are urged to use the lecturer's conference hours for consultation and guidance. All references
must be cited. Any papers suspected of containing work that is not original will be graded zero and
forwarded to the university authorities for possible disciplinary action.
FROM VICTIM TO WITNESS: JEWISH MEMOIRS, DIARIES AND TESTIMONIES IN
FASCIST ITALY
Dr. Cristina M. Bettin
Yearly course – 4 pts.
This course offers an analysis of the Italian Jewish experience in Fascist Italy and World War II.
Through the reading of diaries, memoirs, segments of interviews, documentaries and movies that
address issues of Jewish life and racial discrimination and persecution, students will learn about the
uniqueness and peculiarity of Italian Jews and their response to the Holocaust.
Course Requirements:
25% Attendance (only 3 absences allowed) and class participation+ one formal in- class oral
presentation
25% Mid-Term paper (4-6 pages)
50% Final paper (8-1O pages)
All required reading to be completed prior to class meeting
Bibliography:
1. Picciotto Fargion Liliana, “ The Shoah in Italy: its history and characteristics”, in
Jews in Italy under Fascist and Nazi Rule 1922-1945,
(ed.)J.
Zimmerman, Cambridge University Press: New York ,2005, pp.209-233.
2. Zuccotti Susan, The Italians and the Holocaust, Persecution, Rescue and Survival
University of Nebraska Press : Lincoln, 1988, pp.3-73.
3. Fermi Laura ,
Atoms in the Family. My Life with Enrico Fermi, pp.3-124.
4. Segre Dan Vittorio,
Memoirs of a Fortunate Jew. An Italian Story, The
University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 1985.
5. Irgun Ole Italia
Per non dimenticare. Appunti e ricordi. Irgun Olei Italia,
Jerusalem, 2002. (Translation also in Hebrew),pp.9-102.
6. Loy Rosetta
First Words : A Childhood in Fascist Italy, Metropolitan
Books: New York, 2000.
7. Pekelis Carla
My Version of the Fact, The Marlboro Press University: Evanston, 2004,
pp.1-155.
8. Natalia Ginzburg
9. Primo Levi
The Things we used to say, Carcanet Press Limit,
Manchester,1997.
Survival in Auschwitz( originally If This is a man),Simon & Schuster, New York,
1996.
10. Primo Levi
11. Segre Augusto
The Periodic Table, Abacus, U.K., 1986.
Memoirs of Jewish Life from Italy to Jerusalem 1918-1960,
University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln and London,
pp. 292-380.
12. Bedarida Servadio Lucia “Reflections on an Italian Jewish Life”, in The Most
Ancient of minorities- The Jews of Italy,(eds) Stanislao Pugliese,
Greenwood Press: Westport, pp.353-357.
13. Giorgio Bassani
The Garden of the Finzi Contini, Faber & Faber
London, 1965.
14. Alexander Stille
Benevolence and Betrayal; Five Italian Jewish Families
Under Fascism, Penguin, London,1993.
‫ יומנים ועדויות על יהודים באיטליה הפשיסטית‬,‫מקורבן לעד – זיכרונות‬
‫ סטודנטים ילמדו על הדרך‬.‫איטליה בתקופת הפשיזם ומלחמת העולם השנייה‬-‫קורס זה מציע ניתוח טקסטים העוסקים ביהודי‬
,‫ זיכרונות‬,‫ הלמידה תעשה דרך קריאת יומנים אישיים‬.‫הייחודית והשונה של יהודי איטליה בהתמודדותם עם המלחמה והשואה‬
‫ בחינת הטקסטים הללו תתמקד בשלושה נושאים הנוגעים בסוגיית חיי היהודים‬.‫ מסמכים רשמיים וסרטים‬,‫קטעי ראיונות‬
.‫ אפליה ורדיפה‬,‫ אנטישמיות‬:‫באיטליה‬
:‫דרישות הקורס‬
(‫ שיעורים‬3 ‫נדרשת נוכחות והשתתפות בדיונים בכיתה )ניתן להחסיר עד‬
25%
‫הצגה של נושא בע"פ בכיתה‬
25%
(‫ עמודים‬4-6) ‫עבודת אמצע‬
50%
(‫ עמודים‬8-10) ‫עבודת סיכום לקורס‬
LITERARY TRANSLATION WORKSHOP
Dr. Omry Asscher
First semester – 2 pts.
This workshop provides students with the opportunity to experience the practical side of literary
translation, and to deal with the unique challenges of this delicate craft. We will work with authors and
texts representing a wide range of styles, genres and periods, from early English essays (Jonathan
Swift, Leigh Hunt) to 20th century English and American prose (Flannery O’Connor, Carson
McCullers, Samuel Beckett, James Baldwin, J.D. Salinger, Ernest Hemingway). First-hand experience
in the translation of these works into Hebrew will allow for an intimate and more subtle understanding
of their poetics, as it attests to the obstacles involved in linguistic and cultural transfer.
‫סדנה בתרגום ספרותי‬
‫ ונלמד להתמודד עם האתגרים המיוחדים הכרוכים‬,‫ נכיר מקרוב את הפנים השונות במלאכתו של המתרגם הספרותי‬,‫בסדנה זו‬
‫ פרי עטם‬,‫ ז'אנרים וסגנונות מהספרות האנגלית והספרות האמריקנית‬,‫ הטקסטים שנתרגם ייצגו מגוון רחב של תקופות‬.‫בה‬
‫ ארנסט‬,‫ ג'יי די סאלינג'ר‬,‫ ג'יימס בולדווין‬,‫ סמואל בקט‬,‫ קארסון מק'קאלרס‬,‫ פלאנרי אוקונור‬,‫של מחברים כגון ג'ונתן סוויפט‬
‫ ובה בעת תעיד על‬,‫ ההתנסות המעשית בתרגום היצירות תביא להיכרות מעמיקה יותר עם הפואטיקה שלהן‬.‫המינגווי ואחרים‬
.‫הקשיים הכרוכים בהעברה תרבותית ולשונית‬
:‫רשימת קריאה‬
.‫ כל טקסט יימסר לסטודנטים בשבוע שבו ניתנת המטלה‬.‫הטקסטים יינתנו לתרגום במהלך הסמסטר‬
:‫הציון‬
(90% ‫ בסה"כ‬,15% ‫ הציון ייקבע כל פי מטלות התרגום )כל מטלה‬.‫ מטלות תרגום קצרות במהלך הסמסטר‬6 ‫כל תלמיד יגיש‬
.(10%) ‫והשתתפות בכתה‬
FICTIONS OF THE SELF: 1881-1905
Prof. Barbara Hochman
Second semester – 2 pts.
This course will examine a series of texts written in the United States in the decades immediately
preceding and following the turn of the twentieth century. We will consider the cultural contexts reflected
in fiction of the period with emphasis on the notion of selfhood as it emerges from individual works. We
will ask how particular narratives construct images of the self and we will raise questions about the
relationship between the self and society as represented in both popular and "serious" fiction of the period.
Selections from contemporary work by Freud and William James's Principles of Psychology will help
refine the conception of the self as well as the idea of narrative.
REQUIRED FICTION:
Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady (1881)
Charles Chesnutt, Selected Stories: "The Goophered Grapevine" (1887); "Po' Sandy" (1888); "Dave's
Neckliss" (1889) Optional: "The Sheriff's Children" (1889); "The Wife of His Youth" (1899).
William James, Principles of Psychology (1890) (excerpts)
Sigmund Freud selections
Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage (1895)
Theodore Dreiser, The Financier (1912) (partial; approx. 150 pages)
Written Requirements
‫‪Short Assignments and class participation 15%‬‬
‫‪Paper Proposal (500 words) 10%‬‬
‫‪Final Exam 25%‬‬
‫‪Final paper (2500 words) 50%‬‬
‫ה"אני" בספרות האמריקאית‬
‫בקורס זה נקרא שורה של טקסטים שנכתבו בארה"ב לקראת סוף המאה התשע עשרה ובתחילת המאה העשרים‪ .‬אנו נבחן את‬
‫ההקשרים התרבותיים המשתקפים בסיפורת מאותה תקופה תוך שימת דגש מיוחד על מושג ה"אני" כפי שהוא בא לידי ביטוי‬
‫ביצירות ספציפיות‪ .‬אנו נדון בדרכים השונות בהן נרטיבים יוצרים דימויים של ה"אני" ונעמוד על מערכות הגומלין בין ה"אני"‬
‫והחברה הן בספרות פופולארית והן בספרות "גבוהה"‪ .‬לשם כך‪ ,‬נעיין בפרקים מכתביו של פרויד וכן בספרו של וויליאם ג'יימס‪,‬‬
‫עקרונות הפסיכולוגיה‪ ,‬שיעזרו לנו לחדד את מושג ה"אני" באותה תקופה כמו גם את חשיבותם של נרטיבים בהקשר זה‪.‬‬
‫‪THE METAPHYSICAL TRADITION: POETRY AND UPHEAVAL IN EARLY MODERN‬‬
‫‪ENGLAND‬‬
‫‪Prof. Chanita Goodblatt‬‬
‫‪Second semester – 4 pts.‬‬
‫‪This course will study the poetry of early modern England (16th and 17th centuries). The focus will be‬‬
‫‪on the tradition of Metaphysical poetry (Donne, Jonson, Herbert, Crashaw, Lovelace, Vaughan) as‬‬
‫‪comprising a nexus of upheaval in literary, cognitive and political thought. Attention will therefore‬‬
‫‪focus on the cultural, political and religious context of this poetry, as well its generic function within‬‬
‫‪this context.‬‬
‫‪Course Requirements‬‬
‫)‪Attendance and Reading (3 absences allowed‬‬
‫‪1.‬‬
‫‪25%‬‬
‫‪Oral Referat‬‬
‫‪2.‬‬
‫‪25%‬‬
‫)‪Written Referat (4-5 pages‬‬
‫‪3.‬‬
‫‪50%‬‬
‫)‪Final Paper (8-10 pages‬‬
‫‪4.‬‬
‫המסורת המטפיזית‪ :‬שירה ומהפכה באנגליה בראשית העת החדשה‬
‫קורס זה יחקור את השירה האנגלית במאות ה‪ 16-‬וה‪ .17-‬הוא יתמקד במסורת של השירה המטפיזית )דון‪ ,‬ג'ונסון‪ ,‬הרברט‪,‬‬
‫קריישה‪ ,‬לובלייס‪ ,‬וואהן(‪ ,‬כציר מהפכני מרכזי בחשיבה הספרותית‪ ,‬הקוגניטיבית והפוליטית‪ .‬לכן‪ ,‬קריאת השירים תדגיש‬
‫את הקשרים התרבותיים‪ ,‬הפוליטיים והדתיים‪ ,‬וכמו כן את תפקידו הסוגתי בהקשרים אלו‪.‬‬
SHAKESPEAREAN DRAMA
Dr. Aaron Landau
First Semester - 4 pts.
The course sets out to familiarize students with major aspects of Shakespearean drama by studying
plays from different genres and periods in Shakespeare’s career. The course will examine the social
and cultural conditions under which these plays were produced and consumed. It will acquaint students
with different theoretical and critical perspectives from which these plays are currently approached. In
this course we will study in detail and watch some recent productions of the following plays by
Shakespeare: The Comedy of Errors; Richard II; Hamlet; Othello; and The Winter’s Tale.
Required reading:
The Comedy of Errors
Richard II
Hamlet
Othello
The Winter’s Tale
Course Requirements:
Attendance and reading
Active class participation 10%
1 in-class quiz 20%
1 bibliographical assignment to be submitted by the end of the semester 10%
1 take-home exam 60%
Required Reading: 1 course book
‫דרמה שייקספירית‬
‫מטרת הקורס היא להציג לתלמידים מגוון של סוגיות מרכזיות בדרמה שייקספירית על ידי עיון במחזות מז'אנרים שונים‬
‫ במהלך‬.‫ הקורס יבחן את התנאים החברתיים והתרבותיים שבהם נוצרו מחזות אלה‬.‫ותקופות שונות בקריירה של שייקספיר‬
‫ הקורס יתרכז‬.‫הקורס נקרא ונצפה בהפקות עכשוויות של מחזות אלה ונדון בהם לאור גישות תיאורטיות וביקורתיות שונות‬
.‫ קומדיה של טעויות; ריצ'ארד השני; המלט; אותלו; ואגדת חורף‬:‫במחזות הבאים‬
:‫דרישות הקורס‬
‫נוכחות וקריאה‬
10% ‫השתתפות פעילה בכיתה‬
10% ‫מטלה ביבליוגרפית‬
20% ‫בוחן בכיתה‬
60% ‫מבחן בית‬
READING HAWTHORNE
Dr. Yael Ben-zvi
First semester - 2 pts.
This class will introduce students to a number of works by Nathaniel Hawthorne. We will examine
Hawthorne’s works in relation to the cultural context in which they were written and consider the
significance of the legacies of Puritanism and colonization, the emergence of the women’s rights
movement, utopian experiments, social reform, science and the supernatural, and national culture in
mid-nineteenth century United States. We will discuss Hawthorne’s canonical status as a prominent
writer of American literature in light of the complex relations between historical narratives and
national literature. Texts will include The Blithedale Romance, The House of the Seven Gables,
“Young Goodman Brown,” “My Kinsman, Major Molineux,” “The May-Pole of Merry Mount,” “The
Minister’s Black Veil,” “The Birth-Mark,” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” Requirements: active
participation (10%), short assignment (4 pages, 30%), final paper (7 pages, 60%).
‫קריאה בהותורן‬
‫ נבחן את יצירותיו ביחס להקשר התרבותי בו נכתבו‬.‫הקורס יאפשר לך להכיר יותר לעומק את עבודתו של נתנאל הותורן‬
,‫ שינוי חברתי‬,‫ ניסויים אוטופיים‬,‫ עליית התנועה לזכויות הנשים‬,‫ונבדוק את משמעות המורשת של הפוריטניזם והקולוניזציה‬
‫ נדון במעמדו הקאנוני של הותורן לאור היחסים‬.‫עשרה‬-‫ והתרבות הלאומית בארה"ב באמצע המאה התשע‬,‫טבעי‬-‫מדע והעל‬
,‫ עמודים‬4) ‫ עבודה קצרה‬,(10%) ‫ השתתפות פעילה בדיונים‬:‫ דרישות‬.‫המורכבים בין נראטיבים היסטוריים וספרות לאומית‬
.(60% ,‫ עמודים‬7) ‫ ועבודת גמר‬,(30%
THE WAR IN WESTERN IMAGINATION
Dr. Amir Engel
Yearly course – 4 pts.
World War II is known as a watershed moment in western History. In its aftermath, the social, moral,
and physical landscape of Europe was all but completely destroyed. How did theorists, writers, poets,
and film-makers understand the roots of the war and its aftermath? How did they represent the
horrors and devastation, which had no parallel in recent memory? The course will take a comparative
approach toward these questions by looking at works from Germany, France, Italy, Russia, and the
United States as well as works of exiled authors. In this course we shall also aim to set these works
within their cultural, political social contexts. Readings would include:
Readings:
Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, The dialectic of Enlightenment
Heinrich Böll, The Clown
Albert Camus, The Plague
Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism and Humanism
Vittorio de Sica, Bicycle Thieves
Roberto Rossellin, Germany, Year Zero
Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five
Vasily Grossman, Life and Fate
Primo Levi, If this is a Man
Paul Celan, Death Fugue, Corona
Requirements:
•
Attendance, reading and active class participation 10%
•
1 in-class presentation 10%
•
1 Midterm Paper 20%
•
1 Final Paper 60%
‫מלחמת העולם בתרבות המערב‬
‫ אך גם המוסרי והתרבותי של‬,‫ בסופה נותר נופה הפיזי‬.‫מלחמת העולם השנייה מהווה נקודת מפנה בהיסטוריה של המערב‬
,‫ את שורשיה את מהלכה‬,‫ והוגי דעות את המלחמה הזו‬,‫ במאים‬,‫ משוררים‬,‫ כיצד הבינו סופרים‬.‫אירופה חרב כמעט לחלוטין‬
‫ותוצאותיה? כיצד הם תיארו את מראותיה ואת ההרס שהיא הותירה? בקורס זה נסקור את העיסוק במלחמת העולם השנייה‬
‫ נבקש גם להעמיד את היצירות‬.‫ ואיטליה וכן של יוצרים גולים‬,‫ רוסיה‬,‫ צרפת‬,‫במבט השוואתי באמצעות יצירות מגרמניה‬
.‫האלה בהקשר הפוליטי והחברתי שבהם הם נוצרו‬
3rd YEAR BA SEMINARS
MUSIC AND LITERATURE
Prof. Mark Gelber
Yearly Seminar – 4 pts.
This course attempts to analyze the complicated relationship between music and literature, by focusing
mainly on one central example in western culture, namely the impact of one of the towering figures in
Western Music, Richard Wagner, and on one of the most distinguished 20th century writers, Thomas
Mann. Additionally, the course takes into account the mediating roles of two philosophers and cultural
critics and their thought concerning music in general and Wagner in particular: Arthur Schopenhauer
and Friedrich Nietzsche. Their impact on Mann is only one aspect of the mediatory process in this
case. Thomas Mann, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929, has been widely considered to
be one of the most intellectually serious writers of the modern period; his complicated reception of
music, especially the works of Wagner in his own writings, is perhaps unparalleled in terms of its
sophistication and subtlety. The general approach used in the course is interdisciplinary, but it includes
close reading of literary texts and encourages familiarity with 19th Century European music and
philosophy.
Wagner's operas to be discussed: The Flying Dutchman, Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, Tristan and Isolde,
The Walkürie, The Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Readings include: excerpts from Schopenhauer, "The World as Will and Representation"; Nietzsche,
"On Music and Words," "Schopenhauer as Educator," "The Case of Wagner," "Nietzsche Contra
Wagner"; Wagner, "Jewry in Music."
Works by Thomas Mann: Fiction -- Little Herr Friedemann, Tristan, Tonio Kröger, Blood of the
Walsungs, Death in Venice, excerpts from Doktor Faustus; Non-Fiction– excepts from Reflections of
a Non-Political Man, The Sufferings and Greatness of Richard Wagner
Film: Visconti, Death in Venice
Music by Mahler, Schoenberg, and others will also be discussed in the course.
Course requirements:
1) 2 oral presentations (one each semester), submitted in writing (2-3 pages each) 20%
2) One seminar paper, 18-20 pages 60%
3) Attendance and participation (2 unexcused absences allowed), 20%
‫מוסיקה וספרות‬
‫ בעיקר על ידי התמקדות בדוגמא אחת ומרכזית‬,‫הקורס הנ"ל מנסה לנתח את מערכת היחסים המורכת בין המוסיקה לספרות‬
‫על הסופר הגדול‬, ‫ריכרד וגנר‬, ‫משמע את ההשפעה של אחת הדמויות המרשימות במוסיקה המערבית‬, ‫בתרבות המערבית‬
‫ נוסף לכך הקורס יתחשב בתפקידי הגישור והמחשבות של שני פילוסופים ומבקרי התרבות‬.‫תומאס מאן‬, 20-‫מהמאה ה‬
‫ ההשפעה שלהם על תומאס מאן היא רק היבט אחד בגישור התהליך במקרה‬.‫ ארתור שופנהאואר ופרידריך ניטשה‬:‫חשובים‬
‫ – הוא נחשב‬1929-‫זכה בפרס הנובל לספרות ב‬, 20-‫אשר היה אחד מהסופרים הידועים ביותר במאה ה‬, ‫ תומאס מאן‬.‫זה‬
‫ במיוחד יצירותיו‬,‫ השילוב והקליטה שלו של המוסיקה‬.‫בקרב רבים לסופר הכי מתוחכם ואינטלקטואלי של התקופה המודרנית‬
‫ ברם היא כוללת קריאה ממוקדת של טקסטים‬,‫ הגישה של הקורס היא בין תחומית‬.‫של וגנר נושאים מורכבים ומרתקים‬
.19-‫ספרותיים ומעודדת קרבה עם המוסיקה והפילוסופיה האירופאית של המאה ה‬
:‫האופרות של וגנר אשר נדון בהן‬
The Flying Dutchman, Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, Tristan and Isolde, The Walkürie, The Meistersinger
von Nürnberg.
"The World as Will and Representation" :‫הקריאה כוללת קטעים מתוך היצירה של שופנהאואר‬
On Music and Words," "Schopenhauer as Educator," "The Case of Wagner," "Nietzsche Contra " :‫ניטשה‬
"Wagner
".Jewry in Music" :‫וגנר‬
:‫יצירות על ידי מאן‬
Little Herr Friedemann, Tristan, Tonio Kröger, Blood of the Walsungs, Death in Venice, excerpts from
Doktor Faustus, excepts from Reflections of a Non-Political Man, The Sufferings and Greatness of
Richard Wagner
Visconti, Death in Venice :‫סרט‬
.‫ שונברג ואחרים‬,‫כמו כן נדון במוסיקה של מאהלר‬
REVENGE TRAGEDY
Dr. Aaron Landau
Second semester – 4 pts.
This seminar is not for the faint-hearted. In this course we will read, discuss, and watch recent
productions of (mostly) early modern plays that contain depictions of, among other things, murder,
rape, mutilation, cannibalism, necrophilia, incest, and sadomasochistic sex -- as well as some jolly
good poetry. The course will explore the cultural, social, and political conditions under which the
genre known as “revenge tragedy” or “tragedy of blood” emerged and developed in England between
the 1580s and the 1620s.
‫‪Course Requirements: Attendance and reading‬‬
‫‪Active class participation 10%‬‬
‫‪1 in-class presentation 20%‬‬
‫)‪1 bibliographical assignment (10%‬‬
‫‪1 Seminar Paper 60%‬‬
‫‪Required Reading:‬‬
‫‪Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 B.C.- 65 A.D.), Thyestes‬‬
‫)‪William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus (1589-90‬‬
‫)‪Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy (1582-1592‬‬
‫)‪William Shakespeare, Hamlet (1601‬‬
‫)‪Cyril Tourneur (or Thomas Middleton), The Revenger’s Tragedy (1607‬‬
‫)‪John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi (1613‬‬
‫)‪Thomas Middleton (with William Rowley), The Changeling (1622‬‬
‫דרמת הנקמה‬
‫תיאור הקורס‪ :‬סמינר זה אינו לבעלי לב חלש‪ .‬במהלך הקורס נקרא‪ ,‬נדון ונצפה בהפקות עכשוויות של מחזות )בעיקר(‬
‫מהרנסאנס האנגלי שעוסקים בין היתר ברצח‪ ,‬אונס‪ ,‬נקרופיליה‪ ,‬קניבליזם‪ ,‬גילוי עריות ומין סאדו‪-‬מזוכיסטי ‪ --‬ובמקביל‬
‫מכילים ממיטב השירה שנכתבה באנגליה במהלך התקופה‪ .‬אנו נעמוד על התנאים התרבותיים‪ ,‬החברתיים והפוליטיים שהפכו‬
‫את ז'אנר הנקמה או טרגדיית הדם לסוגה מרכזית בתיאטרון האנגלי בין שנות השמונים של המאה החמש‪-‬עשרה לשנות‬
‫העשרים של המאה השבע‪-‬עשרה‪.‬‬
‫דרישות הקורס‪:‬‬
‫נוכחות וקריאה‬
‫השתתפות פעילה בכיתה ‪10%‬‬
‫מטלה ביבליוגרפית ‪10%‬‬
‫רפרט בכיתה ‪20%‬‬
‫עבודת סמינר ‪60%‬‬
MA COURSES
METHODOLOGY, THEORY, AND CRITICISM IN LITERARY STUDIES
Dr. Yael Ben-zvi
Yearly course – 4 pts.
This class has two purposes: to introduce students to fundamental issues and practices of literary
studies, and to encourage students to formulate their own scholarly interest in literature. We will focus
on three primary texts: Herman Melville’s Benito Cereno (1855), Henry James’s The Turn of the
Screw (1898), and Toni Morrison’s Beloved (1987). We will examine these texts in light of various
critical approaches and interventions and develop our practical understanding of literary criticism. A
number of meetings will be dedicated to discussing critical texts chosen by students in order to give
students the opportunity to express and explore their own interests in class. Students will be introduced
to databases and their uses and will learn how to read, respond to, and engage with critical works.
Grading: active participation (10%), short assignments (up to 2-3 pages each; total 30%), Midterm
paper (5 pages, 20%), Final paper (either a 10 page paper OR a seminar paper of 20-25 pages, 40%).
‫שיטות וסוגיות של המחקר הספרותי‬
‫ ולעודד תלמידים לנסח‬,‫ להכיר ולהתנסות בסוגיות ופרקטיקות בסיסיות בחקר הספרות‬:‫לקורס זה יש שתי מטרות עיקריות‬
‫ נבחן אותם לאור‬,(‫ ומוריסון‬,‫ ג'יימס‬,‫ נתמקד בשלושה טקסטים ספרותיים )מאת מלוויל‬.‫את העניין המחקרי שלהם בספרות‬
‫ מספר פגישות יוקדשו לדיון בטקסטים שיבחרו על ידי‬.‫ ונפתח הבנה מעשית של חקר הספרות‬,‫גישות ביקורתיות שונות‬
‫ תלמידים ילמדו לעבוד עם מאגרי‬.‫תלמידים כדי לתת לתלמידים את ההזדמנות לבטא ולבחון את תחומי העניין שלהם בכיתה‬
,(30%) ‫ עבודות קצרות‬,(10%) ‫ השתתפות פעילה בדיונים‬:‫ הרכב הציון‬.‫ ולהשתלב בביקורת הספרות‬,‫ להגיב‬,‫מידע ולקרוא‬
.(40% ,'‫ עמ‬20-25 ‫ עמ' או סמינר של‬10) ‫ ועבודת סיום‬,(20% ,'‫ עמ‬5) ‫עבודת אמצע‬
READING PERIODICAL FICTION IN LATE NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICA
Prof. Barbara Hochman
Yearly course – 4 pts.
Students, teachers and other 21st –century readers read fiction of the past by finding an onlineversion, buying a copy in a bookstore, or taking one off a library shelf. This course will employ a
"book history" approach in order to reconstruct the ways a series of texts were understood in their
own time. We will consider some of the significant historical factors that shape literary meaning for
readers— past and present. Focusing primarily on aspects of publication history we will ask how
meaning changes: Was a text difficult to publish but popular later? Popular in its time, but no
longer? Heavily edited before being accepted for publication? First read as installments in a
newspaper or magazine – what difference would that make?
We will use data bases available online (especially the Making of America website
http://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/m/moa/browse.html) to create a historically concrete framework for
analyzing stories and novels, examining texts published alongside the fiction, as well as
contemporary reviews, so that issues of literary taste, class, race, gender, Americanness, etc become
visible in ways that we cannot see when we read Daisy Miller or "The Yellow Wallpaper" as a bound
volume issued by the "Library of America" or the "Feminist Press."
Fiction (updated list)
Henry James, Daisy Miller (pub in the U.S. in two parts, The Living Age 1878; and as a "comedy" in
the Atlantic 1883)
William Dean Howells, The Rise of Silas Lapham (serialized in the Century 1884-5)
Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Isolated chapters published in the Century (Dec.
1884; Jan. 1885; Feb. 1885).
Charles Chesnutt, "The Goophered Grapevine"; "Po' Sandy"; other selected stories (The Atlantic
1887-88)
Charles Chesnutt, "The March of Progress" (accepted for Atlantic 1897; but did not appear.
Appeared in the Century 1901).
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper" (rejected by the Atlantic; published.in New
England Magazine 1892)
Edith Wharton, Bunner Sisters (Rejected by Scribner's 1892; published in a collection of Wharton's
stories 1917).
Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth (serialized in Scribners, 1905)
Selected fiction, reviews, literary commentary, essays and illustrations published alongside the
fiction listed above
Theory and Criticism
Jonathan Arac, Huckleberry Finn as Idol and Target: The Functions of Criticism in our Time.
Madison: U Wisconsin Press, 1997.
Amy Blair. Reading Up:
Pierre Bourdieu, "Introduction," Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. Trans
Richard Nice. Cambridge Mass.: Harvard UP, 1984.
Roger,Chartier, "Texts, Printings, Readings" in Lynn Hunt, ed. The New Cultural History.
Berkeley: U California Press, 1989: 154-175.Robert Darnton, "What is the History of Books?"
Reading in America: Literature and Social History. Cathy N. Davidson, ed. Baltimore: Johns
Hopkins U P, 1989.
Hans Robert Jauss, "Literary History as a Challenge to Literary Theory." Toward an Aesthetic of
Reception. Trans. Timothy Bahti. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1982.
James L. Machor, "Introduction," Readers in History: Nineteenth-Century American Literature and
the Contexts of Response. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993.
Steven Mailloux. Interpretive Conventions: The Reader in the Study of American Fiction. . Ithaca:
Cornell UP, 1982.
Course Requirements:
Active class participation and two in-class presentations. These presentations will propose material
from a relevant periodical through which to read the literary text under consideration. Approximately
500 words, they will be written up and handed in as well (10%).
Paper proposal for midyear paper (presented in class, and then in writing) (10%)
Midyear paper 1500 words (25%)
Final paper proposal (500 words – presented in class) (10%)
Final paper (either seminar paper 5000 words 45%; OR a shorter paper 2500 words 35% of the
grade; in that case the mid-year paper will count 35%). Short papers are due August 31; seminar
papers are due three months after end of semester.
‫עשרה‬-‫עת אמריקאים בשלהי המאה התשע‬-‫קריאת סיפורת בכתבי‬
‫ לקנות ספר בחנות‬,‫ אנו יכולים למצוא גרסה באינטרנט‬:‫ עומדות לפנינו מסר אפשרויות‬,‫בבואנו לקרוא את ספרות העבר‬
‫ בקורס זה נשתמש בגישת תולדות הספר כדי לשחזר את האופנים בהם קוראים הבינו‬.‫ספרים או לשאול עותק מהספרייה‬
.‫סדרת טקסטים בעבר וכדי לבחון את הגורמים ההיסטוריים שעיצבו את המשמעות הספרותית עבור קוראים בעבר ובהווה‬
‫ מדוע טקסטים שכותביהם התקשו‬:‫נתמקד בעיקר בהיבטים של היסטוריית ההוצאה לאור כדי לשאול כיצד משמעות משתנה‬
‫לפרסמם זכו לפופולאריות מאוחרת? איך טקסטים שהיו פופולאריים בזמנם איבדו מעמד זה? איזה טקסטים נאלצו לעבור‬
?‫עריכה משמעותית כדי שיוכלו להתפרסם? ומה קרה לספרים שפורסמו לראשונה בהמשכים בעיתונים או בכתבי עת‬
‫ ונקרא טקסטים שפורסמו‬,‫נשתמש במאגרי מידע באינטרנט כדי ליצור מסגרת היסטורית קונקרטית לניתוח סיפורים ורומאנים‬
‫ מגדר ואמריקאיות עיצבו את‬,‫ גזע‬,‫ מעמד‬,‫ כדי לדון באופנים בהם טעם ספרותי‬,‫ כולל ביקורות מוקדמות‬,‫לצד יצירות אלה‬
.‫היצירות בדרכים שלא ניתן לחוש בהן כשקוראים את היצירות בנפרד מההקשר בו פורסמו‬
READING KAFKA AND THE PRAGUE CIRCLE
Prof. Mark Gelber
Yearly course – 4 pts.
This course focuses on perhaps the most widely discussed modern writer, Franz Kafka (1883-1924)
and his close friend, Max Brod (1884-1968). Presently, a major public debate, a court case, and
something like a cultural battle are taking place in Israel, in order to determine what is to become of
their literary remains, including posthumous writings by both authors. The first goal of the course is
to assess Kafka's own writings and the vast range of critical writing about him and his works. How
Kafka, an exceedingly minor and neglected writer from Prague, emerged after his death as the great
modernist writer and most widely discussed subject of post-modernist discourse is thematized in the
course. At the same time, the course is interested in assessing Max Brod as a major writer, thinker,
Zionist activist, and European-Israeli cultural figure in his own right, without whom Kafka's major
works would have been lost and probably never published. Readings include much of Kafka's works,
in addition to numerous critical writings about them (presented individually by students). In addition,
a separate colloquium on Max Brod and another one on Kafka, Judaism and Zionism will be integral
parts of the course.
Required Readings with *possible readings for presentations
The Judgement, The Stoker
*Max Brod, "Parents and Childhood" (from the biography)
* Felix Weltsch, "The Rise and Fall of the Jewish-German Symbiosis"
*Julius Herz, "Kafka and Austria: National Background and Ethnic Identity"
*Evelyn Torton-Beck, "First Impact of the Yiddish Theater: The Judgement (1912)"
*David Brenner, “Uncovering the Father: Kafka, Judaism, and Homoeroticism”
*Mark Spilka, "Fathers and Sons," and "Transcendent Selves" (from his "Dickens and Kafka")
*Arnold Band, "Kafka and the Beiliss Affair"
The Metamorphosis
*Stanley Corngold, "The Structure of Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis'"
* Mark Anderson, “Sliding Down the Evolutionary Ladder? Aesthetic Autonomy in ‘The
Metamorphosis’ “ (excerpt from "Kafka's Clothes")
America (The Man who Disappeared)
* Anne Fuchs, “A Psychoanalytic Reading of ‘The Man Who Disappeared’”
* June Leavitt, "Kafka's Mystical Modalities"
For a Small [Minor] Literature
* Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, "Kafka. What is a Minor Literature?"
*Lowell Edmunds, Kafka on Minor Literature"
A Country Doctor
*Gerhard Kurz, “Nietzsche, Freud, and Kafka”
*Walter Sokel," Kafka's Poetics of the Inner Self"
In the Penal Colony
* Bill Dodd, “The Case for a Political Reading”
*David Pann, “Kafka as a Populist: Re-reading “In the Penal Colony”
*Gershon Shaked, “Kafka’s Critical Reaction to the ‘Liberal” Regimes and World War I: ‘In the Penal
Colony’ and its ‘Sitz im Leben’”
* Delphine Bechtel, “Kafka, the Ostjuden, and the Inscription of Identity”
The Trial
*Elizabeth Boa, “The Decaying Law. Discourses of Gender, Class, and Race in the ‘The Trial’”
*Walter Sokel, “The Programme of K.’s Court: Oedipal and Existential Meanings in ‘The Trial’”
*J.P.Stern, “The Law of “The Trial’”
* Evelyn Torton-Beck, "Kafka's Triple Bind: Women, Jews, Sexuality"
*Dagmar Lorenz, “Kafka and Gender”
*Reiner Stach, „Kafka’s Egoless Woman: Otto Weininger’s ‘Sex and Character’”
* Ritchie Robertson, "The Intricate Ways of Guilt: Der Prozess (1914)"
*Stanley Corngold,"The Trial/In the Penal Colony: The Rigors of Writing"
*Henry Sussman, "The Court as Text: Inversion, Supplanting, and Derangement in Kafka's 'Der
Prozess'"
Jackals and Arabs, A Report to an Academy
* Rivka Horvitz, "Kafka and the Crisis in Jewish Religious Thought"
* Walter Strauss, "Trying to Mend the Vessels"
The Great Wall of China
*Eduard Goldstücker, “Franz Kafka in the Prague Perspective: 1963”
*Ernst Fischer, “Kafka Conference”
*Alexej Kusak, “Comments on the Marxist Interpretation of Franz Kafka”
* Walter Benjamin, “On the Great Wall of China,” “Franz Kafka” (and “Reflections on Kafka”)
A Hunger Artist
* Sander Gilman, "Kafka's Body in the Mirror of his Culture"
*Margret Norris, “Sadism and Masochism in “In the Penal Colony” and “A Hunger Artist”
* Lawrence Langer, "Kafka as Holocaust Prophet"
Investigations of a Dog
* Iris Bruce, “Kafka and Jewish Folklore”
The Burrow
*Marie Luise Caputo-Mayr, "The Grotesque in Kafka"
*James Rolleston, "Kafka Criticism: A Typological Perspective"
Josephine the Singer or the Mouse Folk
*Mark Anderson, “Jewish Music? Otto Weininger and Josephine the Singer”
* Margot Norris, “Kafka’s Josephine: The Animal as the Negative Site of Narration”
*Ursula Mahlendorf, "Kafka's Josephine: Art at the Edge of Nothingness"
*Ann Smock, "Music History"
* Sander Gilman, "Kafka goes to Camp"
The Castle (presentation readings to be announced)
Course Requirements:
Two short oral presentations each semester; one on a Kafka text presented orally only [your own
reading, no outside sources], and one also submitted in writing on a pertinent secondary reading. (each
written presentation: 4-5 pages.)
Colloquium on Max Brod: Brod as poet, philosopher, writer, politician, intellectual, friend of Kafka,
etc. (oral presentations in pairs, 7-8 minutes). Readings to be announced.
3) Colloquium on Kafka and Zionism (oral presentation in pairs, 7-8 minutes)
Scott Spector, “’any reality, however small’: Prague Zionisms between the Nations”
Niels Bokhove, “’The Entrance to the More Important’: Kafka’s Personal Zionism”
Alfred Bodenheimer, “A Sign of Sickness and a Symbol of Health: Kafka’s Hebrew Notebooks”
Iris Bruce, "Jewish Education: Borderline and Counterdiscourses in Kafka"
Iris Bruce, "Kafka and Jewish Folklore"
Delphine Bechtel, "Kafka, the Ostjuden, and the Inscription of Identity"
Vivian Liska, "When Kafka says we"
David Suchoff, "Kafka's Jewish Languages: The hidden Opennes of Tradition"
4) Final paper: For students writing a final seminar paper (18-20 pages), the final paper counts for
60% of the final grade (the short presentations and participation in colloquia count for 40%). The
seminar paper is due according to faculty guidelines. For students writing a shorter final paper (10-12
pages), the final paper will count as 33% of the final grade. It is due one month after the last class
meeting in June. The presentations and class participation will count for 66%.
Key for Possible Presentation Texts:
Max Brod, "Parents and Childhood" (from the biography)
Eduard Goldstücker, “Franz Kafka in the Prague Perspective: 1963”
Ernst Fischer, “Kafka Conference”
Alexej Kusak, “Comments on the Marxist Interpretation of Franz Kafka”
Felix Weltsch, "The Rise and Fall of the Jewish-German Symbiosis"
Julius Herz, "Kafka and Austria: National Background and Ethnic Identity"
Evelyn Torton-Beck, "First Impact of the Yiddish Theater: The Judgement (1912)"
David Brenner, “Uncovering the Father: Kafka, Judaism, and Homoeroticism”
Mark Spilka, "Fathers and Sons," and "Transcendent Selves" (from his "Dickens and Kafka")
Arnold Band, "Kafka and the Beiliss Affair"
Stanley Corngold, "The Structure of Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis'"
Anne Fuchs, “A Psychoanalytic Reading of ‘The Man Who Disappeared’”
Bill Dodd, “The Case for a Political Reading”
David Pann, “Kafka as a Populist: Re-reading “In the Penal Colony”
Gershon Shaked, “Kafka’s Critical Reaction to the ‘Liberal” Regimes and World
War I: ‘In the Penal Colony’ and its ‘Sitz im Leben’”
Margret Schaeffer
Walter Benjamin, “On the Great Wall of China,” “Franz Kafka” (and “Reflections on Kafka”)
Evelyn Torton-Beck, "Kafka's Triple Bind: Women, Jews, Sexuality"
Dagmar Lorenz, “Kafka and Gender”
Elizabeth Boa, “The Decaying Law. Discourses of Gender, Class, and Race in the ‘The Trial’”
Walter Sokel, “The Programme of K.’s Court: Oedipal and Existential Meanings in ‘The Trial’”
J.P.Stern, “The Law of “The Trial’”
Sander Gilman, "Kafka's Body in the Mirror of his Culture"
Rivka Horvitz, "Kafka and the Crisis in Jewish Religious Thought"
Walter Strauss, "Trying to Mend the Vessels"
Lawrence Langer, "Kafka as Holocaust Prophet"
Iris Bruce, “Kafka and Jewish Folklore”
Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, "Kafka. What is a Minor Literature?"
(excerpts)
Ritchie Robertson, "The Intricate Ways of Guilt: Der Prozess (1914)"
Stanley Corngold,"The Trial/In the Penal Colony: The Rigors of Writing"
Delphine Bechtel, “Kafka, the Ostjuden, and the Inscription of Identity”
Andrew Barker, "Franz Kafka and Peter Altenberg"
Mark Anderson, “Sliding Down the Evolutionary Ladder? Aesthetic Autonomy in ‘The
Metamorphosis’ “ (excerpt from "Kafka's Clothes")
Mark Anderson, “The Physiognomy of Guilt: The Trial” (from “Kafka’s Clothes”
Mark Anderson, “Jewish Music? Otto Weininger and Josephine the Singer” (from “Kafka’s Clothes”)
Walter Sokel," Kafka's Poetics of the Inner Self"
Sander Gilman, "Kafka goes to Camp"
Walter Benjamin, "On the Great Wall of China," "Kafka"
Marie Luise Caputo-Mayr, "The Grotesque in Kafka"
Gerhard Kurz, “Nietzsche, Freud, and Kafka”
Reiner Stach, „Kafka’s Egoless Woman: Otto Weininger’s ‘Sex and Character’”
Margret Norris, “Sadism and Masochism in “In the Penal Colony” and “A Hunger Artist”
Margot Norris, “Kafka’s Josephine: The Animal as the Negative Site of Narration”
Ursula Mahlendorf, "Kafka's Josephine: Art at the Edge of Nothingness"
Ann Smock, "Music History"
James Rolleston, "Kafka Criticism: A Typological Perspective"
Judith Ryan, "Our Trial: Franz Kafka's Challenges to Literary Theory"
Additional Presentation Topics include:
Theodor Adorno, "Notes on Franz Kafka," in his Prisms (MIT Press, 1984), 243-271.
Walter Benjamin, "Franz Kafka on the Tenth Anniversary of his Death," and "Some Reflections on
Kafka," in his Illuminations (Schocken: 1969), 111-146.
Paul Goodman, Kafka's Prayer (Vanguard, 1946).
Marthe Robert, Franz Kafka's Loneliness (Faber and Faber, 1982).
Edmund Wilson,, "A Dissenting Opinion on Franz Kafka," in his Classics and Commercials (New
York: 1950).
Max Brod, "The Religious Interpretation," in his Biography of Franz Kafka (Secker and Warburg,
1947)
‫‪It may be possible to focus on other critics of Kafka, like Georg Lukacs, Hannah Arendt, Jacques‬‬
‫‪Derrida, Walter Sokel, Peter Heller, Albert Camus, and Martin Buber, depending on your interest and‬‬
‫‪the availability of their writings in English. With Lukacs and Arendt, political and sociological‬‬
‫‪perspectives come into play; with Derrida you have the deconstructionist reading; Camus presents an‬‬
‫‪existentialist approach, while Sokel has written on the Gnosticism of Kafka, as well as on related‬‬
‫‪Jewish perspectives. Heller gives a philosophical reading of Kafka as a nihilist.‬‬
‫לקרוא את קפקא ואת חוג פראג‬
‫קורס זה יתמקד במי שכנראה הסופר המודרני שמושך הכי הרבה תשומת לב – פרנץ קפקא )‪ (1883-1924‬וביקורת יצירותיו‪.‬‬
‫בנוסף קוראים את יצירות קפקא בהקשר פעילות ספרותית ואינטלקטואלית של חברו הקרוב‪ ,‬מקס ברוד )‪(1884-1968‬‬
‫וספרות פראגית‪ .‬מטרתו הראשונה של הקורס היא לפתח הבנה כללית של יצירותיו של קפקא עצמו‪ ,‬כמו גם של הכמות‬
‫האדירה של ביקורת והעבודות התיאורטיות העוסקות בו וביצירותיו‪ .‬נדון בשאלה איך קפקא‪ ,‬סופר כמעט ולא ידוע מפראג‪,‬‬
‫הפך אחרי מותו לאומן מודרניסטי גדול‪ ,‬מוקד של שיח פוסט‪-‬מודרניסטי‪ .‬בו זמנית נעסוק בדמותו של מקס ברוד כסופר חשוב‪,‬‬
‫הוגה דעות‪ ,‬פעיל ציוני ודמות חשובה בתרבות האירופאית והישראלית כשלעצמו‪ ,‬שבלעדיו‪ ,‬יש להניח‪ ,‬יצירותיו החשובות‬
‫של קפקא לא היו רואות אור לעולם‪ .‬רשימת הקריאה תכלול טקסטים רבים של קפקא‪ ,‬כמו גם ביקורת )טקסטים של מבקרי‬
‫ספרות יוצגו על‪-‬ידי סטודנטים(‪ .‬בנוסף‪ ,‬סדנת מחקר על מקס ברוד ועוד אחת על קפקא‪ ,‬יהדות וציונות יהוו חלק אינטגראלי‬
‫מהקורס‪ .‬כנס בין‪-‬לאומי על "קפקא אחרי קפקא" יתקיים בחודש מרץ במסגרת הקורס ומספר חוקרים בולטים בין‪-‬לאומיים‬
‫הסכימו להשתתף‪ .‬גם סטודנטים בקורס ישתתפו בכנס באופן פעיל כחלק של הקורס‪.‬‬
‫דרישות הקורס‪:‬‬
‫שתי פרזנטציות קצרות בעל‪-‬פה בכל סמסטר – אחת על טקסט של קפקא‪ ,‬בעל‪-‬פה בלבד ]ניתוח של סטודנט בלבד‪ ,‬ללא‬‫חומר נוסף[‪ ,‬ואחת שתוגש גם בכתב בה יוכללו מקורות משניים )אורכה של כל פרזנטציה כתובה‪ 4-5 :‬עמודים[‬
‫סדנה על מקס ברוד‪ :‬ברוד כמשורר‪ ,‬פילוסוף‪ ,‬סופר‪ ,‬מדינאי‪ ,‬אינטלקטואל‪ ,‬ידידו של קפקא‪ ,‬וכו' )פרזנטציות בעל‪-‬פה בזוגות‪,‬‬‫‪ 7-8‬דקות(‪ .‬החומר לקריאה יוצע בהמשך‪.‬‬
‫סדנה על קפקא וציונות )פרזנטציות בעל‪-‬פה בזוכות‪ 7-8 ,‬דקות(‪.‬‬‫עבודת גמר בקורס‪ :‬לסטודנטים אשר יכתבו עבודת סמינר )‪ 18-20‬עמודים(‪ ,‬משקל הציון יהיה ‪ 60%‬מהציון הסופי )‪40%‬‬
‫מורכבים מציוני הפרזנטציות ומהשתתפות בסדנאות(‪ .‬מועד הגשת עבודת הסמינר – כפי שצוין בתקנון הפקולטה‪ .‬לסטודנטים‬
‫אשר יכתבו עבודה קצרה יותר )‪ 10-12‬עמודים(‪ ,‬משקל הציון יהיה ‪ 33%‬מהציון הסופי‪ ,‬ומועד הגשת העבודה הינו חודש‬
‫אחד מהפגישה האחרונה של הקורס בחודש יוני‪ .‬הפרזנטציות וההשתתפות בכיתה יהיו בסיס ל‪ 66%-‬מהציון הסופי‪.‬‬
‫‪-‬נוכחות חובה‪ ,‬ניתן להעדר פעמיים משך השנה‬
FAMILY, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY IN RENAISSANCE DOMESTIC DRAMA
Dr. Aaron Landau
Yearly course – 4 pts.
The seminar will examine different representations of marriage, sex, and the family on the early
modern stage by studying the genre known as domestic tragedy as well as related dramatic forms such
as domestic comedy and the witchcraft play. It will explore the social and cultural conditions under
which these plays were produced and consumed, tracing the development of domestic drama from the
1590’s to the 1620’s. It will acquaint students with current critical approaches to sexuality, gender,
and the family in early modern England. In the course of the seminar, we will watch and discuss in
class several recent productions of these plays.
Course Requirements: attendance and reading
2 class presentations to be submitted in writing 2 x 15%
1 bibliographical assignment (by end of 1st semester)10%
1 final paper (either a short paper approx. 10 pages long;
or a seminar paper approx. 20 pages long) to be handed in
by 30.09.2015 60 %
Required Reading:
Arden of Faversham (1591)
William Shakespeare, The Taming of The Shrew (c.1590-3)
William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor (1597-1601)
Thomas Heywood, A Woman Killed with Kindness (1603)
William Shakespeare, Othello (1604)
A Yorkshire Tragedy (1605)
Elizabeth Cary. The Tragedy of Mariam (1613)
Rowley, Dekker, and Ford. The Witch of Edmonton (1621)
‫ הפואטיקה והפוליטיקה של דרמת המשפחה‬:‫משפחה ותיאטרון באנגליה בתקופה המודרנית המוקדמת‬
‫ במהלך הקורס‬.‫ מוסד הנישואים והמשפחה בתיאטרון האנגלי בעת החדשה המוקדמת‬,‫הסמינר יבחן ייצוגים שונים של מיניות‬
.‫ קומדיות נישואים ומחזות כישוף שמתייחסים לנושאים אלה מכיוונים ז'אנרים ואידיאולוגיים שונים‬,‫נקרא טרגדיות משפחה‬
‫ מגדר ומשפחה באנגליה בעת‬,‫הסמינר יבחן מחזות אלה בהיקשר היסטורי וחברתי בהתבסס על גישות עכשוויות למיניות‬
.‫החדשה המוקדמת‬
THE IMAGE OF THE JEW
Prof. Efraim Sicher
Yearly course – 4 pts.
The course surveys the discourses about the figure of the “jew” in Western culture, with particular
focus on England. We will analyze a number of ideological, literary, and visual texts in order to
understand the mythical sources of the literary and folklore image of the Jew in Western Europe and
the historical context of anti-Semitism in England. Among the topics covered are: literary antiSemitism, conspiracy theories, demonization, body images, gender, stereotyping and outcasting. The
texts to be studied range from Chaucer's Prioress' Tale, through Marlowe's Jew of Malta and
Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. We will refer to recent theoretical approaches in cultural studies,
semiotics and anthropology.
Course requirements
Active participation required in all classes 10%
1 Personal Project 40% (includes oral presentation), to be submitted by August 1, 2015
1 Seminar Paper (20pp. maximum) or short paper (10 pp maximum) 40%, to be submitted by
September 30, 2015
1 report on lecture/movie/performance 10%
Required Reading
Chaucer, "The Prioress's Tale"
Marlowe. The Jew of Malta
Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
Dickens, Oliver Twist, Our Mutual Friend
George Eliot, Daniel Deronda
James Joyce, Ulysses
Salman Rushdie, The Moor’s Last Sigh
These books are in the university library or may be ordered in the campus bookstore and on the internet
and must be read ahead of the class in which they will be discussed. Additional material will be
distributed in class.
Personal Project
The student will choose a text not on the required reading list from any period and any genre and relate
it to the development of the image of the Jew using one theoretical approach (see a select list below).
Alternatively, you may use this opportunity to input into the syllabus themes and issues not covered
(for example, the “jew” and other Others; Orientalism; postcolonialism). You must have approval for
your personal project topic by December 31. At least six weeks before your presentation you should
consult with the lecturer who will guide you in preparing your project and the oral presentation which
is a part of it. It is a course requirement to distributed readings for your presentation no less than 7
days before the assigned date. A written version of the project will be submitted as an academic paper
(no more than 10 pages).
Lessing, Nathan the Wise
Richard Cumberland, The Jew
Walter Scott, Ivanhoe
Maria Edgeworth, Harrington
George DuMaurier, Trilby
Anthony Trollope, The Way We Live Now
Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises
Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Graham Greene, Brighton Rock
‫תדמית ה"יהודי" בתרבות המערבית‬
.‫ בהקשר התרבותי והחברתי‬,‫ ועד ימנו‬14-‫ בעיקר בספרות האנגלית מהמאה ה‬,"‫הקורס עוסק בשיח סביב לתדמית ה"יהודי‬
,‫נביא טקסטים –רובם קלאסיקות – וננסה להבין את התפקיד והמשמעות של ה"יהודי" במערכת התאולוגית והאידיאולוגית‬
‫ הקשר‬,‫ הקורס מקנה את הכלים לניתוח התפתחות של מיתוס בתרבות‬.‫ הן בניתוח פסיכואנליטי‬,‫הן בגישה אנתרופולוגית‬
.‫ והיחסים ל"אחר" בחברה המודרנית‬,‫המורכב בין תרבות עממית לבין ספרות‬
FEMINIST AUTO\BIOGRAPHY
Prof. Chanita Goodblatt
Yearly course – 4 pts.
The renowned historian Gerda Lerner has defined the main goals of Feminist Biography: to address
the ways in which women’s lives and work intersect differently than do those of men; to use life-cycle
analysis to understand the pattern of women’s lives; to study the familial and female friendship
networks that sustained women’s activities; and to analyze the mental product of women’s (ideas,
writings, discourse). This course will focus on these goals, as it studies various biographies, both
conventional and feminist, in order to trace the change in this genre, as well as its relationship to
autobiography.
Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead: Blackberry Winter: My Earliest Years
Clifford Geertz: A Biographical Memoir
Virginia Woolf
Quentin Bell: Virginia Woolf: A Biography
Hermione Lee: Virginia Woolf
Mabel Dodge Luhan
Lois Palken Rudnick. Mabel Dodge Luhan: New Woman, New Worlds
Jane Ellen Harrison
Sandra Peacock. Jane Ellen Harrison: The Mask and the Self
Annabel Robinson: The Life and Work of Jane Ellen Harrison
Dorothy Sayers
Barbara Reynolds: Dorothy L. Sayers: Her Life and Soul
Tessa Verney Wheeler
L.C. Carr: Tessa Verney Wheeler: Women and Archaeology Before World War Two
Course Requirements
1.
Attendance and Reading (3 absences allowed)
2.
Oral Referat
15%
3.
Written Referat
15%
4.
Final Paper
a.
Outline and Annotated Bibliography
20%
b.
Final Paper
50%
‫ביוגרפיה פמיניסטית‬/‫אוטו‬
‫ להתייחס לדרכים שבהן מצטלבים חייה‬:‫ההיסטוריונית הידועה גרדה לרנר הגדירה את המטרות של הביוגרפיה הפמיניסטית‬
‫החיים" להבין את הדפוס שבחיי האישה; לחקור את‬-‫ועבודתה של האישה באופן שונה מהגבר; להשתמש בניתוח "מחזור‬
,‫ כתבים‬,‫הרשתות המשפחתיות והחברתיות שתומכות בפעולותיה של האישה; ולנתח את פרי עבודותיה של האישה )רעיונות‬
‫ בניסיון לעקוב אחרי‬,‫ הן קונבנציונליות הן פמיניסטיות‬,‫ בזמן העיון בביוגרפיות שונות‬,‫ הקורס יתמקד במטרות אלה‬.(‫שיח‬
.‫השינוי המהותי שחל בסוגה זו ויחסה לאוטוביוגרפיה‬