Département des littératures
Faculté des lettres
Professeure : Elspeth Tulloch
Session : Automne 2006
ANG – 13435 LITERARY GENRES III: SHORT STORY
Sections A, C, D
Fall 2006
Professor: Dr. Elspeth Tulloch
Département des littératures
Office: 4255 DKN
Tel.: 656-2131, ext. 5110
E-mail: elspeth.tulloch@lit.ulaval.ca
Office Hours: Tues. 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. (or by appt.)
Lecture Hall: 2783 PLT
Tutorial Rooms: A 2500 PLT
C 2783 PLT
D 2783 PLT
General Course Description
This course offers an overview of the development of the short story in English through the 19th
and 20th centuries, with an emphasis on North American short fiction.
Objectives
- review basic concepts for analyzing the elements of fiction (tools for close readings);
- survey stories related to various key literary movements and several sub-genres;
- introduce a range of literary voices, including writers who have emerged from the postcolonial world and aboriginal communities in recent years;
- consider the historical and social contexts of the stories;
- reflect on links between themes addressed in the texts and contemporary issues;
- help students perfect their ability to do independent interpretations of a literary prose text
in English, by means such as close readings, explications, broader analyses, and
comparisons, using formal and socio-historical approaches.
Pedagogical Approach
Lectures followed by tutorials during which students will be assigned individual and group work
to help them explore literary concepts and thematic issues more thoroughly. Students are required
to have read assigned stories carefully before each class. Familiarity with the works will enable
students to complete tutorial work and enjoy the class as a whole more fully.
Evaluation
Tutorial Work & Participation – 15% (weekly, active, and knowledgeable participation required)
Short Essay – 25% (1250 –1500 words: approximately 5-6 double-spaced pages in 12 point print,
not including your references and bibliography)
Mid-term exam – 25%
Final Exam (cumulative) – 35%
Quality of English will be one of the factors in evaluating work. Classes and tutorials, including
group discussions, are held in English. During exams no bilingual dictionaries are permitted;
students will have access to a class set of unilingual English dictionaries. Tutorials will include
discussions and written work. Essays must be handed in on time and adhere to MLA guidelines.
Hardcopies only are accepted. No electronic copies please. Penalties of 5% per day apply to
late essays. Essays must be based on personal, original analysis and are evaluated on the basis of
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three main categories: (1) mastery of subject matter and clarity of ideas, (2) argumentation, and
(3) mastery of language, quality of style, mechanics, and referencing. Failure in any of these
main categories may result in a failing grade for the essay. Exams will include short analyses,
such as the identification and discussion of passages, as well as in-class essays that demonstrate
the ability of students to do independent interpretations of literary texts. Factual knowledge may
be tested either in specific fact-based questions or in the required incorporation of facts, such as
authors’ names, into short analyses or in-class essays. Students are responsible for reviewing
material on essay writing that is provided in their course pack.
Required Texts
Course Pack – available at Zone
Recommended Supplementary Texts
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: The Modern
Languages Association of America, 2003.
Cuddon, J.A. Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. 4th ed. Toronto: Penguin Books,
1999.
Supplementary Material on Reserve
During class, students will be advised of any material placed on reserve.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of the ideas or words of another. It is a serious form of
intellectual dishonesty and constitutes an academic offence. It includes copying or paraphrasing
the words of another and passing them off as one’s own as well as using written assignments or
parts of written assignments prepared by other persons, including fellow students, and presenting
them as one’s own work. Please consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers for a
discussion of plagiarism and for guidelines on proper academic referencing. Please refer to the
Règlement des études for further details on disciplinary measures.
Grading Scale for the Département des littératures (see your Guide de l’étudiant)
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Inadequate
A+ = 96-100
B+ = 82-84
C+ = 72-74
D+ = 61-64
E = 0-54
A = 90-95
B = 78-81
C = 68-71
D = 55-60
A- = 85-89
B- = 75-77
C- = 65-67
Tentative Reading Schedule
September 5: Introductory Class – Begin Review of the Elements of Fiction
September 12: Review of the Elements of Fiction and the Definition of the Short Story
Edgar Allan Poe, “Hawthorne’s Twice Told Tales”
Aesop, “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse”
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Ernest Hemingway, “Chapter Five”
José Leandro Urbina , “Our Father Who Art in Heaven” and “Portrait of a Lady”
September 19
Origins of the short story
James Baldwin, “Peter Klaus the Goatherd”
Washington Irving, “Rip Van Winkle”
September 26:
Edgar Allan Poe, “The Masque of the Red Death”
Ambrose Bierce, “Chickamauga”
October 3
Stephen Crane, “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky”
Susan Glaspell, “A Jury of Her Peers”
October 10
Stephen Leacock, “The Wizard of Finance” & “The Arrested Philanthropy”
October 17: mid-term exam
October 24
Saki, “The Open Window”
James Joyce, “The Boarding House”
October 31: reading week
November 7
William Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily”
Alice Walker, “Nineteen Fifty-Five”
November 14
Amy Tan, “Two Kinds”
Thomas King, “Borders”
November 21
Chinua Achebe, “Vengeful Creditor”
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, “Good-bye Africa”
November 28
Bessie Head, “Looking for A Rain God”
Nadine Gordimer, “The Ultimate Safari”
December 5 (Tuesday): essays due. Please hand them in at the Kiosque de renseignements,
Faculté des lettres, 3254-DKN (656-2131, ext 3460). You must fill out the submission form.
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(Remember: 5% per day is deducted for late essays.) Hardcopies only. No electronic copies
are accepted.
December 5
Margaret Atwood, “Bread”
Don DeLillo, “Videotape”
December 12: Final Exam
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