English 319
Modern Theory & Criticism
K. Asher
Spring 2012
Tues. Jan 17-Introduction
Thurs. Jan 19- T. S. Eliot, I. A. Richards, and the Origins of New Criticism
Eliot- “Tradition and the Individual Talent” and “The Metaphysical Poets”
Herbert ode (all on Mycourses) and Jonson poem (handout)
Tues. Jan 24-Richards-From Principles of Literary Criticism: “A Psychological Theory
of Value;” “The Imagination;” “The Two Uses of Language; and “Poetry and
Beliefs”
Eagleton-Literary Theory 20-46.
Thurs. Jan 26- The New Criticism
Cleanth Brooks-From The Well Wrought Urn: “The Language of Paradox;”
“What does Poetry Communicate:” “The Heresy of Paraphrase;”
Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn” (handout)
Tues. Jan 31- From The Well Wrought Urn “Criticism, History, and Critical Relativism
(215-235):” “The Problem of Belief and the Problem of Cognition.”
Wimsatt: “The Intentional Fallacy.” (Mycourses)
Thurs. Feb 2- The Origins of Structuralism
Saussure-“Nature of the Linguistic Sign” (Mycourses)
Levi-Strauss-excerpts from “The Structural Study of Myth” (Mycourses)
Eagleton-Literary Theory, 84-99.
Tues. Feb 7-“Four Winnebago Myths” (Mycourses)
Hawthorne-“Young Goodman Brown”
Mosher-“The sources of ambiguity in Hawthorne’s YGB: A Structuralist
Approach” (Mycourses)
Thurs. Feb 9--Structuralism and Literature: Northrop Frye
In Anatomy of Criticism from “Polemical Introduction” (14-29); “Third Essay:
Achetypal Criticism; 131-158” Eagleton-Literary Theory 79-83.
Tues. Feb 14-In Anatomy: “Third Essay” 158-239 and “Tentative Conclusion.”
Thurs. Feb. 16- Structuralism Politicized
Barthes-Mythologies Preface to 1970 edition; “The World of Wrestling;”
“Operation Margarine”; “The Blue Guide”; “Striptease”; “Toys;” “The Great
Family of Man”
Tues. Feb 21-Mythologies pp. 109-112; 130-1; 137-159.
Foucault-“What is an Author” (Mycourses)
Eagleton-Literary Theory, 116-124.
Thurs. Feb 23- Deconstruction
Derrida-“Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences”
(Mycourses) Eagleton-Literary Theory 110-116; 125-130.
Tues Feb 28- De Man-“The Dead-End of Formalist Criticism” and “Semiology and
Rhetoric”
Yeats-“Among School Children” (poem)
Kudzus-“Kafka’s Cage and Circus” (everything on Mycourses)
Thurs. March 1 Marxism
Eagleton-Marxism and Literary Criticism, pp. 1-19.
FIRST PAPER DUE
Tues. March 6-Marxism and Literary Criticism, finish
Montag: “The Workshop of Filthy Creation: A Marxist Reading of Frankenstein”
(Mycourses).
Thurs. March 8- New Historicism
Shakespeare-King Lear
Greenblatt-excerpt from Learning to Curse and “Shakespeare and the Exorcists”
(both Mycourses)
SPRING BREAK
Tues. March 20-Greenblatt: “The Cultivation of Anxiety: King Lear and His Heirs”
(Mycourses)
Thurs. March 22--Reader Response
Iser-The Act of Reading: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, (pp. 20-38).
Eagleton-Literary Theory, 67-72.
Tues. March 27-The Act of Reading Chapters 3 & 4, and pages 120-123; 165-169;
186-7; 198-202.
Thur. March 29- Psychoanalytic Criticism
Freud-“The Dream Work” and “The Theme of the Three Caskets” (Mycourses)
Eagleton-Literary Theory “Psychoanalysis”
Tues. April 3-Lacan-“The Mirror Stage as Formative…”
Crews-psychoanalytic interpretation of “Young Goodman Brown”(both are
Mycourses)
Thurs. April 5- Feminist Criticism
Showalter-“Feminist Criticism in the Wilderness” (Mycourses)
Tues. April 10- Kristeva-“Stabat Mater” (Mycourses)
Hawthorne: “The Birthmark”
Fetterley on “The Birthmark” (Mycourses)
Thurs. April 12- Ethical Criticism
Nussbaum-From “Love’s Knowledge”
Carroll-“Art, Narrative, and Moral Understanding” (both on Mycourses)
Tues. April 17-Great Day-No Classes
Thurs. April 19- Currie-“Realism of Character and the Value of Fiction”
Nussbaum: “Flawed Crystals: James’ The Golden Bowl and Literature
as Moral Philosophy” (both on Mycourses)
Tues. April 24-Cognitive Criticism
Excerpt from Turner: The Literary Mind
Excerpt from Zunshine: Why We Read Fiction (Both on Mycourses)
Thurs. April 26-Post Colonialism and Cultural Criticism
Said: excerpt from Orientalism
Bhabha- “Post-Colonial Criticism”
Achebe: excerpt from “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of
Darkness” (all on Mycourses)
Second Paper Due
Tues. May 1- Murfin_”What is Cultural Criticism?”
Zakharieva: “Frankenstein of the Nineties: The Composite Body”
Sokal: “A Physicist Experiments with Cultural Studies” (all on
Mycourses)
Grades will be determined on the following basis:
Two 7-8 page essays 25% each; final 35%; class participation 15%
The final will be held in our classroom on Thursday May 3 from 3:30-6:30.
Office hrs. Thurs. 3:45-4:45.
Course Objectives and Procedures
This course is intended to familiarize students with a number of the major literary
theories of the 20th century. After reading several foundational texts of a given theory, we
will usually conclude by looking at a practical application of that theory. The class will
be run as a seminar, so come prepared to discuss. Typically, I will give a brief
introduction to a theory and a short set of questions passed out the week before to help
orient you. But I will expect you to come with your own observations and questions as
well. If you need help during the week, please come to office hrs. or email. Because the
material is often quite dense, I’ve tried to keep the pages to about half of what they would
be in an ordinary literature course. I will expect you, in return, to have read all the pages
each week. You will never be under any obligation to agree with a particular analysis or
observation I offer. In fact, I will try to avoid offering my own opinion of the strengths
and weaknesses of a particular approach until the class has worked through the material
in discussion. If at any time you have an idea for improving the class by organizing
things differently, please let me know. It’s much better if you tell me while I can still
change something for this semester than on your SOFI.
Mandatory Mention of “Outcomes”
Students will ideally come to have an understanding of the various theories discussed.
Books required for the course:
1) The Well Wrought Urn, Brooks
2) The Act of Reading, Iser
3) Principles of Lit. Criticism, Richards
4) Marxism and Lit Criticism, Eagleton
5) Literary Theory, Eagleton
6) Mythologies, Barth
7) Short Stories, Hawthorne
8) Anatomy of Criticism, Frye
9) I have assigned King Lear as a common text but did not order copies.