Intro to Lit-- 1
Introduction to Literature ENG 2013
School of Arts and Humanities
Instructor: Anderson M. Rearick III, PhD.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Summer, 2010: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Thursday for first week, May 24 – 27
LLRC038 –MTWR -- Credit: 3 Hours
Sec. 1: Time: 9:00 am 11:30 pm
From May 28- Friday July 9 the class is accomplished electronically through the University’s electronic
Blackboard site. The class reconvenes on campus on Saturday morning, July 10, 2010 from 9:00-11:30
a.m. to take the Final
Contact Info:
Dr. Rearick's Office: Founders Hall 214 (Within 219: Lit., Lang., & Comm. Dept.)
Office Hours Daily: 8:00-9:00 and 11:30-12:30: or by appointment; then after the first week check for me
online
Office (740) 392-6868 Ext. 3508
Home Phone (740) 392-3738 (please no calls after 8:00--Andy and Laura are hopefully in Bed)
Email: anderson.rearick@mvnu.edu AIM Instant Messenger “trearick.” I am also on Facebook as
Anderson M Rearick III.
Course Description:
The purpose of ENG2013, Introduction to Literature, as described by the Online Catalogue: is to be a
"study of literary genres through representative readings. Prerequisite: ENG1053G." This class will meet
daily for the first week up to Thursday, May 27 and then online to discuss the nature of literature using as
raw material the readings listed as well as a series of handouts picked up at the Cougar bookstore and
online texts. Discussions will center on some of the common themes that have haunted the human mind and
heart throughout western history.
Class Procedure:
ENG2013 Introduction to Literature: This class will meet daily for the first week up till Thursday May 27
and then will gather online for six weeks to discuss the nature of literature using the below reading list as
raw material drawn from textbooks as well as a series of handouts purchased in the bookstore. There will
be an online quiz every Friday. Rather than divided by literary types or chronological order, class
discussions will center on some of the common themes that have haunted the human mind and heart
throughout western history. The material will be grouped thematically: isolation through self
centeredness, isolation by gender difference, isolation by “cultureral” forces, isolation by death, and
isolation by war. In each case authors have depicted responses that include forgiveness, love, community,
reconciliation and peace.
The following reading list is not exclusive and, in fact, many important works (probably including many of
your favorites) have been excluded. This class can only function as an introduction, not an exhaustive
study. I encourage you to think of the texts for this class not as a single resource but a series of
inexhaustible treasure chests, capable of refreshment and inspiration time and time again.
Students will be evaluated by a series of quizzes (about one a week), class participation, and a final. Also
the option for extra credit will be made available for those who are willing to do extra work.
The purpose of this course is. . .
1.
2.
3.
to expose the student to a wide range of literary genres: poetry, drama, novel and short story
to introduce the student to a wide ranger of authors of different cultures, genders and ages.
to encourage the student to consider what makes a work of literature worthy--how should the
Intro to Lit-- 2
cannon be formed?
to introduce some of the important common issues which authors--in spite of their different
backgrounds, cultures, and mediums--often examine.
4.
Actual Reading Texts
The purpose of this course is to broaden the student's understanding of the human condition, to widen his or
her understanding of how people think, and develop his or her own sense of what is worthwhile and
beautiful. Thus these texts have value long after the student completes this class and should be looked
upon as the beginning of what may become a treasure trove of future reading. One final note, readings
listed on a day in a syllabus are expected to be completed by that day.
Criticism
Autobiography
An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis
Cambridge University Press; Rep edition
(January 31, 1992)
ISBN: 0521422817
List Price: $16.99
Required
A Grief Obscured by C.S. Lewis
HarperSanFrancisco
ISBN: 0060652381
List Price: $9.95
Available online
The Novella
Plays:
A Christmas Carol (Dover Thrift Editions)
(Paperback)
by Charles Dickens
Dover Publications (August 1, 2001)
ISBN: 0486268659
List Price: $2.95
Required
Othello by William Shakespeare
Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Shadowlands by William Nicholson
Henry V by William Shakespeare
Please note that except for Othello which is in
The Perrine's Anthology all the others are on
web sites (and can be viewed online).
The Anthology:
Hand outs:
Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense
Tenth (10th) Edition (9th Ed will work)
Edited by Thomas Arp and Greg Johnson.
List Price: $85.95
Harcourt College Pub (Thomson)
ISBN: 141300654X
Required
The Internet Literary Vocabulary Page accessed
from Dr. Rearick's Reading Corner and
Blackboard.
Unless specified by Dr. Rearick, such hand-outs
should be considered required reading like any of
the assigned texts.
Grading Scale:










100 - 93 = A Exceptional! A cut above--unusually good.
92 - 90 = A - Very, Very Well Done! -- above expectations.
89 - 87 = B + Well Done! A fine Job!
89 - 83 = B Really Good
82 - 80 = B - Pretty Good
79 - 77 = C + Solidly in there
76 - 73 = C Clearly a concrete understanding of the subject
72 - 70 = C - Understanding of subject is workable
69 - 60 = D Passing but weak
59 and below is an "F" Fell short of required understanding of material
Intro to Lit-- 3
Grading:



Six out of Seven Online Quizzes: 50%
Class Participation: 25%
Final Exam: 25%
Chronological List of Assignments:







Test # 1 on May 28
Test # 2 on June 4
Test # 3 on June 11
Test # 4 on June 18
Test # 5 on June 25
Test # 6 on July 2
Final exam Saturday, July 10th from 9:00pm - 11:30pm
Attendance: Since we are functioning on an intensive schedule, it is vital that you keep up with the reading
throughout the semester. Of course there will be no attendance grade after this week but your class
participation grade will depend on what I see online in threaded discussions and other link
suggestions. Also I will be able to monitor how often you get online. Participation is key for online
success.
More About Class Participation: Lecture will only play a part in this class's activities. Literature is meant
to be talked about. Students must express their opinions and share their unique insights. Each of us brings
something special to a text that is ours alone. Thus, your comments are very important. Your online class
home on Blackboard will have ongoing discussion questions. Students should interact online at least once
every week (a total of seven entries by the end of the semester). This amount of activity earns a 90%
towards your class participation grade; more interaction raises the grade. “More” means extra credit
which I place as I see needed. Here is an example of an online response:
Threaded Discussion Example
.
Prompt: What is the Nature of Literature?
When adding this class to your schedule last, you probably had in your mind some definition of what
literature is. Mark Twain said a classic was "a book which everyone says one should read but no body ever
does." Besides being BORING BOOKS, what did you think you were going to study? And why do you
think, the study of this material is included in the stuff you MUST take before leaving MVNU?
Student Response: I Recognized Most of the Works
Upon seeing the syllabus, I recognized most of the works and knew that my high school teachers
prepared me well for this class. I thought I was in for another episode of high school. In my mind,
literature and boredom are synonymous. The outlook was grim.
Looking back, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I can honestly say that my feelings have changed
100%. This class has been such an enjoyment to me. I am always under the assumption that when
I study a piece of literature once I become a master of it. Again, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Revisiting different works has challenged me as much as studying them for the first time. I am
continually pushing myself to see new points of view or meaning. The class discussion was great
and made me face the reality that even on a Christian campus there will be differing opinions.
Quizzes: There will be a quiz at least once every week. Unless indicated by the professor readings assigned
for that Friday could appear on the quiz. These quizzes will be composed of multiple-choice, true or false
and matching questions, six in total. One quiz will be dropped at the end of the semester. These quizzes
Intro to Lit-- 4
will be taken online and usually will be available for a 48 hour time span while the actual quiz once opened
will be so for one hour.
Final Exam: The final examination is scheduled for Saturday morning, July 10, 2010 from 9:00-11:30 a.m.
Extra Credit: Although there will be no papers required for this class, a student can add extra credit to his
or her grade by writing a paper or papers using MLA format on outside reading concerning any of the
works or authors covered in class. Furthermore, another option for extra credit is to view or listen to and
then writes a review about tapes or video films on reserve in the library. Credit will vary according to the
project. Extra points will be added directly to the final score for work handed in before or on the class just
at the end of the third week, Friday Jan. 20th. Remember this is optional, but an “A” student takes
advantage of options.
Disability Needs: Students who qualify for and desire accommodations in this course due to a disability, as
defined by the American s with Disabilities Act of 1990, must follow the Disability Service Policies and
Procedures as put forth by the office of Academic Support. The guidelines can be accessed in electronic
form at the web address http://www.mvnu.edu/academics/services/dservices.html and in a hard copy at the
Academic Support office. Call extension 4540 for further information. On a personal note, I am disabled
because of eyesight, my son is disabled by breathing complications, and so I am especially sensitive to the
needs and challenges faced by otherwise qualified students. I "toughed" it out when I was at ENC, but the
world has changed for the better and there are many resources available to you I wish I had, resources I in
fact presently use in my office such as a close circuit TV attached to the screen of my computer as well as
speaking programs which allow text to be read to me. Pursue these things and see me if you have any such
needs.
Literature on the Web: As we make our way through the readings you may wish to visit my web page, Dr.
Rearick's Readers’ Corner, located at:
http://nzr.mvnu.edu/faculty/trearick/english/rearick/readings/re_intro.htm
This address is reachable both on and off campus. A link to it has been provided within Blackboard.
Those of you who are local and find yourself in competition for your home computer (I have a wife getting
her doctorate online and two teen children) should remember that the Knox Public Library offers web
access for a limited time, and--of course--the labs of the campus library and computer labs are available to
you.
Other web pages relating to works of literature covered in this class can be accessed from the above index
page by title, author, genre, sub-genre, time period, or nationality. I have tried to place some ideas and
even sometimes some test questions connected with our class readings within these files. Also in several
cases there are links to study guides, e texts, audio files and even connections to relevant web pages on the
net. Furthermore you will find similar links within your blackboard class home.
Tools for the class.
Microsoft's Internet Explorer: Although I use all sorts of browsers, including Firefox and AOL Explorer,
Blackboard was developed especially with Internet Explorer in mind. Therefore I strongly recommend that
when taking online exams, you should use Internet Explorer. Whenever I contact the support people with
problems students are having the first thing they ask is "Are they using Internet Explorer?" You may go to
a web page to download Internet Explorer if you do not have it. (See Blackboard Course Description
Section “Tools for Class”) However, this is the default program in most PCs.
Another useful tool is Microsoft's free viewer. This is provided by Microsoft as a free download. With it
you can view any PowerPoint presentation although you can not edit the material. You may either
download it from Microsoft's Web Page. Or you can try this link from our web page or the program is also
in the “course documents” section of the Blackboard..
Intro to Lit-- 5
Another helpful program is one which will unlock zip files. Especially for those of you who are working
with dialup (as I am), it is very helpful to have files zipped in that download time can be greatly reduced.
However, you will need to find a freeware program. Winzip which was one of the first is not freeware it is
Shareware and they assume payment will be made eventually. Freeware is just out there for the consumer
to use. Follow this link to view a page which offers several possibilities or do a search on Google for
freeware zip programs.
One of my favorite programs is Irfanview. You may find this link in blackboard. This freeware
download allows you to view most graphic and video files as well as hear most audio files. Very versatile
and also runs my scanner. Major tool for my own work. (See Blackboard Course Description Section
“Tools for Class” for download site.)
Summer 2010 Class Schedule
Week One: May 24-27
THEME I: The Nature of Literature and its depiction of Isolation: The readings within our first week will
define literature and examine its concern with humanity’s basic state of isolation in general.
Terms: Here are some terms which you should know by the end of this section.
Look up the literary meaning for. . .




allegory
genre
sub-genre
short story vs. novella



verisimilitude
canon
willing suspension of disbelief
Note: this is not an option; it is expected: Remember to look at the Glossary available at Dr.
Rearick's Reading Corner under the heading: "Resources." A link is also available in blackboard.
Mon. May 24 First Day of Class


Introduction: The Natures of Literature: “Welcome to the Wide World of Books!”
Lecture on Pleasure: the Cornerstone of Literature—defining what we study. .
Readings:
"There is No Frigate Like a Book" by Emily Dickinson 758
"This is My Letter to the World" by Emily Dickinson (Handout)
"Literature; Now What the Heck. . .?" (Handout)
Trial Quiz is online: should be completed before Wednesday
Possible Discussion Topics:




Emily Dickinson's two poem emphasize two important qualities in literature, escape and communication. Do you see
one as more important than the other? Why?
What should be the requirements that guide a professor to include a work in an Introduction to Literature Class?
Does Dr. Rearick's definition of literature change your original concept of the material to be covered?
Othello's isolation is complex. Considering the different forces working against him, which do you think is the most
profound?
Intro to Lit-- 6
Tuesday May 25

A Lecture on Shakespeare’s Theater – Communicating to the masses.
Readings:
"Literature; What Do You Suppose. . .?" [Handout]
Othello [online text] by William Shakespeare 1263-1301 (Act One and Two)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Stave One
Possible Discussion Topics:



Othello marries Desdemona secretly. This seems romantic, but do you think there would be problems? How would your
parents feel if you got married without making them aware of your plans?
Why do you think Scrooge means by “surplus population.” Is this an idea still relevant today?
Does the fact that these events of A Christmas Carol in Prose which describe a man cut off from the rest of humanity
happen at Christmas have any special significance?
Wednesday: May 26


Lecture on the Changing Canon: How Literature Speaks to Different Ages
Lecture on Isolation: Literature’s natural antithesis—why isolated people write
Readings
Othello [online text] by William Shakespeare (1301-1323) (Act Three)
An Experiment in Criticism. Chap. One: "The Literary Reader"
"Young Goodman Brown" [e-text] Nathanial Hawthorne (299-311)
"The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell (67-86)
“Paul's Case by Willa Cather (234-251)
Possible Discussion Topics:





What is going on in Paul's Case? He is clearly isolated from all those around him. Why does he hate his surroundings?
Why is suicide an option? Does he in any way tie in to some of the events happening in schools today, like Colimbine?
If Goodman Brown resisted temptation why do you think Hawthorne depicts his end in such a tragic manner?
Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" is written in the pattern of the famous allegory "Pilgrim's Progress." This could
have been called a "Pilgrim's Descent." What do you think he is saying about Christians?
Othello's isolation is complex. Considering the different forces working against him, which do you think is the most
profound?
In "The Most Dangerous Game" Connell seems to be working in two different worlds one in which there is morality and
one in which it is a matter of the surviving of the fittest. Which do you see as being depicted as the true one?
Thursday: May 28


A Lecture on The Romantics and Two Young Men Who Turned the World of Poetry Upside
down! What they thought of poetry and how it worked against the forces of isolation.
A Lecture on What is Going On in Kubla Khan? Are Visionaries, Poets and Prophets Doomed to
Isolation?
Readings
"Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by S.T. Coleridge [Handout]
"The Daffodils" or "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth (1019)
"Tinturn Abbey" by William Wordsworth [Handout]
"Kubla Khan" [e-text] by Samuel T. Coleridge (951)
Othello [online text] by William Shakespeare (1323 -1341) (Act Four)
"I'm Nobody" by Emily Dickinson [Handout]
"The Lady of Shallot" by [online text] Tennyson [Handout]
Othello [online text] by William Shakespeare (1341-1357) (Act Five)
Possible Discussion Topics:




If you were a judge before whom Othello was brought, what punishment, if any would you place upon him?
Have you ever felt isolated because of a talent God has given you? Your the only one who thinks the choir could sound
better. Few in the congregation understand the poem you wrote for the missionary society. What have you done about it
Should Christian artists accept isolation as just the price to pay for being aesthetically developed?
Did the Lady of Shalott make the right choice? Is it better to love and lose than to never love at all??
Intro to Lit-- 7





Few of us have had a dead albatross hung about our neck. What aspect of the Mariner's experience from "Rime" is true to
all readers? How is it true to yours?
Do you the reader find Wordsworth's claim that nature gives bounty to those who take time to look at her (which is
especially useful when facing isolation or the faults of human society) makes sense or do you think he is projecting
something into nature which is not there?
According to Lewis' definition of readers are you a part of the majority (of nonliterary readers) or part of few (literary
readers)? What do you think about his categories?
Do you think Othello has a "tragic flaw?" Illustrate your point from the play.
Do you the reader find Wordsworth's claim that nature gives bounty to those who take time to look at her (which is
especially useful when facing isolation r the faults of human society) makes sense or do you think he is projecting
something into nature which is not there?
Friday, May 28
Quiz # 1 online
Week Two: May 31 - June 4
THEME II. Gender Difference as Isolating Factors
Learn the literary meaning for. . .




themes
motifs
symbols
patriarchy




negative capability
marginalized
antifeminist literature
misogynist
Remember that there is a Glossary available at Dr. Rearick's Reading Room under the heading:
"Resources." 1 2 Summer Week Two
Lectures



The Nature of Poetry What Compels Poets to Speak?
How Does Literature Portray the Isolating Affect of Gender Differences?
Shakespeare's Bad/Good Woman & Good/Bad Woman: How the Bard Rebelled Against the His
Age’s Isolating View of Gender Relations
Longer Works:




The Taming of the Shrew [online text] by William Shakespeare
A Christmas Carol [e-text] by Charles Dickens Stave Two
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis pp. 1-9
An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis
o
Chapter Two "False Characterizations" p. 5-13
o Chapter Three: "How the Few and the Many use Pictures and Music" pp. 14-26
Short Stories:





"A Rose for Emily" [e-text] by William Faulkner (556-5640)
The Wife of Bath’s "Prologue" [online text] by Geoffrey Chaucer [Handout]
The Wife of Bath’s Tale" by Geoffrey Chaucer [Handout]
"A Jury by Her Peers" by Susan Gadspell (398-408)
"Roman Fever" by Edith Wharton (409-434)
Poems:


"If" by Rudyard Kipling [Handout]
"The Wife" by Emily Dickinson [Handout]
Intro to Lit-- 8
Possible Discussion Topics:




What do you think of the qualities Kipling gives for "being a man." In your opinion are these male qualities or moral ones/
What does it say about Kipling's time period that he should given them gender emphasis?
If you are a man who would you rather marry, Katrina or Bianca? If you are a woman which do you thin would fit your
personality, which bride would you probably be, Katrina or Bianca?
In "A Trial by Her Peers" the title plays with the basic American right that the justice one receives is given by those who
understand what the accused experience is like. In spite of this idea most juries for a long time were peopled by men. Why
difference does gender make in this story? Is it important for people of a defendant's group be in an American jury?
In looking at the relationship between the two main characters in "Roman Fever" do men have relationships with friends
who are in part enemies or is this for the most part a female experience?
THEME III. Love and Marriage—Forces Against Isolation, Their Success and Failure.
Terms you should learn about Lit and Love:



Poetry
Lyrical Poetry
Metaphor



Dramatic Monologue (not applicable until next
week’s section on “Marriage”
Carpe Diem
Courtly Love
Remember that there is a Glossary available at Dr. Rearick's Reading Room under the heading:
"Resources."
Lectures:

Lecture on Literature and Love: Where Does the Power Come From to Overcome the Isolation
cased by Gender Differences?
Longer Works:

A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis pp. 10-17
Short Stories:

"The Gilded Six-Bits" [e-text] by Zora Neale Hurston (564-574)
Poems:



"To His Coy Mistress" [e-text] by Andrew Marvell (730)
"Sonnet to a Friend" [e-text] by Samuel Coleridge [Handout]
"We Outgrow Love" [e-text] by Emily Dickenson [Handout]
Possible Discussion Topics:



From personal observation, the only other subjects which seem to inspire poetry in similar amounts as love are death and
God. What does this say about these three experiences and can you suggest other topics which might also inspire poetry?
What makes a work of Literature Profane? How much should the Christian reader rely upon his or her own awareness of
being offended?
Although this will be covered in the later unit, what do you think about Lewis' opening sentence in A Grief Observed that
"no one ever told me it [grief] felt like fear." Is there some significance in that he, even as a middle aged believer, is
ignorant about the experience of grief?
Quiz # 2 online
Intro to Lit-- 9
Week Three June 7 - June 11
THEME IV. The Power of Familial and Personal Love Against The Isolating Force of Culture:
Terms you should learn about Lit and Culture:



Bildungsonroman
Romance
Marginalized


Culture
Drama
Remember that there is a Glossary. Note: this is not an Option: it is strongly recommended. Web
pages have been created with further information, study guides and sometimes even sample questions at Dr.
Rearick's Reading Room <http://nzr.mvnu.edu/faculty/trearick/english/rearick/readings/re_intro.htm>
Note: the handout, which was on sale in the bookstore, can also be found as a word document
within Blackboard's "COURSE DOCUMENTS" section, within the "READINGS" and inside the
"MANUSCRIPTS" folder.
Lectures:



Lecture: Cultureral Expectations as Isolating Forces
My Lecture on Charles Dickens A Lecture about How Charles Dickens Revolutionaries the Novel
and Made a Pretty Penny for Himself at the Same Time Overcoming the Obstacles of Culture,
Money, and Class
Dickens In Love (also ties into our love discussion)
Longer Works:

Pygmalion An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis Chap. Four: "The Reading of the Unliterary"

A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis pp. 18-39

"Stave Three" [e-text A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Short Stories:

"The Ransom of "Red Chief” by O. Henry [Handout]

"Everyday Use" "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" [e-text by Stephen Crane
Poems:












"The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling [Handout]
"The Lady of Shallot by Alfred Lord Tennyson
"Cross" by Langston Hughes (693-694)
"The Whipping" by Robert Hayden (656)
"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning (775-777)
The River Merchant's Wife" translated by Ezra Pound [Handout]
"Meeting at Night" by Robert Browning (701)
"Parting at Morning" by Robert Browning (702)
"The World is Too Much with Us: Later and Soon" by William Wordsworth [Handout]
"My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold" or "The Rainbow by William Wordsworth [Handout]
"My Son, My Executioner" Donald Hall (967)
"In the Inner City" by Lucille Clifton (773)
Intro to Lit-- 10
Possible Discussion Topics

In "Everyday Use" Alice Walker dedicates the short story to "grandmama." What sense do you get from such
a dedication? Is it important that she uses informal title? What is Walker saying about the generation before
her own parents?

We in America are, in general, against arranged marriages. My Last Duchess gives a sense of why. But what
do you do with "The River Merchant's Wife"?

How does our society treat other societies? What comes to mind when one thinks of Latin America or the
Middle East?

Very likely you found "The White Man's Burden" problematic. However, included in that mind set was the
great missionary works of the time (like David Livingston). Since Christendom (countries where Christianity
was strongest) was populated by mostly white people, did it suggest a burden? Has the missionary movement
changed since then?

Various works within this section examine the family and the relationships between parents and children.
What do you see as being of special concern among our authors?

The two criminals in O. Henry's "The Ransom of Red Chief" while very funny are also depictions of people
who are on the fringe of society, homeless criminals. What does the author do to make them accessible to
readers?
More Possible Discussion Topics:

In "The Whipping" the poet describes witnessing a boy getting punished. What insight does he share from the
child's perspective, his own, and the punishing parent?

Wordsworth's phrase "the son is the father of the man" shows what insight into the consequences of how
society treats its children how?

Does Dickens' insights about the consequences of how children are treated in Great Expectations still have
relevance today?

What does Donald Hall achieve when while loving his child he knows that his boy is a constant reminder of
his own mortality?

In "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" what is the significance of the sheriff getting married? What kind of
society will be replaced in Yellow Sky? Do you think the author thinks this is good, bad, or just a simple
fact?
Quiz # 3 online
Week Four: June 14 - June 18
THEME IV: The Power of Familial and Personal Love Against The Isolating Force of Culture,
Continued:
Learn the literary meaning for. . .

Spontaneous Overflow of Emotions Recollected in Tranquility

Hubris

Catharsis
Remember that there is a Glossary
Note: this is not an Option; it is expected: Remember to look at the Glossary
Lectures:




The Nature of Poetry (review) What Compels Poets to Speak?
"Dirty Words!" What Makes A Work Profane?
What About the Family?
Dickens' Christian Carol
Intro to Lit-- 11
Longer Works:


A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis pp. 59-67
Short Stories:


"The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (251-259)
"The Drunkard" by Frank O'Conner (339-348)
Poems:





"Those Winter Sundaysby Robert Hayden 709-710
"Resolution and Independence" [E-text by William Wordsworth [Handout]
"Frost at Midnight" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge [Handout]
"We Are Seven by William Wordsworth [Handout]
"Anecdote for Fathers by William Wordsworth [Handout]
Possible Discussion Topics:

Do you agree with the narrator's mother at the end of "The Drunkard" that he had been his father's
"guardian angel"?

Being publicly drunk is not funny, but this story, "The Drunkard" is. Do you see it as moral even
while portraying cultural problems?

What effect does “The Lottery” have by having people who seem so familiar do such an alien act
as a harvest sacrifice?

There is a tone of regret in “Thos Winter Sundays.” Do you think these feelings are common when
people think of their parents?
Quiz # 4 online
Week Five: June 21 - June 25
THEME V. Isolation through Death and Hope Through Consolation
Learn the literary meaning for. . .



Eulogy or Elegy
Biography
Autobiography
Remember that there is a Glossary
Note: this is not an Option; it is expected: Remember to look at the Glossary
Lectures:


Lecture on Grief “Weeping Privately and Publicly: How Poets Have Portrayed the Ultimate
Separation”
Can Greatness Be Found in Formulaic Literature?
Longer Works:


Shadowlands by William Nicholson A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis pp. 68-71
In Memorium by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Short Stories:

None
Intro to Lit-- 12
Poems:








"On the Death of a Fair Infant Dying of a Cough” by John Milton [Handout]
“On His Deceased Wife” by John Milton [Handout]
"When Lilacs Last in the Doorway Bloom'd by Walt Whitman [Handout]
"On My First Son by Ben Jonson [Handout]
"Oh Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman [Handout]
"Crossing the Bar " by Alfred Lord Tennyson (810)
"Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant [Handout]
"Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night" by Dylan Thomas (889)
Possible Discussion Topics:

Do you see a difference between Milton’s “On the Death of a Fair Infant” against that of his “On His Deceased Wife”?
Quiz # 5 online
Week Six: June 28 – July 2
THEME V: Isolation through Death and Hope Through Consolation Continued
Remember that there is a Glossary
Note: this is not an Option; it is expected: Remember to look at the Glossary
Resources: <http://nzr.mvnu.edu/faculty/trearick/english/rearick/readings/re_intro.htm>
Lectures:

The Death of the Mighty and the Humble

How do poets deal with their own inevitable appointment with Death?
Longer Works:


A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis pp. 71-89
In Memorium by Alfred Tennyson [PowerPoint]
Short Stories:

None
Poems:










"Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold (816)
"Death Be Not Proud" by John Donne (892)
"Because I Would Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickenson (752-753)
"Hope" by Emily Dickenson
"I felt a Funeral in my Brain” by Emily Dickenson (705)
"I Never Saw A Moor" by Emily Dickenson (779)
"Bereft" by Robert Frost (716)
"Is My Team Plowing?" [e-text] by A.E. Housman (674)
"And Death Shall Have No Dominion" [e-text] by Dylan Thomas
"Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray [Handout]
Possible Discussion Topics:

In “Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” there is the phrase “far from the maddening crowd.” What is gray
saying about the nature of what we consider great against what is truly noteworthy of those who go ahead of us in death?

Death is the final test of any cosmology. What do you think of the responses that some of the poets offer in the face of
death/
Quiz # 6 online
Intro to Lit-- 13
Week Seven: July 5 - 9
THEME VI. The Brotherhood of Chivalry and the Isolation of War
Learn the literary meaning for. . .


Romance (review)
Heroic


Chivalry
Realistic
Be sure to look up definitions for these terms in the Glossary provided by Prof. Rearick and linked and
from his Readers' Corner.
Lectures
 Lecture on War and Chivalry
Longer Works:


Henry V by William Shakespeare [etext]
Red Badge of Courage [e-text] (Selected Chapters) by Stephen Crane
o
Chap one (An introduction to Henry, the Youth, and his big fear of being a coward)
o
Chapter six (After Henry, the Youth, has faced one attack successfully)
o
Chap nine (After Henry has run from the battle and finds himself marching with a line of wounded, meets his
friend Jim)
o
Chapter nineteen (Henry's return to battle since his desertion has gone unreported)
o
Chapter twenty (The battle)
Short Stories:




"The War Prayer" [e-text] by Mark Twain (Handout)
"The Campaign That Failed" [e-text] by Mark Twain
"Four Days in Dixi" [e-text] by Ambrose Bierce
"The Knight's Tale" [e-text] by Geoffrey Chaucer
Poems:










"Boots" [e-text] by Rudyard Kipling [Handout]
"The Charge of the Light Brigade" [e-text] by Alfred Lord Tennyson
"Drum Taps" from Leaves of Grass [e-text] by Walt Whitman [Handout]
"The Dresser" [e-text]
"Reconciliation" [e-text]
"The Battlefield" [e-text] by Emily Dickinson
"The Man He Killed" [e-text] by Thomas Hardy (670)
"Dulce et Decorum Est" [e-text] by Wilfred Own (651)
"Parable of the Old Man and the Young" [e-text] by Wilfred Owen (875)
"Anthem for Doomed Youth" [e-text] by Wilfred Owen
Catch-up and Review
FINAL is scheduled for Saturday July 10th from 9:00pm - 11:30pm