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English 343-001 Survey of American
Literature to 1860 Spring 2008 Prof. Philip
F. Gura
gura@email.unc.edu Greenlaw
426
962-4033 Text: Nina Baym et al., The Norton Anthology of American
Literature, 7tth ed.
(Package 1). Course Description and Requirements: This is a chronological survey of
American literature, broadly conceived, from the period of English settlement
through the poetry of Dickinson and Whitman. Students are expected to
familiarize themselves not only with the texts but also with the development
of the varieties of American literature over time (including biographical
information about authors). Some of this material will be covered in class,
but I will take some of the exam questions from the introductory sections of
the Anthology. There will
be two-in-class examinations (February 21 and March 27), an
eight-to-ten page paper (due in class April 24), and a final
examination, on a topic I choose. The in-class exams will have two parts:
an essay section, with questions handed out earlier and your essays handed in
at the exam time, and shorter answers, written in class. Attendance and class
participation are expected. I will factor attendance and participation into
the final grade. After your third unexcused absence, I will start deducting
from your final grade. Plagiarism: The Honor Code is in effect in this
class and all others at the University. I am committed to treating Honor Code
violations seriously and urge all students to become familiar with its terms
(http://instrument.unc.edu).
If you have questions, it
is your responsibility to ask me about the code’s application. All exams and
other written work must be submitted with a statement that you have complied
with the requirements of the Honor Code. Readings/Schedule: January 10th: Introduction. Definitions and terms. Period
of Contact and Exploration. (non-required reading: Volume A: 31-55). January 15
and 17: Colonization: The Chesapeake and New England. Volume A: 48-71,
104-137, 144-66. January 22
and 24: New England Puritanism: Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor. Volume A:
187-216, 267-287. January 29
and 31: New England Puritanism: Second and Third Generations. Native
Americans and Witches. Volume A: 235-266, 307-342. February 5
and 7: The Eighteenth Century: Religion and National Character. Volume A:
378-436, 472-534. February 12
and 14: The Eighteenth Century: Volume
A: 595-615, 674-710 , 751-763. February 19
and 21: Early Romanticism (Irving, Cooper, Bryant). Volume B: 951-1009, 1044-1051. In-class
exam, Feb. 21. February 26
and 28: Emerson and the Transcendentalists. Volume B: 1106-1251. March 4 and
6: Henry David Thoreau. Volume B: 1853-1924, 2027-2046.. March 11 and
13: NO CLASS: BREAK. March 18 and
20: Other Versions of the American Self (Douglass and Apess). Volume B:
2060-2140, 1051-1058, 1637-1659. Paper topics handed out. March 25 and
27: Nathaniel Hawthorne. Volume B: 1272-1352. In-class exam March 27. April 1 and
3: Herman Melville. Volume B: 2304-2320, 2363-2388, 2468-2524. April 8 and
10: Antebellum Women Writers (Stowe, Fern, Jacobs). Volume B: 1698-1829. April 15 and
17.Whitman, Volume B: 2195-2266. 2275-2296. April 22 and
24: Dickinson. Selections announced in class. Paper due in class. English 347-002: The American Novel Prof. Philip F. Gura
Spring 2008 Greenlaw 426
962-4033 Required Texts: Charles
Brockden Brown, Wieland Nathaniel
Hawthorne, The Blithedale Romance Harriet
Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin Mark
Twain, Huckleberry Finn Herman
Melville Moby-Dick William
Faulkner, As I Lay Dying Elizabeth
Stoddard, The Morgesons William
Dean Howells, A Modern Instance Harold
Frederic, The Damnation of Theron Ware This course is meant to introduce you
to the variety of the American novel, from the late eighteenth through the
early twentieth century. Beginning with one of the earliest American novels,
Brown's Wieland (1798), we will move on to Hawthorne's account of a
radical utopian experiment, The Blithedale Romance (1852); Harriet
Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), instrumental in galvanizing
opposition to slavery; and Moby-Dick (1851), Melville's masterpiece.
We then will turn to and Elizabeth Stoddard’s complex psychological portrait
of a young woman in The Morgesons (1862) and William Dean Howells's
path-breaking exploration of divorce, A Modern Instance (1881). Next
come Mark Twain’s classic Huckelebrry Finn (1884) and Harold
Frederic's scathing portrait of a fallen minister, The Damnation of Theron
Ware (1896). We will end with William Faulkner’s modernist experiment. As
I Lay Dying (1930). In no way is the course meant to be
inclusive. If anything, it is minimal, with the titles chosen to suggest the different
ways that authors have thought about the project of fiction, and about how
fiction related to the United States of America at different points in time.
In lecture I will try to suggest more about the great range of novels which
we simply do not have time to sample and as well to provide some cultural and
historical background to each of the works. The reading assignments at times
will be lengthy, so when you have spare time, read ahead. There will be two in-class examinations
(February 28th and March 27th) and a final examination. You also
will have pop quizzes now and then, to make sure that you keep up with the
reading assignments. Attendance and class participation is expected. After
your third unexcused absence, I will start deducting from your final grade.
Your final grade will be based on the two in-class exams (33% each) and the
final (33%). I also will factor attendance, participation, and your
performance on the quizzes into the final grade. Honor Code: Students are required to familiarize themselves with the Student
Honor Code regarding plagiarism. Refer to http://instrument.unc.edu/ Assignments: January 10: Introduction; and Brown’s Wieland. January 15, 17: Wieland. January 22, 24: Hawthorne, Blithedale
Romance. January 29th, 31: Blithedale
Romance; start Melville, Moby-Dick. February 5, 7: Moby-Dick. February 12, 14: Moby-Dick. February 19, 21: Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s
Cabin. February 26, 28. Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
IN-CLASS EXAM on the 28th. March 4, 6: Stoddard’s The Morgesons. March 11, 13: VACATION WEEK March 18, 20: Howells, A Modern
Instance. March 25, 27: A Modern Instance;
In-CLASS EXAM on the 27th. April 1, 3: Twain, Huckleberry Finn.
April 8, 10: Huckleberry Finn;
Frederic, Damnation of Theron Ware. April 15, 17: Theron Ware; start
Faulkner, As I Lay Dying. April 22, 24: As I Lay Dying.
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