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LITERARY ANALYSIS
LIT 2341-001
Fall 2005
Instructor: Terje Saar-Hambazaza

MWF 2-2:50pm
Location: CB 1.102

Website for the announcements:

www.utdallas.edu/~terje

Office Hours:
Mondays and Wednesdays 1 -2pm and by an appointment

Office: JO 4.134

Phone: 97 2-883-2713

Email: txs018600@utdallas.edu

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO UTD STUDENTS: Beginning August 1, 2004, all email correspondence with students will be
sent ONLY to the student's U.T. Dallas email/netid address in an effort to protect the privacy rights of all students.
U.T. Dallas furnishes each student a Network ID (netid) linked to an email account. The Department of Information
Resoursces provides a method for students to forward their UTD email to other personal or business email accounts. To
activate or maintain a UTD computer account and /or to set email forwarding options, go to http://netid.utdallas.edu.

Course Description

“There are books so alive that you’re always afraid that while you weren’t reading, the book has
gone and changed, has shifted like a river; while you went on living, it went on living too, and like
a river moved on and moved away. No one has stepped twice into the same river. But did anyone
ever step twice into the same book?” -- Marina Tsvetaeva

Literature mirrors the culture and human life, the meaning of a text depends on the readers and
on the transformation of times. Literary Analysis introduces students to reading, thinking, and
writing about literature and its various genres through an examination of a number of texts,
including fiction, poetry, drama, and non-fiction. We will read a wide selection of short stories
and poems, Theodore Dreiser’s novel Sister Carrie, medieval and modern plays, and various
critical essays. The goal for this class is to develop the vocabulary and interpretation skills
necessary to analyze different elements of literature. Students will also learn to apply different
critical strategies to discussing and writing about literature.

Course Texts:

Required Texts:

o R. S. Gwynn, Literature: A Pocket Anthology (Penguin Academics Series), 2 nd ed. ISBN:

0321244435

o Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie [unexpurgated version] (Penguin Classics). ISBN:

0140188282

o Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays (Penguin Classics).
ISBN: 0140436065

o Lewis Turco, The Book of Literary Terms: The Genres of Fiction, Drama, Nonfiction,
Literary Criticism, and Scholarship. University Press of New England. ISBN:
0874519551
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o Required Essays:

§ Jane Tompkins, “Masterpiece Theater: The Politics of Hawthorne’s Literary

Reputation” [in Richter’s Falling Into Theory , on reserve at UTD library]
§ Jean-Paul Sartre, “Why Write?” [handout on WebCT]
§ Umberto Eco, “On Some Functions of Literature,” “How I Write” [in Eco’s On
Literature , on reserve at UTD library]
§ Toni Morrison, “Black Matter(s)” [in Richter’s Falling Into Theory, on reserve at
UTD library]
§ Nina Baym, “Melodramas of Beset Manhood” [handout on WebCT]
§ Peter Rabinowitz, “Actual Reader and Authorial Reader” [in Richter’s Falling
Into Theory, on reserve at UTD library]
§ Stuart Hall, “Cultural Identity and Diaspora” [handout on WebCT]
§ Blanche H. Gelfant, “What More Can Carrie Want? Naturalistic Ways of
Consuming Women” [handout on WebCT]
§ Vladimir Nabokov, “Good Readers and Good Writers” [handout on WebCT]
§ Susan Sontag, “Against Interpretation,” “A Note on Novels and Films” [in
Sontag’s Against Interpretation, and Other Essays, on reserve at UTD library]
§ Wayne C. Booth, “Who Is Responsible in Ethical Criticism, and for What?” [in
Richter’s Falling Into Theory , on reserve at UTD library]
§ Pierre Bourdieu, “Introduction to Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment
of Taste” [handout on WebCT]
§ Roland Barthes, “The Death of the Author” [in Richter’s Falling Into Theory, on
reserve at UTD library]
§ John Guillory, “Canonical and Noncanonical: The Current Debate” [handout on
WebCT]
§ Clifford Geertz, “Blurred Genres: The Refiguration of Social Thought” [handout
on WebCT]
§ Mark Twain, “Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses” [handout on WebCT]
§ Fredric Jameson, “Postmodernism and Consumer Society” [handout on WebCT]

Recommended Texts:

o Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th Ed. Modern
Language Association, 2003. ISBN: 0873529863

Course requirements:

v Weekly reading responses (~1 page): writing short response papers on particular texts
from the weekly reading list. Total: 10 short responses.

v Three critical analysis essays on fiction, poetry, and drama (minimum 4 pages each,
excluding quotations): write a focused critical analysis using the strategies disc ussed in
class. The papers must be formatted according to the MLA guidelines, and they must
follow the conventions of the academic writing.

v Oral presentation (5-10 minutes) with questions for in-class discussion.

v Quizzes: the grades of unannounced quizzes count toward the participation grade.

NB! In addition to hardcopies, all 3 major papers must be submitted electronically

via email as attachments sent to txs018600@utdallas.edu

Grading Policy

Weekly reading response papers – 10 %

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Three critical analysis papers – 60% (20% each)

One oral presentation – 10%
Attendance – 10%
Participation in class discussions, quizzes – 10%

Your midterm and final grades are based on the various assignments given throughout the
semester, your participation in class discussions, and attendance. Remember, more than three
missed classes will negatively affect your grade.
The following grade criteria indicate the possible grade based on the quality work done in this
class. Final decision about the grade for midterm as well as for the whole course is made by the
instructor.

A: Excellent participation in discussions, insightful response papers, a highest quality and the
promptness of the written assignments, well-researched informative oral presentation, and in-
depth, correctly formatted critical analysis papers that effectively refer to the readings and
discussions in class.

B: Good participation in discussions, a consistently high quality of writing, including the critical
analysis papers, informative oral presentation, and the promptness of the written assignments.

C: Fair (or average) participation in discussions, an average quality of the written assignments,
including critical analysis papers, an average oral presentation, possibly more missed classes than
allowed.

D: Poor participation in discussions, a poor quality of writing, not showing the necessary
development in the written papers, poorly delivered and researched presentation, a poor quality
of the critical analysis papers without necessary references to the texts that were assigned in class,
also lacking the promptness of the written assignments and missing classes.

F: Fail the course, which means minimal participation in discussions, missing writing
assignments, possibly a missed presentation, and too many missed classes.

Paper Grading Policy

Your final grade for major papers will be based on the average of the grade for form and the grade
for content, e.g., a "C" for form and an "A" for content will result in a paper grade of a "B," except
that when the grade is an intermediary grade the grade for content will carry slightly greater
weight, e.g., an "A" for form and a "B" for content will result in a paper grade of "B+," while a "B"
for form and an "A" for content will result in a paper grade of "A -."

Attendance Policy

Participation and attendance are crucial to successful completion of this course. If you miss more
than three classes, your grade will be negatively affected and you may be encouraged to drop the
class. If you are absent, check with your classmates or with me for any work you missed that can
be made up. Alternative assignments are not given; missed papers and presentations are
considered against the final grade. Tardiness is unacceptable, as are coming to class unprepared,
not paying attention during class, or sleeping in class. Also, electronic devices for personal
messaging, or entertainment cannot be used during class. Please turn off cellular/mobile phones,
pagers, and other personal electronic devices before the class.

Office Hours

Office hours are Mondays and Wednesdays 1 -2pm. You can arrange additional appointments to
see me at other times. Since office hours belong to you just as much as our class time, do not
hesitate to take advantage of my availability and the help I am ready to offer. The best way to
communicate with me is by email (txs018600@utdallas.edu).
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Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty when a person represents someone else’s work intentionally or
unintentionally as his or her own, and it is considered a serious offense. Students should be
familiar with how to avoid plagiarism by citing the sources properly when quoting someone or
paraphrasing another writer’s words. In addition to missing quotations, plagiarism occurs when
using someone else’s writing and submitting it as your own, allowing the other person to write
any part of your essay, and copying or purchasing a piece of writing from any source. Plagiarism is
very easy to detect, and your professors can easily locate the plagiarized sources and texts. The
university has implemented serious consequences for individuals who plagiarize; they range from
failing the assignment to failing the course, or being expelled from the university. Also, in the case
of using someone else’s work, both parties involved in plagiarism (including the student who
makes his or her work available to another student) are equally guilty; so students should not
share their work with other students unless their instructor has explicitly permitted it. Each
incident of plagiarism at UTD will be reported to the administration that makes a final decision
for the appropriate penalty.

Additional information on plagiarism:

The Undergraduate Catalog of the University of Texas at Dallas:
http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/dishonesty.html
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COURSE CALENDAR
v The following is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor

Friday , August 19:

Introduction

Monday , August 22:

Fiction: Introduction (Literature , pp. 7 -12);
Elements of Fiction: plot (Literature , pp. 12-17 ; The Book of Literary Terms, pp. 40-47 ),
characterization (Literature , pp. 17 -1 8; The Book of Literary Terms, pp. 47 -50);
William Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily” (Literature, pp. 171-179);
(Dreiser’s Sister Carrie, Chs. 1 -10)

Wednesday , August 24:

Elements of Fiction: point of view (Literature , pp. 19-20; The Book of Literary Terms, pp. 53-54);
Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown” (Literature, pp. 26-37)
ESSAY #1 : Jane Tompkins, “Masterpiece Theater: The Politics of Hawthorne’s Literary
Reputation” [in Richter’s Falling Into Theory , on reserve at UTD library]

Friday , August 26:

Elements of Fiction: setting (Literature , pp. 22-23; The Book of Literary Terms, pp. 50-53);
Edgar Allan Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher” (Literature, pp. 38-54);
Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery” (Literature , pp. 235-243);

Monday , August 29:

Elements of Fiction: style and symbol (Literature , pp. 23-25);
John Updike, “A & P” (Literature , pp. 288-294)
ESSAY #2: Jean-Paul Sartre, “Why Write?” [handout on WebCT]
(Dreiser’s Sister Carrie, Chs. 11 -20)

Wednesday , August 31:

Elements of Fiction: tone (The Book of Literary Terms, pp. 55-57 ), motivation (The Book of
Literary Terms, pp. 57 -58);
Edith Wharton, “Roman Fever” (Literature , pp. 107-118);
Gabriel García Márquez, “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” (Literature , pp. 262-268)

Friday , September 2:
Elements of Fiction: theme and allegory (Literature, pp. 21 -22; The Book of Literary Terms, p.
53);
Ernest Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants” (Literature, pp. 187 -191);
ESSAY #3: Umberto Ec o, “On Some Functions of Literature,” “How I Write” [in Eco’s On
Literature , on reserve at UTD library]

Monday , September 5 : LABOR DAY – NO CLASS

Wednesday , September 7 :
Ralph Ellison, “A Party Down at the Square” (Literature, pp. 229 -235);
Richard Wright, “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” (Literature , pp. 202-213)
ESSAY #4: Toni Morrison, “Black Matter(s)” [in Richter’s Falling Into Theory , on reserve at UTD
library]
(Dreiser’s Sister Carrie, Chs. 21 -32)

Friday , September 9:
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (Literature , pp. 92-106);
ESSAY #5: Nina Baym, “Melodramas of Beset Manhood” [handout on WebCT]
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Monday , September 12:

Zora Neale Hurston, “Sweat” (Literature, pp. 160 -171)
ESSAY #6: Peter Rabinowitz, “Actual Reader and Authorial Reader” [in Richter’s Falling Into
Theory, on reserve at UTD library]
(Dreiser’s Sister Carrie, Chs. 33-43)

Wednesday , September 14:

John Steinbeck, “The Chrysanthemums” (Literature , pp. 192-201);
Gish Jen, “In the American Society” (Literature , pp. 395 -408);

Friday, September 16:

Sandra Cisneros, “Woman Hollering Creek” (Literature, pp. 376-386);
Louise Erdrich, “The Red Convertible” (Literature, pp. 386-395)
ESSAY #7 : Stuart Hall, “Cultural Identity and Diaspora” [handout on WebCT]

Monday , September 19:

Dreiser, Sister Carrie, Chs. 44-50

Wednesday , September 21:

Dreiser, Sister Carrie
ESSAY #8: Blanche H. Gelfant, “What More Can Carrie Want? Naturalistic Ways of Consuming
Women” [handout on WebCT]

Friday, September 23:

Dreiser, Sister Carrie
PAPER #1 DUE

Monday, September 26:

Poetry: Introduction (Literature, pp. 421-422); Speaker, Listener, and Context (Literature , pp.
422-428);
Poems in Literature : Anne Bradstreet, William Wordsworth, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Thomas
Hardy
ESSAY #9: Vladimir Nabokov, “Good Readers and Good Writers” [handout on WebCT]

Wednesday, September 28:

Poetry: Lyric, Narrative, Dramatic (Literature, pp. 428-431 );
Poems in Literature : Marilyn Nelson, Christina Rossetti, William Blake

Friday, September 30:

Poetry: The Language of Poetry (Literature, pp. 431 -437 ); Figurative Language (Literature , pp.
437 -441)
Poems in Literature : Walt Whitman

Monday, October 3:
Poetry: Allegory and Symbol (Literature, pp. 441 -443); Tone of Voice (Literature , pp. 444-446)
Poems in Literature : Wallace Stevens, Margaret Atwood, Theodore Roethke
ESSAY #10: Susan Sontag, “Against Interpretation,” “A Note on Novels and Films” [in Sontag’s
Against Interpretation, and Other Essays, on reserve at UTD library]

Wednesday, October 5:
Poetry: Sounds and Schemes (Literature, pp. 446-448); Meter and Rhythm (Literature , pp. 448-
453)
Poems in Literature : Gwendolyn Brooks, Jean Toomer, Richard Wilbur

Friday, October 7 :
Poetry: Free Verse, Open Form, Closed Form (Literature , pp. 453-455), Stanza Forms
(Literature , pp. 455-457), Fixed Forms (Literature, pp. 457-459)
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Poems in Literature : Stephen Crane, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Ezra Pound

Monday, October 10:

Poems in Literature : Emily Dickinson
ESSAY #11: Wayne C. Booth, “Who Is Responsible in Ethical Criticism, and for What?” [in
Richter’s Falling Into Theory , on reserve at UTD library]

Wednesday, October 12:

Poems in Literature : T.S. Eliot, ee cummings, Seamus Heaney

Friday, October 14:

Poems in Literature : Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Hart Crane

Monday, October 17 :
Poems in Literature : William Carlos Williams, Allen Ginsberg, James Merrill
ESSAY #12: Pierre Bourdieu, “Introduction to Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of
Taste” [handout on WebCT]

Wednesday, October 19:

Poems in Literature : Robert Frost

Friday, October 21:

Poems in Literature : Anne Sexton, Adrienne Rich, Sylvia Plath

Monday, October 24:

Poems in Literature : Robert Lowell, Robert Creeley, Denise Levertov
ESSAY #13: Roland Barthes, “The Death of the Author” [in Richter’s Falling Into Theory, on
reserve at UTD library]

Wednesday, October 26:

Drama: Introduction (Literature , pp. 839-861 ; The Book of Literary Terms, pp. 70-7 2); Dialogue
(The Book of Literary Terms, pp. 78-81)
David Ives, Sure Thing (Literature, pp. 1362-1372)
PAPER #2 DUE

Friday, October 28:

Tragedy: The Book of Literary Terms, pp. 72-75;
William Shakespeare, Othello (Literature, pp. 909-1020)
Recommended: Read an essay on Othello [handout on WebCT]

Monday, October 31:

Shakespeare, Othello
ESSAY #14: John Guillory, “Canonical and Noncanonical: The Current Debate” [handout on
WebCT]

Wednesday, November 2:
Shakespeare, Othello

Friday, November 4:
Henrik Ibsen, A Doll House (Literature , pp. 1021 -1084)

Monday, November 7 :
Henrik Ibsen, A Doll House
ESSAY #15: Clifford Geertz, “Blurred Genres: The Refiguration of Social Thought” [handout on
WebCT]
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Wednesday, November 9:
Henrik Ibsen, A Doll House

Friday, November 11:

Comedy: The Book of Literary Terms, pp. 76-78;
Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan

Monday, November 14:

Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan
ESSAY #16: Mark Twain, “Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses” [handout on WebCT]

Wednesday, November 16:

Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Friday, November 18:

Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
ESSAY #17: Fredric Jameson, “Postmodernism and Consumer Society” [handout on WebCT]

Monday, November 21:

Literature into Film:
Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband

Wednesday, November 23:

Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband

Friday, November 25: THANKSGIVING – NO CLASS

Monday, November 28:

Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband; Summing up;

Friday, December 2:
PAPER #3 DUE in my office JO 4.134