English L 369, Section 9961 Melville Course Description

Gareth Evans garevans@indiana.edu

One third of the course will be an intensive study of Moby-Dick. Our reading of that novel, and of the other fiction we read, will combine old-school source study with an examination of what Melville and his critics have had to say about such issues as race, class, gender, sexuality, colonialism, and ecology. Before we read Moby-Dick, well read Melvilles first, and most popular, novel, Typee. After spring break, well read two of Melvilles most highly-praised tales, Paradise of Bachelors and Tartarus of Maids and The Ecnantadas, as well as the best known of his three short novels: Bartleby, The Scrivener, Benito Cereno, and Billy Budd. We will read primary and secondary sources as we read Melville. That reading should give you some sense of Melvilles work in its literary and historical context. We will also be concerned with the ethical, moral, and political issues addressed in Melvilles work. A final note: some people find Melville a difficult read. He is not a writer who provides simple answers, and often hes a writer who provides no answers at all. While many think Moby-Dick is a great novel, others would be happy to see all its copies sink to the bottom of the sea. If you expect the novel to give you an American version of ho-ho-ho and a bottle of rum, this is not the course for you. If youre willing to explore Melvilles open-ended, free-form, mixed-genre fiction, youre welcome onboard. Required Reading Herman Melville, Moby-Dick: An Authoritative Text (Norton Critical Edition) Herman Melville, Melvilles Short Novels. (Norton Critical Edition) Herman Melville, Typee. (Riverside Edition) Reading Schedule Jan 8 Jan 10 Jan 12 Jan 15 Jan 17 Jan 19 Jan 22 Jan 24 Jan 26 Jan 29 Introduction Melville, Typee, 19-75 Melville, Typee, 76-132; 287-315 Martin Luther King Day. No class. Melville, Typee, 132-191; 316-340 Melville, Typee, 191-239; 343-365 2 page response, topic TBA. Melville, Typee, 241-250; 366-393 Introduction to Turnitin.com Class meets in Main Library Class visit to Lilly Library Moby-Dick, Introduction.

Jan 31

Feb 2 Feb 5 Feb 7 Feb 9 Feb 12 Feb 14 Feb 16 Feb 19 Feb 21 Feb 23 Feb 26 Mar 28 Mar 2 Mar 5 Mar 7 Mar 9 Mar 19 Mar 21 Mar 23 Mar 26 Mar 28 Mar 30 Apr 2 Apr 4 Apr 6 Apr 9 Apr 11 Apr 13 Apr 16 Apr 18 Apr 20 Apr 23 Apr 25 Apr 27

Read 511-548 of the Norton edition of Moby-Dick Melville, Moby-Dick, Etymology, Extracts, Chapters 1-3 Library exercise due Ill assign secondary reading for Moby-Dick once every week. Ill announce the details of that reading before we begin the novel. Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapters 4-9 Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapters 10-15 Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapters 16-23 Essay on Typee due Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapters 24-32 Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapters 33-43 Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapters 44-47 2 page response, topic TBA. Melville, Moby-Dick, 48-53 Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapter 54 Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapters 55-63 Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapters 64-72 Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapters 73-86 Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapters 87-100 Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapters 101-118 Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapters 119-135 Melville, Moby-Dick, Epilogue 2 page response, topic TBA. NO CLASS SPRING BREAK NO CLASSES Melville, Paradise of Bachelors and Tartarus of Maids (E-Reserve) Melville, Paradise of Bachelors and Tartarus of Maids (E-Reserve) Melville, Bartleby, The Scrivener, 3-34; 176-184; 239-257, 266-286 Essay on Moby-Dick due Melville, Bartleby, The Scrivener, 3-34 Melville, Benito Cereno, 34-102; 290-340 Melville, Benito Cereno, 34-102; 290-340 Melville, Benito Cereno, 34-102; 290-340 2 page response, topic TBA. Melville, The Encantadas (E-Reserve) Melville, The Encantadas (E-Reserve) Billy Budd (Movie) Billy Budd (Movie) Melville, Billy Budd, 103-170; 341-406 Melville, Billy Budd, 103-170; 341-406 Melville, Billy Budd, 103-170; 341-406 2 page response, topic TBA. Conclusions NO CLASS. Extended office hours. NO CLASS. Extended office hours. Evaluations

Essay 3 or Essay 2 due Note: The schedule and syllabus are subject to change. Writing Requirements and Grades Option one: three essays of 6-8 typed, double-spaced pages in length. The first essay will be on Typee; the second essay will examine one chapter of Moby-Dick in relationship to the rest of the novel; the third essay will be on one of the tales we read after Spring Break. Option two: two essays. The first essay will be 6-8 typed, double-spaced pages in length and will examine one chapter of Moby-Dick in relationship to the rest of the novel; the second essay will be 10-12 pages in length and may discuss any one or more of the texts we read in the class. The 1012 page essay is a research essay and must refer to and make use of secondary sources. Students who choose option two, must submit a bibliography and a one page summary of their essay by 6 April. Each of the essays must be submitted to me in paper and in electronic form to Turnitin.com. For more on Turnitin.com, see the Turnitin section below. Six formal, typed two double-spaced page responses due on the dates indicated on the syllabus. I will collect the responses at the end of class on the day they are due. Failure to hand in the responses will result in your final grade being lowered by one third of a grade or more. The responses are: (1) a starting point for class discussion; (2) a way of making you seriously engage with the reading; (3) a way of insuring that you write frequently; and (4) potentially preparatory and partial drafts of your essays. I will distribute questions a week or more in advance of the day the response is due. I will collect the responses on the day they are due. Failure to hand in the responses will result in your final grade being lowered. I will not return the responses, but you are welcome to discuss them with me during my office hours. A graded exercise designed to display your ability to: (1) find and use information in IUCAT, Early American Fiction project, and the online Modern Language Association International Bibliography. 10% of the final grade. 10% of your grade will depend on class participation. The two page responses count towards class participation. I reduce the grades of students who do not submit all of the two page responses by 1/3 of a grade every time a response is not submitted. Students who rarely or never participate in class discussion receive a C for class participation. A C for class participation typically means a student who averages B on his or her essays gets a B- for the class. An A for class participation and on the library exercise typically means a student who averages B on his or her essays gets a B- for the class. You must fulfill all of the writing requirements to receive a passing grade in the class. Option 1 Essay 1 25%

Essay 2 Essay 3 Library research exercise Class Participation Option 2 Essay 1 Essay 2 Library research exercise Class Participation

30% 25% 10% 10%

30% 50% 10% 10%

All essays must be exercises in literary criticism and analysis. Essays will be graded on form as well as content. For a sense of how I grade essays, see my Grading Policy and Essay Writing Guidelines below.