L. Kamm

Goals:
This 3-credit course is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate literature majors as well as for (prospective) teachers of literature, grades 9-12 and college-level. Based in large measure on peer evaluation and collaborative learning (see "Peer Evaluations" below), the course seeks to reconcile the theoretical, objective analysis of literature and the subjective reponse to literature by providing you with the necessary instruments of reference--namely, the constituent elements of poetry, prose, and drama--and model texts and essays illustrating recent trends in literary theory and analysis.

The course aims to study and determine the quality of literature and literary theory in their ability to convey the traditional literary values of form, meaning, and symbolism, and the applicable value of literary theory as an interpretive mode of criticism that probes how we read, make sense of experience, and produce meaning.

In the process, the course seeks the heightened appreciation of literary texts and theories, their intellectual, moral, and aesthetic features, the relationships amongs stylistic devices, central motifs, organic structure, and effectiveness in revealing and communicating the author's and reader's purpose and motivation and imagination and psychology.

Texts:

• Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory: An Introduction. UMinnesota Press, 1983.
• Critical Terms for Literary Study, ed. F. Lentricchia and T. McLaughlin. UChicago Press, 1990.
• Dowling, William. C. The Senses of the Text. Intensional Semantics and Literary Theory. University of Nebraska Press, 1999.

Selected Optional Bibliography:

• John Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism
• Abrams, M. H. The Mirror and The Lamp. Romantic Theory and the Critical Tradition. Oxford University Press, 1953.
• Adams, H. and L. Searle, eds. Critical Theory Since 1965. UPresses of Florida, 1986.
• Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. St. Martin's, 1995.
• Berman, Art. From the New Criticism to Deconstruction: the Reception of Structuralism and Post-structuralism. UIllinois Press, 1988.
• Birenbaum, Harvey. The Happy Critic. A Serious but Not Solemn Guide to Thinking and Writing About Literature. Mayfield Publishing, 1997.
• Bressler, Charles. Literary Criticism : An Introduction to Theory and Practice. Prentice-Hall, 1999.
• Chatman, Seymour. Coming to Terms: The Rhetoric of Narrative in Fiction and Film. Cornell University Press, 1990.
• Donoghue, Denis. The Old Moderns: Essays on Literature & Theory. NY: Knopf, 1994.
• Ellis, John M. Literature Lost: Social Agendas and the Corruption of the Humanities. Yale UP, 1997.
• Graff, Gerald. Professing Literature. UChicago Press, 1987.
• Chatman, Seymour. Coming to Terms: The Rhetoric of Narrative in Fiction and Film. Cornell University Press, 1990.
• Donoghue, Denis. The Old Moderns: Essays on Literature & Theory. NY: Knopf, 1994.
• Marhsall, Donald G. Contemporary Critical Theory: A Selective bibliography. MLAA, 1993.
• Moran, Charles. Conversations: Contemporary Critical Theory and the Teaching of Literature. NCTE, 1990.
• Natoli, Joseph P. Tracing Literary Theory. UIllinois Press, 1987.
• Sadoff, Dianne F. & William E. Cain, Teaching Contemporary Theory to Undergraduates. MLAA, 1994.
• Selden, Raman. A Reader's Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory. 1997.
• Turner, Mark. The Literary Mind. Oxford UP, 1998.

Responsibilities:

• A 250- to 500-word essay on an individually selected aspect of any 5 of the first 7 weekly assignments. The essay should be informal in style--written as if you were carrying on a conversation with yourself--and should consist, for example, of some kind of analysis of the reading, or personal response to it, or a proposed pedagogical consideration or implementation of it. These essays should be submitted no later than 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the discussion dates indicated so they may then be posted for all to read and to respond to.

• A brief evaluation (250-word maximum) of one essay by everyone else enrolled in the course. The names of both the reviewer and the reviewee should be clearly indicated. These evaluations should be submitted within one week of the submission of the original essay being evaluated (preferably earlier). I urge you to try to space the evaluations evenly throughout the course so that you and those you are evaluating will have significant opportunities to engage in collaborative discussions of the various issues that are raised.

• The assigning of a brief literary text for everyone else to read ahead of time. The text should be easily accessible in a library or through the Web and should range in length from a brief poem to a 1000-word passage from a drama or prose selection. You should offer a very brief explanation of why you have chosen this text by referring to at least 2 of the critical or theoretical perspectives from the readings and discussions above.

• A brief evaluation of the textual presentation/discussion by any one classmate. This evaluation must also be submitted within one week of the original presentation.

• A succinct research paper (2000-word maximum) focusing on some applied aspect of literary criticism or theory as covered in this course. In most cases, the paper will develop from your selection and presentation of a literary text, though you are free to consult with me about choosing an entirely different topic if you wish.

Grades: based on my evaluation of your written work, with particular attention to the evaluative criteria of intent, content, reasoning, language, neatness, effort, and accuracy as well as the collaborative contributions that you make in evaluating and discussing your coursemates' work.

• Week 1: The nature of literature, phenomenology, hermeneutics, reception theory.
  • Eagleton, pp. 1-90
  
  

• Week 2: Structuralism, semiotics, post-structuralism, psychoanalysis, political criticism.
  • Eagleton, pp. 91-217.
  
  

• Week 3: Representation, structure, and writing.
  • L&M: pp. 1-49
  • Optional: L&M, pp. 50-65
  
  

• Week 4: Narrative, figurative language, author, interpretation.
  • L&M, pp. 66-90, 105-16, 121-34.
  
  

• Week 5: Intention, unconscious, (in)determinacy, value & evaluation, influence, rhetoric.
  • L&M, pp. 135-202.
  
  

• Week 6: Culture, canon, literary history, gender.
  • L&M, pp. 203-73.
  • Posting of student-selected readings (see weeks 9-12)
  
  

• Week 7: Ethnicity and ideology.
  • L&M, pp. 274-338.
  • Assignment of dates for student presentations (2 or 3 per week).
  
  

• Week 8: Determinate Meaning Revisited: Dowling's Senses of the Text
  

• Weeks 9-12: Student-selected readings and presentations.
  

• Week 13: Research & Writing Week

• Week 14: Submission of papers.

• Week 15: Discussion of papers

General Questions Concerning Literary Theory
Related WWW Sources
Peer Evaluations Note: this link works only for students who have registered for the course and therefore have a username and password.

To LK's Welcome Page
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Related WWW Sources

• Educational Applications
  
• Hypertext & Literary Theory
  
• Brown University Scholarly Technology Group
  
• Electronic Texts in Humanities
  
• On-line Literary Research Tools
  
• Literature Links
  
• Theory - Literary, Cultural, Hypertext
  
• Hypertext & Postmodern Theory
  
• Semiotics for Beginners
  
• Libraries & Electronic Archives
  
• LK's essay on Literary Battles
  
  

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This HTML document created by: Lew Kamm
On: May 16, 1995
Last Revised: 6/9/99