ENGL 3502: British Literature II

University of Minnesota Duluth
Fall 2002, TTh 8:00-9:40, MWAH 191
Dr. Carolyn Sigler

Office: H 439, 726-8640
Office Hours: TTh 10:00-10:45 am & 12:30-1:30 pm
E-mail: csigler@d.umn.edu
Class Alias: engl3502-1-f2002@d.umn.edu
Homepage: www.d.umn.edu/~csigler
Class Website: www.d.umn.edu/~csigler/Britlit.html
WebX Discussion Forum
 

CLASS TEXTS
The following texts are required and may be purchased at the UMD Bookstore. Please purchase only the editions listed below so that you will have the correct pagination for class discussion and exams.

Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (Penguin)
Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Dover Thrift)
David Damrosch et al, The Longman Anthology of British Literature, Volume 2, 2nd edition
Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea (Norton)
Bram Stoker, Dracula (Broadview)
Additional readings will be on electronic reserve at the UMD Library or posted on the class handout page

Recommended
Kelley Griffith, Writing Essays About Literature: A Guide and Style Sheet (6th ed)

COURSE PURPOSES
British Literature II is an examination of British literature from the Romantic Period through Postmodernism. Tracing the development of selected literary styles and periods, we will read texts that reflect some of the variety of cultural and historical experiences in Great Britain from about 1800 to 2000. The authors to be studied have been selected for their considerable influence on the future directions of British life and thought and their ability to startle and compel contemporary readers.

British Literature II takes a literary-historical perspective on British writing. Literary: we will read texts carefully, paying close attention to what is said and how it is being said. Such close reading will help us to discover not only what texts mean but also how they mean and how they come to have different, sometimes contradictory meanings in different contexts. Historical: we will read texts to learn about past ideas, cultures, societies, peoples, events. We will consider questions such as: what was the significance of those writings in their original contexts? what did those writings do in the past? what is the importance of those past writings to us in the present? The aim of the close reading techniques is to deepen our understanding of the historical changes in British writings, ideas, values, and cultures.

The Specific Goals of the Class Are As Follows:

• grounding students in the literary methods or tools used by British writers;
• exploring the "cultural work" of British literature in many forms—including prose, poetry, drama, and visual texts such as film and art;
• strengthening students' ability to read insightfully, to think critically, and to communicate effectively in discussions and writing;
• enhancing students' understanding of the ways that literature works in particular cultural contexts—that is, why it emerges when it does and what it targets;
• enabling students to explore their own humanity by trying to discover how they react to literary works, and what that reaction says about them.
  
  CLASS REQUIREMENTS
  When I figure final grades, I will consider all of your class work: attendance, participation, Web discussion contributions, in-class writing assignments, longer writing assignments, midterm, and final. In determining final grades, each course requirement carries the following weight:

• Essay (20% of grade)
• Midterm Examination (20%) 
• Final Examination (20%)
• Daily Writings/Quizzes (15%)
• Web Crossing (WebX) Participation (10%)
• Class Attendance and Informed Class Participation (15%)

READING
The most important work in this course will be careful, patient, thorough reading of the assigned texts. You will need to finish the assigned readings by the time indicated on the reading schedules. I encourage you to keep a reading journal or take reading notes on each text, and to mark passages we discuss in class.
 

WRITING PROJECTS
Formal writing (done outside of class) must use MLA format, be word-processed, free from mechanical errors, double-spaced, and printed in "best quality" using a standard 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Please keep a copy of any work you hand in, and retain graded work until the end of the semester. All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date, and must be turned in on time to receive full credit.
 

Essays
Your essay project should be 5-7 pages in length, should be on one of the assigned texts for the class (except by prior agreement—see b. below), and must be based on original ideas and research. Your essay is yours: find something to write about that you are interested in and want to know more about. Please consult with me early and often as you work on your assignment. I will be happy to read and comment on drafts as you go along. Ask your classmates for their help, too, as you work through your project. Also, you are welcome to consult the writing tutors at the Tutoring Center (40 CCtr). The essay is due on 10 December, though please note that a complete, typed draft must be brought to class on 21 November.

Some possibilities:
a. Critical Analysis: A standard term paper on a work or works from our syllabus. You might focus on one narrow aspect of a single work (e.g. race and class in Jane Eyre; race, gender and power relations in Wide Sargasso Sea; a comparison of the published Alice in Wonderland and Carroll's original manuscript, Alice's Adventures Underground; addiction in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; the role of technology in Dracula ), or you might compare or contrast two of our authors on a single topic (e.g. feminism; "the angel in the House"; images of "otherness"; exploring and explaining the unknown; the Gothic; innovation and technology; the social role of the artist). If you explore a work we've already discussed, make sure that your analysis goes well beyond what was said in class discussion. Direct your essay(s) to your classmates and the instructor—assume that they are familiar with the works (don't bother with plot summary) and eager to hear your own insights into them.

b. Alternative Project: You're welcome to propose a project that will best demonstrate your imaginative engagement with our authors (e.g. a scholarly Web site, or work of fiction). Such projects are by permission only, however, so come discuss your ideas with me as soon as possible!

Examinations
The midterm and final examinations (open book) will consist of identification questions as well as essays of analysis and synthesis. You will be given a number of short identification questions, as well as several brief excerpts from the required readings on our syllabus. You will be asked to answer all of the identification questions and to explicate your choice of the excerpts. In explicating the passages, you will interpret them in depth and detail. Give your sense of what each excerpt means and why it is important. Point out specific themes, images, character traits, stylistic features, etc. that convey your sense of the meaning. Also, place each excerpt in the context of the work from which it is taken. How does it fit into your interpretation of the entire work? How does it function in the text as a whole?

Some exam advice

• Don't bother with long, general introductions to your examination essays; get directly to your points.
• Don't just paraphrase the passages or summarize the stories—analyze and interpret the material carefully. Go beyond the obvious to make explicit what is implicit in it. Explore the complexities of the excerpt and as many of the significant details as you can in the time available. The best-developed essays will receive the highest grades.
• Support your interpretations with well-selected evidence. You need not copy out long quotations, but you should refer to specific incidents, descriptions, images, details, etc. to back up your reading of the works. While there is no single objectively "correct" interpretation of any work, you are expected to make a convincing case for your own interpretation by presenting strong specific evidence.
• Take a few minutes before writing your essays to think about your arguments and perhaps to jot an outline on scratch paper. Decide what main points you want to make and what evidence you will use to support them.

Daily Writings
To help record attendance, to prepare for class discussions and to demonstrate how carefully you are reading the assigned works, you will spend a few minutes each class period writing about the day's assignment. Each brief exercise (e.g., a paragraph of reaction to the day's reading or a quiz) will be graded on a five-point scale. To allow for the few occasions you might have to miss class, you may skip two writing exercises without penalty or, if you do them all, your two lowest scores will be dropped from your average for the semester. Except under very unusual circumstances, no make-up writings can be given—life is too short for the additional time and effort involved!
 

Web Crossing Discussion
As part of your participation for the course, you are strongly encouraged to read and contribute to the Web-based discussion forum for British Literature II. You may

1. pose questions or problems related to the readings—things you weren't able to answer for yourself or that you would like other opinions about;
2. suggest tentative or trial interpretations of our texts for others to consider;
3. respond to the postings;
4. follow up on our class discussions with insights that you weren't able to fit in during the period or that occurred to you after the session;
5. initiate discussions of your own related to our course focus.

Participation in the WebX Forum counts roughly 10% of your total grade for the course. You are expected to post a minimum of eight (8) intelligent contributions over eight (8) different weeks of the semester. More information about using WebX is available at at <www.d.umn.edu/~csigler/Britlit/webx.html>.
 

A Cautionary Note About Plagiarism
Be extremely careful to acknowledge the sources that have influenced your work.  Should you incorporate the ideas, general phrasing, or exact words of any other source without properly crediting the author(s), you are guilty of plagiarism.  The penalty for plagiarism in this course is severe: you will fail the course and the Dean will be notified of the reason for your failure.  See also the University website on the Student Conduct Code.

ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
In addition to careful reading, I expect active participation and good attendance from everyone. I am one of those professors who absolutely believe in the educational benefits of a dynamic, interactive classroom. Biology, psychology, and my own experience all tell me that students learn more, absorb more, and remember more in classes where they are expected to respond actively to the course materials, classes where they are expected to participate in the classroom activities and conversations. Thus, lack of preparation for class and irregular attendance will hurt your grade; good attendance and active participation in class discussions will improve your grade.

Because students have different ways of actively contributing to the class, I try to be flexible and open-minded about how I evaluate participation. In general, however, I will generously reward students who contribute week after week to the class discussions with intelligent, thought-provoking comments that demonstrate careful reading of the texts and thoughtful attention to what others have said. Students who skip a lot of class and don't seem to listen to what others have to say and never ever say anything should expect a lower grade for participation.

I expect good attendance of everyone, and I take role religiously. I believe in class attendance. University policy requires students to attend all scheduled classes in which they are enrolled, and your attendance is absolutely essential to the learning that happens in this course. I do understand, however, that every once in a while circumstances may make it impossible for you to attend. If you miss one or two classes during the semester, don't worry about it. If you miss more that, you may want to start worrying about how your attendance might hurt your grade. Also remember that late arrivals or early departures may cause you to miss announcements, quizzes and/or important class material. If you do have to miss a class, or arrive late, it is your responsibility to obtain class materials, assignments and information from myself and/or colleagues. Please keep me posted regarding unavoidable absences by a brief note, by message on my voice-mail (726-8640), or by e-mail (csigler@d.umn.edu)
 

COURSE WEB SITE
Copies of the class syllabus, course handouts and several short readings will be available to download through the ENGL 3502 Web site. The course Web site also provides information about contributing to the WebX Discussion forum, as well as a number of online resources to help you with research, writing, and revision. These include links to British literary history, culture and author sites, research and style guides, and online dictionaries and writing tools.
 

HOW TO LEARN FROM AND DO WELL IN THIS COURSE

• Read with energy, interest, and pleasure. Approach reading as an exchange of questions between yourself and the text. Mark up that book (forget about resale!).
• Come to class prepared to engage with your texts, your colleagues, and me—that is, read the assigned works by the first date they are listed on the schedule and be ready to discuss them. I want all of you to arrive with interpretations and questions you want answered. I will come to class with more to say than can fit into our meeting time, but my general strategy will not be to stand up and lecture but rather to facilitate discussion and debate among us all, which will (I hope) proceed in a relaxed, friendly, anxiety-free atmosphere. You will not be expected to stand up and recite, but to contribute what thoughts and questions you can about the works being discussed so that we can get a variety of perspectives and help each other to read as insightfully and imaginatively as possible.
• View your writing as a craft, a discipline, and a process. Begin writing assignments before you actually start writing the essay. Come into my office to discuss ideas, research, drafts, and rewrites. Also use your colleagues as readers and sources of feedback.
• If you ever have questions or concerns about readings, assignments, grades, or anything else connected with the course, please feel free to consult with me about them. I enjoy talking with students, and I don't want anxiety or uncertainty about grades to interfere with more important questions ("Why is Dracula obsessed with technology?  Why does Jane Eyre keep hearing mysterious voices?  Why does Charles Dickens spend so much time talking about food?").  I am available in my office during the hours listed above; if the office hours are unfeasible for you, you are always welcome to e-mail me to arrange some other time.
• If you have any disability, either temporary or permanent, that might affect your performance in this course, please let me know as soon as possible so that I may adapt materials or testing to provide for equitable participation. For further information and assistance, please contact UMD's Access Center.

 
CRITERIA FOR GRADES
A = excellent written work (essay, examinations): superb content and effective expression; perfect score on most daily writing exercises; informed active participation in class discussions (no unexcused absences); outstanding contributions.
B = superior written work—exceeds average, but room for improvement; 80-89% average on daily written exercises; informed, active participation in most class discussions (no more than 2 unexcused absences); significant contributions.
C = written work that meets average (i.e., high) standards for UMD students, but some problems with content and/or expression; 70-79% average on daily writing exercises; informed, active participation in class discussions (no more than 4 unexcused absences).
D = significant problems with any or all course components (writing projects, examinations, daily writing exercises, participation in class discussions).
F = performance that does not meet minimum standards for students at a major state university.

 
READING AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
This schedule is tentative; it can be modified to meet the needs of this particular group. You are responsible for any changes announced in class or over e-mail. Our reading schedule will be demanding and, by necessity, somewhat uneven, so it is essential that you pace yourself and read ahead whenever possible. Though we will by necessity discuss most long works over several class periods, you should plan to have each work read in its entirety by the first day of discussion. Be sure always to bring texts to class on the day they are to be discussed. All page numbers are for the Longman Anthology of British Literature II, 2nd edition, unless otherwise noted.

WEEK	TUESDAY	THURSDAY
1	9/3 Introductions, course preview	9/5 The Romantic Era Blake, Songs of Innocence (119-24): "The Chimney Sweeper," "Holy Thursday," "Nurse's Song," "Infant Joy"; Songs of Experience (126-33): "Holy Thursday," "The Tyger," "The Chimney Sweeper," London," "The Human Abstract"
2	9/10	9/12 Romantic Visions W ordsworth, "We Are Seven" (341-42),"Lines Written in Early Spring" (342-3),"Preface to Lyrical Ballads" (356-62), "The World is Too Much With Us" (386),"Composed Upon Westminster Bridge" (386) Byron, "The Byronic Hero" (638-44) Shelley, "Ode to the West Wind," "To a Skylark" (771-75), from A Defense of Poetry (800-810)
3	9/17 Romanticism and Human Rights Equiano, from The Life of Olaudah Equiano (160-69) Prince, from The History of Mary Prince (169-74) Wollstonecraft, from A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: Introduction, chapters 3, 5, 13 (230-35, 249-57) Blake “Mary” (274-75)	9/19 The Victorian Age Darwin, from On the Origin of Species (1254-59) Parliamentary Papers (1053-54) Dickens, from “A Walk in a Workhouse” (1405-09) Arnold, “Dover Beach” (1551) Mayhew, from London Labour and the London Poor (1068-73)
4	9/24 Victorian Reform Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1357-1405)	9/26 “The Angel in the House” Tennyson, “The Lady of Shalott” (1141-46) Ruskin, “Of Queen’s Gardens” (online) Ellis, “The Women of England” (1521-24) Norton, “A Letter to the Queen” (1528-31) Browning, “My Last Duchess” (1311-12)
5	10/1 Brontë, Jane Eyre	10/3 Brontë, Jane Eyre "Letter to Emily Brontë" (1524-5)
6	10/8 Victorian Childhood Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland	10/10 Victorian Childhood Cook, "The Mouse and the Cake" (1713) Hoffmann, "The Story of Augustus Who Would Not have Any Soup" (1714) Potter, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" (1733-35)
7	10/15 Victorian Gothic Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1819-60)	10/17 Victorian Gothic Gaskell, “The Old Nurse’s Tale” (online) Braddon, “The Shadow in the Corner” (online)
8	10/22 Midterm Examination	10/24 The Fin de Siecle and “The New Woman” Doyle, “A Scandal in Bohemia” (1448-63) Stoker, “Dracula’s Guest” (in Broadview Dracula) Kipling, “The Vampire” (online)
9	10/29 The Fin de Siecle and Decadence Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest	10/31 Stoker, Dracula
10	11/5 Stoker, Dracula	11/7 Reading Day
11	11/12 The Twentieth Century and Modernism Conrad, Heart of Darkness (2020-74)	11/14 “The Great War” Sassoon, "Glory of Women," "They," "The Rear Guard" (2186-87) Owen, “Anthem for Doomed Youth,” "Disabled," “Dulce et Decorum Est” (2188-291)
12	11/19 Colonialism and Postcolonialism Joyce, “Araby” (2274-77) Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant” (2747-51)	11/21 Editing Workshop Complete, typed draft of essay due
13	11/26 Conferences	11/28 Thanksgiving Holiday
14	12/3 Looking Backwards: Contemporary Views of the Past Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea	12/5 Potter, DreamChild
15	12/10 Essays Due Potter, DreamChild	12/12 Conclusions

Finals  Week

Final Exam: Thurs. 12/19 8:00-9:55 am