English 5595—Modernism and Postmodernism |
|
Spring 2001 |
Professor John D. Schwetman |
| Campus Center 25 | Office: Kirby Plaza 366 |
| Monday, Wednesday 5:00pm-6:40pm | Office Hours: Monday 2-4 |
| http://www.d.umn.edu/~jschwetm/spring2001/engl5595/ | and Wednesday 2-4 |
| If the man of taste thinks about himself for a moment, he must notice not only that he has become indifferent to the work of art, but that the more his taste is purified, the more his soul is spontaneously attracted by everything that good taste cannot but condemn, as though good taste carried within itself a tendency to pervert itself into its opposite. (Giorgio Agamben, The Man without Content, 18) | Our whole knowledge of art is at bottom illusory, seeing that as mere knowers we can never be fused with that essential spirit, at the same time creator and spectator, who has prepared the comedy of art for his own edification. (Friedrich Nietzsche, "The Birth of Tragedy," 42) | 'Do you,' said I, looking at the shore, 'call it "unsound method?"' 'Without doubt,' he exclaimed hotly. 'Don't you?' . . . 'No method at all,' I murmured after a while. 'Exactly,' he exulted. (Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, 154) |
In arguments about how we evaluate works of art, much more is generally at stake than the reputation of a particular artist or critic. After all, such arguments take place in the context of more general arguments about ethics, morality, and the fate of our very culture. The interpretation of literature must likewise take place within a related ethical context. We can therefore identify the break between modernism and postmodernism in both aesthetic and political spheres though these two levels will not line up exactly.
In this course, we will discuss modernism primarily from the perspective of its reactionary offspring-the postmodern. Literary critics in U. S. universities became singularly concerned with postmodernism in the mid-1980's and continue to be so to this day. Nonetheless, some argue that the period from 1985-1995 (roughly) is distinctive in the academy's history as a time of a great theoretical resurgence. With their deep pockets, U. S. English departments were able to import European philosophers who gave lectures on postmodern theory before large audiences. They drew such large audiences, because they provided a solid philosophical basis for movements to overcome various evils such as sexism, heterosexism, racism and colonialism.
Thus, we will study this twentieth-century European philosophical tradition and apply its conclusions to two works of literature-Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Ishmael Reed's Mumbo Jumbo-works from the beginning and end of the twentieth century that offer us different perspectives on the colonial enterprise. Along the way, we will consider the role these philosophical works have played in the American academy as the academy has struggled through the latest round in the "culture wars."
To acquire a solid background in twentieth-century epistemological theories that inform current methods of interpreting literature.
To apply this knowledge in an oral presentation and an extensive analytical paper that engages in interpretation and criticism of these theories.
| Brief Passage Analysis, 5-7 pages, due February 26 | 10% |
| Research Paper, 10-15 pages, due May 11 | 35% |
| Presentation, 20 minutes | 5% |
| Midterm Exam, March 7 | 10% |
| Final Exam, May 11 at 4:00pm | 30% |
| Class Participation | 10% |
Agamben, Giorgio. The Man without Content. Trans. Georgia Albert. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford U. P., 1999.
Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." Illuminations. Trans. Harry Zohn. Ed. Hannah Arendt. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968.
Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York: Routledge, 1999.
Conrad, Joseph. 1902. Heart of Darkness. New York: Signet, 1950.
Derrida, Jacques. Limited, Inc. Trans. Samuel Weber. Evanston, IL: Northwestern U. P., 1988.
Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality, Vol. I. Trans. Robert Hurley. New York: Vintage, 1978.
Heidegger, Martin. "Letter on Humanism." In Basic Writings. Ed. David Ferrell Krell. New York: Harper & Row, 1977.
Horkheimer, Max and Theodor W. Adorno. 1944. Dialectic of Enlightenment. Trans. John Cumming. New York: Continuum, 1972.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Birth of Tragedy and the Genealogy of Morals. Trans. Francis Golffing. New York: Random House, 1956.
Reed, Ishmael. Mumbo Jumbo. New York: Scribner, 1996.
Arendt, Hannah. Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. New York: Penguin, 1976.
Bataille, Georges. The Accursed Share: An Essay on General Economy, Vol. I. Trans. Robert Hurley. New York: Zone Books, 1991. (NOT IN UMD LIBRARY)
De Man, Paul. Resistance to Theory. Minneapolis: U. of Minnesota P., 1986.
Derrida, Jacques. Disseminations. Trans. Barbara Johnson. Chicago: U. of Chicago P., 1983. (NOT IN UMD LIBRARY)
Habermas, Jürgen. The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity. Trans. Frederick Lawrence. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1987.
Hegel, Georg Wilhem Friedrich. Phenomenology of Spirit. Trans. A. V. Miller. Oxford: Oxford U. P., 1979. (NOT IN UMD LIBRARY)
Huyssen, Andreas. After the Great Divide: Modernism, Mass Culture, Postmodernism. Bloomington, IN: Indiana U. P., 1986.
Jameson, Fredric. Postmodernism: Or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. Durham, NC: Duke U. P., 1991.
Wittgenstein, Ludwig. Philosophical Investigations. Trans. G. E. M. Anscomb. Oxford: Blackwell Press, 1967.
Zizek, Slavoj. Looking Awry. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1991.
Your grade will depend primarily on your written work and the understanding of the material that you convey through that work. A command of standard written English and the ability to present an argument will also contribute to the determination of your grade. Any infractions against UMD's Scholastic Dishonesty provisions in the Student Conduct Code as stated in the UMD catalogue will receive serious attention and appropriate penalties.
Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, which might influence their ability to perform in this class, are encouraged to inform me at the start of the semester. I can make special adaptations of teaching methods, assignments, materials, or testing as required to provide for equitable participation in the course. The Access Center is also available to assist students with disabilities. It is located in 138 Library (or Kirby Plaza) and on the web at <http://www.d.umn.edu/access/>.