ENG 5253.01
Studies in the Victorian Period
Spring 2006
Course Name, Number, and Description: "ENG 5253. Studies in the Victorian Period. Directed investigation of a topic concerning a prose work by Carlyle or Macaulay or the poetry and criticism of Arnold or the poetry of Tennyson and Browning. Prerequisite: Bachelor's degree with a concentration in English. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: three hours. May be repeated for credit when the specific topic of investigation varies." In this course we will read key works in both Victorian poetry and prose, applying the principles of rhetorical criticism from several schools of thought. Although this course is taught at the master's degree level, its emphasis on rhetorical criticism of Victorian literature makes it quite useful for students in the doctoral program who are required to take an examination in applied rhetoric. This class meets 1-2:20 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays in ASB 205.
Faculty Contact
Information: Office Location, Phone, Hours:
Russell Greer, Ph.D. Associate Professor. Office: CFO 803. E-mail: rgreer@twu.edu.
Fax: (940) 898-2297. Office telephone: (940) 898-2346. Website:
www.russellgreer.com
Most students find they can communicate with me quickly by e-mail (rgreer@twu.edu). In addition, I will host office hours in CFO 803 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Mondays and Wednesdays from noon to 2 p.m. Typically, if I cannot hold those regularly scheduled office hours, I will post that information on Blackboard, my website, and leave a note on my office door. I am also available at other times in my office by appointment. You may also leave me a voicemail message at (940) 898-2346. I check for messages once a day and try to return calls promptly.
Course Goals:
Many graduate English programs have, at a minimum, several courses in Victorian literature, often several on the novel alone, often several on Victorian poetry, and yet several more for Victorian prose and special topics. Because this course is the only regularly scheduled course we offer in Victorian literature, obviously we cannot do in one course what other programs are able to do in a half dozen classes. Therefore, our primary goal will be a general orientation to the Victorian period with selected works from a variety of genres. Tying everything together is an overall emphasis on rhetorical criticism as a lens to understand the literature and the period.
Student Learning Outcomes:
You will demonstrate engagement with the scholarship and discourse of Victorian literature at a level sufficient to show promise for further advanced work. One key indication will be a paper or book chapter that you will produce by the end of the course suitable for publication or presentation at a professional conference. In addition, you will make two presentations, submit one short writing assignment, and take a comprehensive final examination.
List of textbooks and supplies:
The Rhetoric of Fiction by Wayne Booth (2nd edition). (The University of Chicago Press, 1983. ISBN: 0-226-06558-8)
Victorian Poetry: The Annotated Anthology. Edited by Francis O'Gorman. (Blackwell Publishing, 2004. ISBN: 0-631-23436-5)
Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. (Oxford World's Classics. ISBN: 0-19-284069-X)
Living to Tell about it: A Rhetoric and Ethics of Character Narration by James Phelan (Cornell University Press, 2005. ISBN: 0-8014-8928-8)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. (Oxford World's Classics. ISBN: 0-19-283965-9)
The Dialogic Imagination by Mikhail Bakhtin (University of Texas Press. ISBN 029271534X)
Optional: Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice by Sonja K. Foss (3rd edition. Waveland PR Inc. ISBN: 1577663187)
Optional: Victorian People and Ideas: A Companion for the Modern Reader of Victorian Literature by Richard Daniel Altick (W.W. Norton. ISBN: 039309376X)
Optional: A Companion to Victorian Literature and Culture. Editor Herbert Tucker. (Blackwell. ISBN: 0631218769)
In addition, I will occasionally distribute articles in the class, and you will select one additional Victorian novel from a list I will provide to read and critique.
Disability
Statement:
”Texas Woman's University seeks to provide appropriate academic adjustments for
all individuals with disabilities. The University will comply with all
applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines,
specifically Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA), with respect to providing appropriate academic
adjustments to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the responsibility
of the student to register with and provide medical verification and academic
schedules to Disability Support Services (DSS) at the beginning of each semester
and no later than the second week of school in a timely manner to arrange for
appropriate academic adjustment. For further information regarding Disability
Support Services or to register for assistance, please contact the office at
898-3835 (voice, 898-3830 (TDD), or visit CFO 105” (Texas Woman’s University
Office of Academic Affairs).
Academic Dishonesty:
“Honesty in completing assignments is essential to the mission of the university and to the development of the personal integrity of the student. Cheating, plagiarism, or other kinds of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in appropriate sanctions that may include failing an assignment, failing the class, or being suspended or expelled. Suspected cases in this course may be reported to Student Life. The specific disciplinary process for academic dishonesty is found in the TWU Student Handbook. Tools to help you avoid plagiarism are available through the TWU Libraries’ “Quick Links” under “Research Help” (http://www.twu.edu/library/literacy/index.htm)” (This statement was authorized and mandated by the TWU Provost. November 10, 2005).
Plagiarism:
The following definition of plagiarism appears in Joseph F. Trimmer’s A Guide
to MLA Documentation (Sixth Edition), published by Houghton Mifflin Company
(2004): “Plagiarism is theft. It is using someone else’s words or ideas without
giving proper credit—or without giving any credit at all—to the writer of the
original. Whether plagiarism is intentional or unintentional, it is a serious
offense…You can avoid plagiarism by taking notes carefully, by formulating and
developing your own ideas and by using quotes responsibly to support, rather
than replace, your own work” (25). Note that I have used this quotation from a
source and have given it full attribution. You should do the same with your
sources. I strongly urge you to read the discussion of academic dishonesty that
appears in Section Four of The Student Handbook and Planner 2005-2006
(pages 133-135). I intend to follow TWU policy as outlined in this handbook
exactly. It defines plagiarism in this way: “Plagiarism occurs when a student
obtains portions or elements of someone else's work, including materials
prepared by another person or agency, and presents those ideas or words as her
or his own academic work. The intentional or unintentional use by
paraphrase or direct quotation of the published work of another person without
full and clear acknowledgement shall constitute plagiarism. Students are
responsible for following guidelines of the appropriate course or discipline (ie;
MLA, APA)" (133). In this course, we will use the Modern Language
Association (MLA) format. Penalties for first-time offenses include, at the
instructor’s discretion, any of the following: (1) “Written reprimand”; (2)
“Assignment of a lower grade on the test/paper/project in question, with an
explanation from the instructor”; (3) “Assignment of a 0 on an assignment"; (4)
“Assignment of a grade of F in the course" (134). A discussion of the more
severe penalties for second offenses appears on pages 134-135. If you have
any questions about whether or not a practice constitutes plagiarism, please
contact me before you turn in the assignment. All student papers and
discussion forum postings may be checked for plagiarism with a plagiarism
website by the instructor.
Grading Policy, Major Course Assignments and Examinations and Attendance:
Grading Policy:
Short Paper: 20%
Presentations: 10% (5% each)
Research Paper: 40%
Final Examination: 30%
Attendance: I expect regular attendance. If you cannot attend or will be late, please contact me,
Examinations: The comprehensive final examination will consist of two parts, an objective portion that will test your knowledge of terminology, concepts, and major figures, and two in-class essays.
Tentative calendar of
classes, assignments.
The
Spring 2006 academic calendar.
Please note that this daily syllabus is for planning purposes only and is
subject to change.
Week ONE (17-22 January 2006)
January 17: Introduction to the Victorian Period and rhetorical criticism.
January 19: Introduction to Victorian poetry and Bakhtinian architectonics. Bakhtin: "Introduction" (xv).
Week TWO (23-29 January 2006)
January 24: O'Gorman: "Dramatic Poetry/Dramatic Monologue." Bakhtin: "Epic and the Novel" (1).
January 26: O'Gorman: "Dramatic Poetry/Dramatic Monologue" (continued). Bakhtin: "From the Prehistory of Novelistic Discourse" (41).
Week THREE
(30 January to 5 February 2006)
January 31: O'Gorman: "Elegy." Bakhtin: "Forms of Time and the Chronotope in the Novel" (pages 84-129).
February 2: O'Gorman: "Sonnet/Sonnet Sequence/Curtail Sonnet." Bakhtin: "Forms of Time and the Chronotope in the Novel" (pages 129-167).
Week FOUR (6-12 February 2006)
February 7: O'Gorman: "Pre-Raphaelitism/Pre-Raphaelite Poetry." Bakhtin: "Forms of Time and the Chronotope in the Novel" (pages 167-206).
February 9: O'Gorman: "Decadence/The 1890s/Anti-Decadence." Bakhtin: "Forms of Time and the Chronotope in the Novel" (pages 206-258).
Week FIVE (13-19
February 2006)
February 14: O'Gorman: "Divided Self." Bakhtin: "Discourse in the Novel" (259-300).
February 16: O'Gorman: "Female Sexuality/Desire/Love." Bakhtin: "Discourse in the Novel" (300-340). Short Presentation by Donna Souder.
Week SIX (20-26 February 2006)
February 21: O'Gorman: "Social Critique." Bakhtin: "Discourse in the Novel" (340-380). Rochelle Gregory's Presentation: Hester.
February 23: O'Gorman: "Religious Doubt/Critique of Religion." Bakhtin: "Discourse in the Novel" (380-422). Presentation by Emily White.
Week SEVEN (27 February to 5 March 2006)
February 28: Lecture: Introduction to Victorian Prose. Booth: "Telling and Showing" (3). Phelan: "Introduction" (1). Short Paper Due. Presentation by Donna Souder on He Knew He Was Right.
March 2: Lecture: Introduction to Victorian Prose (continued). Booth: "General Rules I" (23). Phelan: "The Implied Author, Unreliability, and Ethical Positioning" (31). Presentation by Jo'el Pare' on Victorian education. Presentation by Emily White.
Week EIGHT (6-12 March 2006)
March 7: Lecture: Jane Eyre. Booth: "General Rules II" (67). Phelan: Dual Focalization, Discourse as Story, and Ethics" (98). Janet Johnson's Presentation on Victorian Journalism.
March 9: Lecture: Jane Eyre. Booth: General Rules III" (89). Phelan: Suppessed Narration in Confessional Memoir" (132). Rochelle Gregory's Presentation.
Spring Break 13-19 March 2006
Week NINE (20-26 March 2006)
March 21: Lecture: Jane Eyre. Booth: "General Rules IV" (119). Phelan: Prgression and Audience Engagement in Lyric Narratives" (158). Kathryn McClatchey's Presentation on Middlemarch.
March 23: Lecture: Jane Eyre. Booth: "Types of Narration" (140). Phelan: Epilogue: Serial Narration, Observer Narration, and Mask Narration" (197). Nimmy Nair's Presentation.
Week TEN (27 March to 2 April 2006)
March 28: Jane Eyre. Booth: "The Uses of Reliable Commentary" (169). Phelan: "Appendix: Character Narrators Talking among Themselves" (205). Presentation by Anne Schoolfield on Mary Barton.
March 30: Jane Eyre. Booth: "Telling as Showing: Dramatized Narrators, Reliable and Unreliable" (211). Audrice Corbett's Presentation.
Week ELEVEN (3-9 April 2006)
April 4: Jane Eyre. Booth: "Control of Distance in Jane Austen's Emma" (243). Kathryn McClatchey's Short Topic Presentation.
April 6: Jane Eyre. Booth: "The Uses of Authorial Silence" (271). Nimmy Nair's Presentation.
Week TWELVE (10-16 April 2006)
April 11: Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Booth: "The Price of Impersonal Narration I" (311). Presentation by Jo'el Pare'.
April 13: Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Booth: "The Price of Impersonal Narration II" (339). Presentation by Sally Stratso on North and South.
Week THIRTEEN (17-23 April 2006)
April 18: Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Booth: "The Morality of Impersonal Narration" (377).
April 20: Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Booth: "Afterward" (401). Short Presentation by Anne Schoolfield on Victorian Theatre.
Week FOURTEEN (24-30 April 2006)
April 25: Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Janet Johnson's Presentation on David Copperfield.
April 27: Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Audrice Corbett's Presentation. Short Presentation on double plots in Victorian fiction by Sally Stratso.
Week FIFTEEN (1-5 May 2006)
May 2: Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
May 4: Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
Final Exam: May 11, 2006 1-3 p.m. Research Paper Due.
Short Essay
Your short essay will be a piece of rhetorical criticism between three and five typed pages on Victorian poetry . Your primary purpose is to create an argument that offers a perspective on how to understand some aspect of the poetry or the period or both.
Research Paper:
Your research paper should be between ten and twenty pages long and present an argument situated in the context of Victorian scholarship. This research paper should suitable to serve as a conference paper, book chapter, or journal article. If you wish, you may expand your short essay or write about a completely new topic.
Final Examination
The comprehensive final examination will consist of two parts, an objective portion that will test your knowledge of terminology, concepts, and major figures, and two in-class essays.
Presentations
You will be required to make two PowerPoint presentations. One will be an rhetorical analysis of a novel other than Tess or Jane Eyre that you will select. The other will be a summary and critique of one or more articles or book chapters from Victorian scholarship. Your presentations should be about 10-15 minutes long. I will give you a short written evaluation and grade for each presentation.
Last updated 14 March 2006