Syllabus

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Fragments of Rationality: Modern and Postmodern Literature and Theory


LIT330

Fall 2010 MW 10:30-11:50 AM

Powers 29

Dr. Monica O’Brien



Professor email: Monica.O’Brien@chestercollege.edu

Class Blog: Fragmentsofrationality.blogspot.com

Office: Powers 43 ph. 887-7456

Office Hours: Thursdays 9-2



Course Description:

Have you ever wondered, what is the difference between “modern” and “postmodern” literature? Or, what is “modernism” anyway? Is postmodernism a direct offshoot of modernism, or is it something completely distinct? And why is so much of modern and postmodern fiction difficult to read? These questions and more will be addressed in this course, as we read and attempt to make sense of various authors’ visions in relation to two major literary movements of the 20th century. Although it could be argued that “modernism” had its roots in the 19th century, our focus will be on 20th century forms of fiction.



Course Objectives:



- To understand how postmodernism is both a continuation and a critique of modernism in literature and philosophy

- To develop a critical sense of how modern and postmodern literary works play with form and content to question embedded cultural meaning

- To develop a counter-disciplinary approach to literature and culture

- To become proficient at recognizing and critiquing the subtle workings of modern and postmodern literature and theory

- To enhance analytical writing, interpretive and research skills through the composition of essays that state and defend interpretations of texts







Format:

This is a discussion-based course. Therefore, everyone is expected to contribute to most discussions. If you show up without a book, or if it is evident that you have not completed all readings when you come to class, I will count you as absent. If you don’t talk all semester, you cannot get an A in the course.



Readings:



Beckett, Samuel, Molloy

Danielewski, Mark Z., House of Leaves

DeLillo, Don, Mao II

Hemingway, Ernest, The Sun Also Rises

Faulkner, William, As I Lay Dying

Kundera, Milan, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting

Pynchon, Thomas, The Crying of Lot 49

Handouts



Assignments:

Class Blog: I have set up a blog (address is above) for everyone to post his/her informal responses to questions I post there on Sundays. Each one of you must post to the blog a minimum of 10 times throughout the semester. Each entry should be about a regular page length. What I’m hoping will happen with the blog is that people will start posting interpretations of music, literature, photography, cinema, painting, pop culture, fashion, politics, etc. that can be related to issues we find in the class texts. Note: while the blog should be a playful place of exploration and boundary-breaking, your postings should be relevant and either analytical or creative in nature.



Research Report: This will be a 15-minute oral report about some aspect of the day’s reading, enhanced by outside research. Please do not fill your report with biographical info about the author OR plot summary. The report should include your interpretive reading as it relates to modernism and postmodernism, supplemented by new perspectives from other critics. You will hand in the written version of the report the day you present it.

Midterm and Final Essays: There will be a 6-8 page essay due in midterm week, as well as a 10-12 page essay due in finals week. Instructions for these essays will be given well in advance. A rough draft is required for the final paper.

Grade breakdown: Class Blog, 20%; Research Report, 20%; Midterm, 20%; Final, 30%; Discussion, 10%



Late assignments are unacceptable; the grade will be lowered for each day that the assignment is past due. Students are encouraged to complete their assignments early, because there are no exceptions for last-minute emergencies (such as computer failure).



Attendance:

Each student is allowed three unexcused absences (no note, no warning, no permission ahead of time). Each additional unexcused absence will result in a drop of your final grade by one letter.



Tardiness: Tardiness is unacceptable and disrespectful. For three unexcused lates, you will be marked absent.

ALL papers will be graded on (1) understanding of course content (2) use of textual evidence (3) complexity of argument (4) clarity of thought and expression.

You are expected to turn in writing that has been carefully edited for grammar, style and content. Sloppy mistakes in your writing will result in points deducted from your grade on the assignment.



In-class Technology:

Use of cell phones, Itouches, Ipods and laptops is forbidden in my classroom. Turn all hand-held devices off and shut your laptops. The occasional exception MIGHT be if we need to look something up on the internet – at that point, there will be a short respite from the no-internet rule.



Reading Assignment Schedule (each reading is to be completed by the day on which it is listed below):



9/1 Intro



9/7 Bell, “The metaphysics of modernism” (handout)

9/8 First half, The Sun Also Rises



9/13 Finish The Sun Also Rises; in-class discussion of “The Iceberg Theory”

9/15 Derrida, “Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences” (handout)



9/20 First half, As I Lay Dying

9/22 Finish As I Lay Dying



9/27 President’s Day

9/29 Molloy, Part 1



10/4 Finish Molloy

10/6 Foucault and Baudrillard, handouts





10/13Book of Laughter and Forgetting, Parts 1-3



10/18 Book of Laughter and Forgetting, Parts 4-5

10/20 Finish Book of Laughter and Forgetting

Midterm due



10/25 Mao II, chapters 1-6

10/27 Mao II, chapters 7-11



11/1 Finish Mao II and Foucault, “Death of the Author”

11/3 Crying of Lot 49, chapters 1-3



11/8 Crying of Lot 49, chapters 4 and 5

11/10 Finish Crying of Lot 49, in-class reading of excerpt, Gravity’s Rainbow



11/15 House of Leaves, to p. 106

11/17 House of Leaves, to p. 245



11/22 House of Leaves, to p. 346



11/29 Finish House of Leaves

12/1 Watch La Strada

12/3 Rough drafts of final paper due

12/6 Finish La Strada

12/8 Final discussion of House of Leaves and La Strada and final papers



Finals Week:

Final papers due, presentations of final papers

Welcome

Each week I will put a prompt on here (say on Sundays).
I will also put occasional info/links that might be helpful to your understanding of class concepts and texts.

Each of you is responsible for responding to TEN prompts throughout the semester. Your response should be a long paragraph, minimum.

If you would prefer not to answer my prompt and create your own topic, that is fine, as long as it is relevant to the course texts.

Also, a detailed response to someone else's blog counts as a post, as long as it is well thought-out and, uh, polite.