One Last Note on Sources...

For those of you working on the final paper, a quick note: if you're using the handouts I gave you as sources for the paper, here are citations for each:

Woolf, Virginia.  A Room of One's Own.  New York: Vintage, 1996.

Freud, Sigmund.  "The Uncanny."  The Uncanny and Other Essays.  New York: Penguin, 2003. 

Freud, Sigmund.  Totem and Taboo.  New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 1989. 

Don't forget to use Culler's text throughout, and consider the supplemental sources in our editions of The Turm of the Screw and Dracula.  You can also find great articles about any of the texts via JSTOR. 

Having said that, let me wish you luck on your papers and a profound sense of regret that our class is over.  I've probably enjoyed teaching this class the most of any class I've taught at ECU (last semester's Brit II is a close, close second), and this is largely because of the class itself.  Thank you to those of you who really came to class, did the grunt work, and made the class a worthwhile experience.  I won't soon forget it! 

For Monday: Culler, Ch.3

Our final reading for the semester takes us back to Culler and one of the hottest movements in theory today--"Cultural Studies."  Gothic Literature started as a 'low' form of literature and has always been on the periphery of literary respectability, though many great writers have dabbled in the form, such as Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, the Brontes, and of course Poe, James, Stoker and Jackson.  However, scholars no longer make apologies for studying works that fall outside the traditional canon, and increasingly write studies of Harry Potter, Twilight, and even The Hunger Games.  Chapter 3 discusses the rise of Cultural Studies as a theoretical worldview, and how this shapes our study of the Gothic and literature in general. 

No questions this week (work on your paper!), but we will do an in-class activity or two.  See you on Monday!

ALSO--Don't forget the Department Picnic this Tuesday at Wintersmith from 6:00-8:00! 

Critical Paper #2 and Important Message for Wednesday

Katharyn Stober, a job candidate from the University of North Texas, will be visiting our class on Wednesday as part of her inteview process.  She asks that all students bring the 4 main books for class--Poe, James, Stoker, and Jackson--to class for a group activity.  Please come since this is a valuable chance for us to see a potential colleague at work, and for you, to see a potential professor before you get her in class.  I look forward to her visit and hope you will join me in extending her a warm welcome to our cozy, yet decidedly Gothic, class. 

For FRIDAY: I will give you a handout from Woolf's A Room of One's Own.  If you miss class you can find copies in the box on my door.  There are no questions for Friday, but this is an important essay to read which will undoubtedly help you on your Critical Paper #2 (see below).  See you then! 

Critical Paper #2: Gothic Women

"No stone lions for me, she thought, no oleanders; I have broken the spell of Hill House and somehow come inside.  I am home, she thought, and stopped in wonder at the thought.  I am home, I am home, she thought"

The Gothic movement was largely started by women writers writing about women: women trapped in castles by lecherous dukes, unearthing forbidden secrets, or in the case of Jane Austen's heroine, Catherine Morland (Northanger Abbey), seeing the entire world through Gothic spectacles.  Through the abstract lens of the supernatural, Gothic Literature allowed women to focus on who women were and how identity was shaped not only by a patriarchal society, but by the books women read and the ideas they shared in private.  Both Dracula and The Haunting of Hill House document these very ideas, as Mina writes letters to Lucy and confides personal thoughts to her diary, or as Eleanor forms an intimate--if uncanny--friendship with Theodora, as well as the 'story' she writes at Hill House.  Each work becomes a meditation on how women find themselves in the horrors of society, when the vampires and haunted houses are often more inviting than the freedoms offered by husbands and lovers. 

Focusing on these 'gothic women,' write a paper that examines one of the following topics:

·         Women and Madness: how madness is defined in a male world, and how often the 'madwomen' are simply breaking taboos and/or refusing to be good little girls (as Woolf reminds us, every would-be Shakespeare was probably sent to an asylum)

·         The New Woman: how the women (esp. Mina and Lucy) are redefining their class and role in society; we see this, too, with Theodora, who lives with her "friend," Eleanor, who makes a decisive break with her mother/sister's ideals, and Mrs. Montague, who clearly has her husband in check (and seems to have a curious relationship with Arthur!)

·         Women as Authors: how Mina truly writes the book of Dracula (Lucy also contributes a chapter or two), and how Eleanor writes her own story--and perhaps the story of The Haunting of Hill House itself.

·         Women and Taboo: how being a woman, itself, is somewhat taboo in Victorian and 1950's America, and how these taboos are addressed and overcome in the novels.  Why might the very performance of gender strike an uncanny note for Stoker and Jackson's readers? 

·         Stoker and Jackson: how each one envisions their women, and if one performance is more authentic than another.  Can Stoker truly see women as Jackson does?  Or is Jackson too close to her subject--writing like a 'woman' (see Woolf's A Room of One's Own)? 

REQUIREMENTS

·         You must use both works (Dracula and Hill House) in your paper, supporting your reading with close readings from both.

·         You must use Culler's Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction as a substantial source--not just one superficial quote.  It should help you form the basis of your theoretical reading.

·         You should also use 2-3 secondary sources, either from any of the supplemental material in Dracula or even The Turn of of the Screw, or from the Freud and Woolf handouts, or other articles found through JSTOR or books in our library.

·         At least 5-6 pages double spaced

·         DUE ON OUR FINAL EXAM DAY: Monday, May 7^th by Midnight

For Friday: The Haunting of Hill House

Reading schedule for this week:

Wednesday: Chs.1-3 (pp.3-92)
Friday: Chs.4-5 (pp.93-163)

NOTE: This book reads quite quickly, so don't be intimidated by the seemingly long reading assignments.  A lot of dialogue as well.  So try to keep up! 

Answer ONE of the following for Friday...

1. How does the opening sentence relate to the rest of the work: "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream."  How could this statement be a 'theory' to read the entire work--or itself a commentary on Jackson's use of Gothic elements to frame her novel? 

2. Though Eleanor is not the narrator of the work, the naration is a limited third person, meaning that we get most of it through Eleanor's thoughts and perspective.  Based on this premise, is Eleanor a "reliable narrator"?  What does she reveal of herself in the opening chapters, and do we trust or understand why she is coming to Hill House in the first place?

3. Discuss Jackson's use of dialogue in the book, particularly when all four characters are together.  When they first meet, they engage in a manic dialogue of back and forth witticisms which may seem out of place in this context.  What does each characters' dialogue reveal of them and why does Jackson focus so much on their attempts to be witty to one another? 

4. On page 139, Dr. Montague claims that "No ghost in all the long histories of ghosts has ever hurt anyone physically.  The only damage is done by the victim to himself..." and Eleanor responds, "I could say...All three of you are in my imagination; none of this is real."  Is this book more like Dracula or The Turn of the Screw?  Are the events real occurences or internal hauntings?  Can we be sure that anything experiened truly occurs--or is the narrator playing with the conventions of the genre?

For Friday and Short Paper #3 assignment

Readings for this week:

M 9: Stoker, Dracula, Chs.24-27 (pp.311-369)

W 11: Scenes from the Coppola film, Bram Stoker's Dracula

F 13: Sol Elitis' essay (pp.450-465)

Answer ONE of the following

1. Examine the power dynamic between Mina and the Vampire Hunters throughout the final chapters of the novel. Though Van Helsing has reluctantly agreed to let Mina back into the fold after her attack, he continues to keep her in the dark about several matters. Ultimately, he has cause to regret this, as he admits on page 347, "Our dear Madam Mina is once more our teacher. Her eyes have seen where we were blinded." Is Stoker claiming that Mina is the hero of the work...or is she merely a tool that needs male guidance to work?

2. Throughout the final chapters of the work, Van Helsing insists that Dracula has a "child brain," or at least not a fully "human brain." What does he mean by this, and how does it tie into the then-modern science of criminology? Consider page 335, when Van Helsing says, "The criminal has not full man-brain. He is clever and cunning and resourceful; but he be not of man-stature as to brain."

3. According to Sos Eltis' essay, how does Dracula (the vampire) represent aspects of contemporary English society? Though he can also represent the exotic, decadent 'East,' how might his true personalities be linked to anxieties closer to home? Consider her discussion of the New Woman and modern novelists such as Mary Corelli.

4. How does Eltis examine the role of masculinity in the novel, and how the Vampire Hunters attempt to reassert the "proper order of things"? Does she feel Stoker is reactionary in his depictions of gender...or does he admit that being a man, itself, is open to interpretation in late Victorian England?

Short Paper #3: Staging Dracula

For this assignment, I want you to choose a specific scene from Dracula: it can be a longer one (a few pages), but no more than a chapter. Then I want you to write a short paper on how you would adapt this scene for a modern production of Dracula. Consider that no film can show the book exactly as it is, since we automatically "see" the book differently than its ideal audience of 1897. You want to keep the spirit of the original intact, while projecting your personal interpretation of the passage. So your paper should be (a) an explanation of what 'theory' or interpretation you would want us to see in the adaptation, and (b) a close reading of key passages that explain how you would "read" them in your film.

As you do this, consider the following ideas:

* What theory would shape your interpretation of the scene? Are you approaching this from a Freudian/Psychoanalytic perspective (the uncanny, taboo, etc.)? Or are you more interested in aspects of Gender? Make sure we understand your approach and what you want people to "see" when they watch this scene.

* What aspects of the scene would be hard to film or show in a different medium (outside the text)? How would you capture the narration in this passage (a diary, letter, etc.)? What might you have alter or tweak to get the right effect?

* How might you instruct your actors to interpret their roles? What kind of Mina would you want the actress to project? Or Van Helsing, Dracula, Harker, etc.?

* Where do you stand on Dracula as a metaphor for 19th century English society, or Dracula as a 'modern' horror for the 21st century? Do you want to emphasize the work as a piece of history ("this is what it felt like to be in 1890's England") or as a piece of living literature ("this is why Dracula is still relevant today")? You might also consider updating the passage/story to the modern era as is often done with Shakespeare.

REQUIREMENS

* 3-4 pages, double spaced

* No outside sources, but you MUST quote from Dracula and engage in a close reading of your passage--do not summarize what happens (the plot); show us why and how it unfolds

* Due next Monday, April 16th IN CLASS. We will discuss these adaptations in class, so if you miss your paper is LATE (unless for an excused reason).

Scissortail Extra Credit (see post below for Friday Response)

REMEMBER: No class on Friday--go to the Festival during our class instead! (I read at 11, hint, hint!)  I also strongly encourage you to attend the Thursday 6:30 reading with Natasha Trethewey! 

BEFORE YOU GO...
Remember to go to the Scissortail Creative Writing Festival this Thursday-Saturday!  You can see the full schedule, author biographies and more here: http://www.ecuscissortail.blogspot.com/.  On Thursday the sessions follow a TR class format: sessions at 9:30, 11, 2 and 3:30, along with our featured reader, Natasha Trethewey at 6:30--come to this one if you can!  On Friday they follow a MWF class format, with readings at 9, 10, 11, and 2, with an additional one at 3:30 and another featured reader at 6:30, Norbert Krapf.  There are two sessions on Saturday, at 9 and 10:45.  Note that on both days, there are concurrent sessions going on in the Estep Auditorium (in the Bill S. Cole University Center) and at the North Lounge (just down the hall from the Campus Bookstore). 

AFTER YOU GO...
Be sure to attend a full session--and please don't leave in the middle of a reading (it's rude and might disturb the reader and the audience).  Afterwards, answer ONE of the following questions in a short paragraph based on your experience as a COMMENT to this post. 

1. Explain the experience of hearing authors read their own works.  This doesn't usually happen, and especailly not at ECU.  What were you able to see, hear, or experience that you might not if you had simply read the work yourself?  On the same note, would you be more likely to read one of the stories or poems in your session after hearing them in the session? 

2. Which work/author impressed you the most and why?  Was it his/her manner of presentation, the story he/she told, or simply the ideas expressed in the story/poem?  Be specific so I can understand why you identified or enjoyed this writer. 

3. Which work or works opened themselves up to a theoretical reading?  Did you see a poem that seemed to cry out for a psychoanalytic reading?  A 'Marxist' short story?  Any work that might be wildly subjective if given a 'reader response' analysis?  Or, where there anyworks that connected with any of our Gothic ideas in class, such as unreliable narrators, the "uncanny," taboos in society, etc.?  Be as specific as possible so I can "see" your connection.

ENJOY THE FESTIVAL! 

For Friday: Dracula, Chs.14-23

Reading Schedule for This Week: 

M 2: Stoker, Dracula, Chs. 14-20 (pp.189-263)

W 4: Stoker, Dracula, Chs. 20-23 (pp.263-311)

F 6: Canceled for Scissortail Creative Writing Festival

M 9: Stoker, Dracula, Chs.24-27 (pp.311-369)

NOTE: This week, as we race to the conclusion of the book (though we'll technically finish on Monday, the 9th) I want to consider several theoretical perspectives we've already discussed in class. Answer ONE of the following as usual for Friday, even though we don't have class that day. Please see the post on the Scissortail Creative Writing Festival (above) for an extra credit opportunity.

1. PSYCHOANALYSIS: Examine the role of 'taboo' in the book particularly in regard to women's sexuality, rites of death, and the conception of madness. Where do we see characters forced to confront cultural taboos in order to face Dracula and/or see the "truth"? You might consider Dr. Seward's account of seeing Vampire Lucy for the first time in the graveyard: "Lucy's eyes [were] unclean and full of hell-fire, instead of the pure, gentle orbs we knew. At that moment the remnant of my love passed into hate and loathing; had she then to be killed, I could have done it with savage delight" (XIV, 219).

2. MARXISM: Though this is a Gothic work of the "uncanny," it is also a work written at the height of the British empire and is full of mercantile artifacts and imagery (bills, receipts, lawyers, etc.). How might we read some part of the work in a Marxist light--as something that reflects the class struggle or exposes the 'monstrous' nature of the Bourgeoise? You might consider the passage when the vampire hunters corner Dracula in Chapter XXIII: "Harker evidently meant to try the matter, for he had ready his great Kukri knife, and made a fierce and sudden cut at him. The blow was a powerful one...the point just cut the cloth of his coat, making a wide gap whence a bundle of bank-notes and a stream of gold fell out" (304).

3. READER RESPONSE: Why does Dracula, despite all its characters and shifting narration, ultimately give the story to three main narrators: Harker, Mina, and Dr. Seward? Why not Van Helsing? Quincy? Or even Dracula himself? How do these three narrators affect what we read and how the story is told? And more importantly, why this trio--a scientist, a solicitor, and his 'new woman' wife? You might consider what one or more of these narrators reveals to us in their narration, such as this passage from Mina in Chapter XVIII: "Manlike, they have told me to go to bed and sleep; as if a woman can sleep when those she loves are in danger! I shall lie down and pretend to sleep, lest Johnathan have added anxiety about me when he returns" (247)/

For This Week: Stoker's Dracula, Chs.I-XIII

Whistler's Symphony in White, No. 1 (1876):

Below is the rough reading schedule for next week. The readings are suggested goals to keep you on track with the reading. However, there is no immediate penalty for being a dozen or so pages behind! Pages below correspond to the Bedford/St.Martin's edition.

Monday: Chs.I-V (pp.26-83)

Wednesday: Chs.VI-X (pp.83-147)

Friday: Chs. XI-XIII (pp.147-189)

Answer ONE of the following for Friday

1. Last week we discussed theories of identity and constructions of the 'subject.' How do the characters of either Johnathan Harker or Dracula address some of these issues in their 'performance' of identity? Consider the following quotes as you respond:

* Harker: "I felt in my heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips. It is not good to note this down, lest some day it should meet Mina's eyes and cause her pain; but it is the truth" (Ch.III/61).

* Dracula: "Here I am noble; I am boyar; the common people know me, and I am master. But a stranger in a strange land, he is no one; men know him not--and to know not is to care not for" (Ch.II/45).

2. Dracula has no single narrator binding the entire novel together from either an omniscient or an unreliable point of view. Rather, the book is cobbled together from several different narrators, some consciously narrating (Harker's diary, Mina and Lucy's letters, etc.), while others are forced into the role unknowingly (newspaper reports, phonograph recordings, shipping receipts). How does this affect how we read the work and understand even the simplest ideas of plot, characterization, and narration? Is the entire work 'unreliable'? Or does the factual nature of the sources (private diaries, public newspaper clippings) make it more reliable than our previous works?

3. When Harker first beholds the three 'brides' of Dracula, he remarks, "I seemed somehow to know her face, and to know it in connection with some dreamy fear, but I could not recollect at the moment how or where" (Ch.III/61). How might we use Freud's theory of "the Uncanny" to read this passage and others in the opening chapters, even though the monsters are clearly real? Is the Uncanny still valid when actual horrors are unloosed upon the fictional world?

4. How does Stoker's characterization of Dracula differ from modern versions of Dracula and of vampires in general? Though Dracula is not the first literary vampire in England (he is preceded by Polidori's Lord Ruthven by several decades), he created the prototypical mythology that all subsequent vampires follow. Nevertheless, Stoker's 'Dracula' shows some remarkable differences that often surprise or even disappoint readers. What might these be...and what might Stoker's intentions have been in writing him this way?

For Friday: Culler, Chapter 8 (no class on Friday!)

Batman: The Theoretical Poster Child of Identity

Answer ONE of the following questions based on Chapter 8 of Culler's Literary Theory, "Identity, Identification, and the Subject" by Friday (though no class that day):

1. On page 113, Culler writes that "Literature has long been blamed for encouraging the young to see themselves as characters in novels and to seek fulfilment in analogous ways : running away from home to experience the life of the metropolis, espousing the values of heroes and heroines in revolting against their elders," etc. What modern work do you feel works in this way today and why? How do people identify with the characters/situations in the book (or film) and why might this be perceived as dangerous?

2. From the perspective of Psychoanalysis, identity is not something that can ever be original or achieved; on the contrary, "identity is a failure...we do not happily become men or women...the internalization of social norms...always encounters resistance and ultimate does not work" (Culler, 114). Briefly discuss a work (book, film show) where this seems to be the case: how does the work explore some of the characters' difficulty in finding their identity as men/women, children/adults, professionals, parents, etc.

3. One of the great theoretical debates about group identity concerns essentialism, which states that there is something essential, or innate, to members of that group. This would suggest that to be born American is to be American; to be born black is to be black; to be born Italian is to eat Italian food. However, many writers and theorists, notably Richard Rodriguez (author of The Hunger of Memory, Brown, etc.) claims that race/ethnicity is a cultural choice and that he, though born to Mexican parents, is more Chinese because he lives and identifies with the Asian culture prevalent in San Francisco. What do you think about the idea that you can 'choose' your identity in a cultural sense? Can a 'white' kid become 'black'? Can an American become Iranian? Can an Italian prefer Indian food to his 'own'? (and is there a such thing as your food?)

Next Week: The Others (film) and Critical Paper #1

We'll be watching The Others next Monday-Wednesday (and possibly a bit on Friday), with a general discussion on Friday.  Instead of questions for this week, since you have a paper due, we'll do some in-class writing based on the film and its 'reading' of The Turn of the Screw.

Critical Paper #1 is below (for some reason it didn't post when I submitted it on Monday--my apologies!)

Critical Paper #1: Theories of the Gothic

For your first longer, critical paper, I want you to use Short Paper #2 as a bridge into a theoretical, analytical discussion of both Poe and James.  Paper #2 should be absorbed into the paper--with my comments, if you wish--and expanded or contracted as you see fit.  However, you must discuss both authors in your paper, focusing on at least one of Poe's stories and James' The Turn of the Screw. 

THE ASSIGNMENT

The assignment is simple: find a theoretical perspective that allows you to analyze and connect each author’s work in a useful and interesting way.  You don't have to say anything shocking or new, but I want you to find ideas that are new to you and change the way you initially read the stories.  Consider the approaches of poetics (author, intended reader, immediate culture) and hermeneutics (the text, reader response, outside culture and theoretical ideas) as you begin to formulate your ideas.  Above all be consistent: if you wrote about ‘poetics’ in your Paper #2, continue the same approach for the entire paper (don't switch mid-stream).  Also, be sure to ground your discussion in close readings of specific passages in the text.  Don't rely on plot summary or vague generalizations.  Be specific and point your reader to ideas in the text that you want them to see/read/interpret. 

SOURCES

For your sources, I want you to exploit the treasure-trove of theoretical ideas you have at your fingertips: Culler's Literary Theory and the Bedford/St. Martin's edition of The Turn of the Screw.  You do not have to find sources outside of these two works (and the articles printed within them), but you are certainly allowed to hunt for more articles on Poe, James, or your own theoretical suspicions.  However, you must use the following in your paper:

·         At least one chapter Culler's Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction (stick to the chapters we've read and discussed: 1, 2, 4 and 6).  Culler offers numerous jumping-off points for a meaningful analysis of any work, and I've tried to make connections between his text and our books throughout class.   

·         At least two sources in our edition of The Turn of the Screw: these can be contextual documents (such as "The Victorian Governess in Fact and Fiction") or James' Revisions to the two editions, or the theoretical approaches in the back (such as Bruce Robbins' essay or others). 

·         Also consider Freud's essay, "The Uncanny" which I passed out in class, or other articles on Poe, James, individual works, Marxism, Psychoanalysis, Reader Response Theory, Feminism, Gender/Queer Theory, etc. 

REQUIREMENTS

·         At least 5-6 pages double spaced

·         The sources listed above, cited according to MLA format

·         DUE BY FRIDAY, MARCH 9th BY MIDNIGHT (in true Gothic fashion)

For This Week: Marx, Class and Culture

Readings for this Week:

* The Victorian Governess in Fact and Fiction, pp. 158-183

* Bruce Robbins, "They don't much count, do they?": The Unfinished History of The Turn of the Screw, pp. 376-389

Answer ONE of the following...

1. Anna Jameson wrote in 1846 that the position of governess "places a woman of education and of superior faculties in an ambiguous and inferior position, with none of the privileges of a recognized possession, or places a vulgar, half-educated woman in a situation of high responsibility, requiring superior enowments" (163).  Does this knowledge make us more or less sympathetic (or more or less suspicious) of the governess/narrator?  And knowing this, what do you feel might have been James' intentions in creating her story? 

2. Many Marxist critics, such as Lucien Goldmann "rejected the idea of individual human genius, choosing to see works, instead, as the "collective" products of "trans-individual" mental structures" (367).  In other words, focusing on an all-knowing, elite author struck them as a bourgeoise construction that denied "the people" their role in creating history and literary thought.  How might we use the readings in "The Victorian Governess in Fact and Fiction" to perform a Marxist reading of The Turn of the Screw?  What ideas/passages might it highlight? 

3. In Bruce Robbins' essay, he focuses on Douglass' comment that "she was a most respectable person--till her death, the great awkwardness of which had, precisely, left no alternative but the school for little Miles" (379--pp.27-28 in our book).  He reads this passage through a Marxist lens, finding it evidence that "Miss Jessel never was real.  She was already a sort of ghost" (379).  How, according to Robbins, do class issues make all servants 'ghosts' in the house of an aristocrat?  How are these sentiments echoed by the governess and/or other characters in the novel, according to Robbins? 

4. Robbins, quoting Fredric Jameson's famous book, The Political Unconsciousness, remarks that a romance is a "symbolic answer to the perplexing question of how my enemy can be thought of as being evil...when what is responsible for his being so characterized is simply the identity of his own conduct with mine, the which...he reflects as in a mirror image" (387).  Robbins uses this to suggest that the governess creates 'doubles' of herself to exorcise the great 'evil' of her existence.  In this light, how does Robbins reinterpret Freud's "the Uncanny" in terms more of class than psychoanalysis? 

Schedule Change for Next Week

The schedule for next week will change somewhat.  Disregard the syllabus for next week and do the following readings (questions will be forthcoming):

Monday: The Victorian Governess in Fact and Fiction (pp.158-183)
Wednesday: No Reading/Introduction to Marxism
Friday: Bruce Robbins, "They Don't Count Much, Do They?: The Unfinished History of The Turn of the Screw" (pp.376-389)

Reading for Wednesday: James' Revisions, pp.121-154

For Wednesday, I want you to read the section called "James' Revisions to The Turn of the Screw on pages 121-154.  Granted, much of this consists of word by word changes, or mere sentence changes.  Skim over most of it and note any interesting alterations.  However, I want you to specifically focus on pages 146-154, since this is a more detailed discussion of key changes that affect the meaning/interpretation of the work.  This is a great 'poetics' approach to reading the novel, and one that might inspire you for your Short Paper #2 (assignment below). 

For Next Friday: Short Paper #2

Short Paper #2: Poetics & Hermeneutics

“Meaning is an inescapable notion because it is not something simple or simply determined.  It is simultaneously an experience of a subject and a property of a text.  It is both what we try to understand and what in the text we try to understand.” (Culler, Chapter 4 “Language, Meaning, and Interpretation”)

For this short paper (2-3 pages), I want you to write about a short passage from either one of Poe's stories or The Turn of the Screw using the perspective of "poetics" or "hermeneutics."  The passage could be as short as a paragraph or as long as a page, but no longer.  You will perform a close reading of the passage, carefully examining the language and the ideas in the passage to support your theoretical reading/ideas about the story.  Be sure to quote significant passages and explicate them--meaning translate what you think they mean to the reader. 

If you choose "poetics," you should focus on some aspect that is known about the story--something that can be traced back to the text.  For example, biographical details, historical/cultural information, conventions of the Gothic story (narration, etc.), and the expectations of the author's audience are all 'poetic' possibilities.  However, don't do all of them--choose one poetic perspective and examine this passage through this theoretical lens.  Pick a passage that you feel reveals something significant if examined in this way, and examine the language closely to show us the 'clues' and hints sprinkled throughout.  Note that both of our editions offer poetic background for the stories--the Oxford edition of Poe primarily in the notes in the back of the book, and the Bedford edition of James in the Introduction and in the extra materials in the back. 

If you choose "hermeneutics," you should focus on something that is not known and exists outside the text.  For example, Reader Response theory believes that the reader creates meaning in a text, so what might specifically stand out for a 21st century reader?  What 'clues' do we see because of our unique position in the world--a world that comes over a hundred years after both of these stories were written?  OR, you could focus on other theoretical notions that aren't explicit in the text itself, such as issues of psychology (the Uncanny!), gender, sexuality, class, and so forth.  In general, consider how a reader today would encounter this relic of a previous age and civilization.  Remember: a book written in the 17th century about slavery would probably not be sympathetic to the plight of slaves; yet as 21st century readers, that's our overriding sympathy, to the point that we might not be able to stomach the book itself. 

NOTE: This Short Paper will form part of your Critical Paper #1; you should be able to use this almost literally in the body of your longer paper.  So consider ideas that might extend to other parts of the story or to other stories by either author. 

For This Week: James' The Turn of the Screw

Readings for This Week: 
* Culler, Chapter 4 "Language, Meaning and Interpretation" (Monday)
* James, The Turn of the Screw (Wednesday & Friday)

Answer ONE of the following...

1. In Chapter 4, Culler writes that “language is thus both the concrete manifestation of ideology...and the site of its questioning or undoing” (60). Focusing on a specific passage in the story, explain how James uses language to create an “ideology”--in other words, a way of interpreting the plot or 'what is happening' in the story. How much of this passage is how James (or the narrator) makes us experience what is happening...and how much is what is actually happening? Do you feel the passage is consciously using language to create tension between what the narrator claims is happening (the plot) and the events/occurrences themselves?

2. Looking at the story from the perspective of poetics, consider what assumptions James makes about the audience reading his story. What might be the “horizon of expectations” (Culler, p.63)? What elements of the story might be less frightening or disturbing to us, but were obviously meant to be disturbing and frightening? Or, you might also consider what Gothic elements have aged well, and why we might still be his 'ideal audience'.

3. Looking at the story from the perspective of hermeneutics, how might we use Poe's stories and/or Freud's “uncanny” as a “theory” to read aspects of The Turn of the Screw? What relationships between the Gothic elements of Poe (frame narration, the double, monomania, confessions) can be established in James' story? Why might reading James after Poe be more useful than reading James alone, without this crucial literary/historical context?

4. Culler warns us of the “intentional fallacy” in Chapter 4, since the author's intentions can never be the “oracle” of all truth and interpretation. Nevertheless, Peter G. Beidler offers valuable biographical context (hermeneutics!) on James' life just prior to the composition of The Turn of the Screw. During this time, his sister had recently died, as had a devoted female companion; to add insult to injury, his attempts to become a successful playwright ended in failure and humiliation, forcing him to return to writing novels—of which The Turn of the Screw was the first. How might these personal events be “read” in some aspect of the novel? Be specific and cite a specific idea or passage to illustrate your idea.

French Film Festival--Extra Credit!

Note: the questions & readings for this week are in the post below this one...

Extra Credit Assignment for ECU's French Film Festival

Step One: Watch one of the French films at the Festival. The link to the festival can be found here: http://ecuenglishtalk.blogspot.com/2012/01/ecus-2nd-annual-french-festival-starts.html

Step Two: Answer the following questions in a short paragraph each. Be sure you've actually watched the film; since this is extra credit, I won't give you anything 'extra' if it sounds like you're giving me vague plot summaries from any number of movies.

Step Three: Turn in your response no later than a week after the festival ends. I will return the paper to you to let you know whether or not you got credit.

THE QUESTIONS (answer all 3 for 3 extra credit points; 2 for 2; 1 for 1. Since your grade is out of 100, if you successfully complete all 3, I will add 3 points to your final grade...so if you get a 88, that's a 91).

1. Since this is a 'French' film, what do you think makes it French? That is, how might it be different from an American film of the same type—romantic comedy, drama, thriller, etc.? Focus on some details of the story, acting, writing, music, or cinematography that made it seem recognizably 'foreign' or 'French' to you and explain why.

2. What parts of the film did you either not understand (besides the actual language) or find culturally confusing? Discuss a specific part and consider whether it was due to the script, the acting, or the culture?

3. If you were making an American remake of this film, who would you cast as the lead actors and why? Explain how these actors might do well in these roles, and what opportunities these roles might give them (also, if they're similar to other roles these actors have done).

For Friday: Poe and Freud

For this week, we will be reading the following works:

* Monday, Poe, "William Wilson"
* Wednesday, Freud, from "The Uncanny" (handout in my box, if you missed class)
* Friday, Poe, "Murders in the Rue Morgue" (I deleted "The Fall of the House of Usher" which we were planning to read this day)

Answer ONE of the following for Friday's class...

1. In "The Uncanny," Freud introduces the phrase, "the omnipotence of thoughts," which he explains as the ancient, primal ceremonies and ideas of mankind which filter down through the ages despite the civilizing factors of society, literature, and religion.  He writes, "the animistic phase...did not pass without leaving behind in us residual traces that can still make themselves felt, and that everything we now find 'uncanny' meets the criterion that is linked with these remants of animistic mental activity and prompts them to express themselves" (147).  Where in Poe's stories for this week do we see the "omnipotence of thoughts" at work, and how might it offer a theory for reading or interpreting the work? 

2. While "William Wilson" intends to make an incredible series of coincidences seem quite real, "Murders in the Rue Morgue" takes an uncanny murder and shows it to be quite mundane (or at the very least, explainable).  Which story do you feel embodies the true 'perspective' of Poe--the skeptic detective or the uncanny believer?  Would he have us see the 'truth' behind the supernatural or debunk it entirely?  It is important to note that both stories have some autobiographical references, "William Wilson" perhaps most of all. 

3. How might the character of Monseiur C. Auguste Dupin be a 'theoretical' lens himself for reading fiction?  Why might his way of reading the murders committed in the Rue Morgue be similar to Culler's ideas about reading theory and literature in Chapters 1 and 2?  Try to use specific ideas from either the story or Culler's text. 

4. Based on your reading of "The Uncanny," do you feel Poe would agree with Freud's ideas--particularly in regard to the intereptation of his work?  Though Poe does seem to anticipate many of these ideas in his stories, is it anacrhonistic to say that they share the same basic theory?  Does Poe actually develop his ideas of 'the uncanny' in different ways--and to different ends?  Use examples from either text to support your answer.

For Friday: Poe and Narrative

Jumping off from Chapter 6, "Narrative" (in Culler's book), we'll be examining four short short stories from Poe from a narratological perspective.  Remember that a story is an ordered series of events based on (a) who is speaking, (b) who they are speaking to (audience/intended audience), and most importantly (c) who speaks with what authority?  Poe actively (gleefully) plays with these distinctions and challenges how we interpret plot and the narrator's intentions. 

For Friday, answer ONE of the following in a decent sized paragraph (no one sentence or brief resposnes please!).  Also, quote from the stories to support your answer.  Show us where you see these ideas in the text.

1. Culler writes that narrators are "termed unreliable when they provide enough information about situations and clues about their own biases to make us doubt that the narrator shares the same values as the author" (88).  How do any of the four stories for this week exhibit unreliable narration--and where?  How do they expose the narrative 'stagecraft' and allow us to see behind the scenes to another--and possibly more reilable--plot? 

2. All four stories (The Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, and Berenice)  feature a confessional narrator--one who unburdens his heart after committing a terrible deed.  So what makes each one distinct and interesting?  Choose two of them and compare how Poe 'theoretically' approaches the same plot from different directions.  How does he use characterization, language, and other perspectives to change how we experience and understand the stories?

3. Poe is writing firmly in the Gothic tradition of storytelling, which usually favors (a) a confessional story, (b) symbolism and allegory, and (c) a setting that contributes to the psychological mood of the story.  In what way are these stories "intertextual," in that they write about writing about the Gothic?  How do we know he is referencing and borrowing Gothic traditions and using them for his own ends?  Can we see his 'winks' to the audience regarding this? 

4. Culler also reminds us that "A work from another time and place usually implies an audience that recognizes certain references and shares certain assumptions that a modern reader may not share.  Feminist criticism has been especially interested in the way that European and American narratives frequently posit a male reader: the reader is implicitly addressed as one who shares a masculine view" (87).  Where do you see passages in the work that imply an "ideal" audience and/or a "masculine view"?  Even though we can appreciate them, how are they products of Poe's society with its own unique aesthetics?  Consider how little part women play in these stories, and how easily they are controlled/destroyed by the men in the stories. 

For next week:Culler, Ch.2 & Short Paper #1 Assignment

NOTE: For M &W, read Chapter 2 of Culler's Literary Theory; we will discuss this chapter in class.  On Friday we will discuss your SP#1 below...

Short Paper #1: Literature as Theory/Theory as Literature

In Chapter 2 of Literary Theory, Culler writes that “Literature is the noise of culture as well as its information.  It is an entropic force as well as cultural capital.  It is a writing that calls for a reading and engages readers in problems of meaning” (40). 

For this short, introductory paper, I want you to choose a work of 'literature' you've already read—perhaps the favorite book you mentioned on the first day of class.  But it doesn't necessarily have to be a book: it could also be a show, a film, or comic book/graphic novel, or something else you feel qualifies as literature (read Ch.2 for examples).  Then I want you to write a short 2-3 page paper examining how this work functions as a work of theory: that is, as something that (1) questions 'common sense' ideas about culture and society; (2) is interdisciplinary (that is, it can relate to other fields and ideas outside of the book); (3) is analytical and speculative—it attempts to work out ideas of identity, etc. and (4) is complex and reflexive—making us 'think about thinking' without giving easy answers.

In doing this, also think about what makes literature literature according to Chapter 2.  As Culler suggests, literature is not only a product of culture but it shapes culture as well.  So any book written in 2011 is shaped by the ideas, biases, and aesthetics of 2011...but a truly significant work can also change how people in 2011 think about the world around them.  The work you choose (and almost anything can fit if you think about it) should help us “see” the world we live in and question, in some way, how we see it, and how the characters (and thus, ourselves) engage in 'common sense' every-day ideas. 

FOR EXAMPLE: I might choose Swift's Gulliver's Travels, which is about a traveler who has the bad luck to keep getting shipwrecked on strange lands—either a land of giants, or ant-sized people, or extremely wise horses who use humans for 'cattle.'  What initially seems like a crazy adventure yearn becomes quite theoretical when you consider when it was written: 1726.  Gulliver's Travels is a way of examining Swift's society by making it satirical; through this lens, we realize that the humor is based on real absurdities and conditions that were seen as normal and even ideal.  By “blowing up” his society on a gigantic scale (the Brobdignagians) or shrinking them to absurd size (the Liliputians) the book shifts our perspective on 'common sense' notions and critiques them through the seemingly naïve perspective of an outsider—the traveler/author himself. 

DUE IN-CLASS NEXT FRIDAY: we will discuss your papers and books in class as the “reading” for that day, so be sure to come! 

Questions for Culler, Chapter One "What is Theory?"

Rousseau, one of the "theorists"

By Friday, I want you to respond to ONE of the following questions in a decent-sized paragraph using support/ideas from the text.  Please no one-word answers or empty statements; trying to articulate something abstract like theory helps you come to terms with it, so this assignment (and others like it) will be very beneficial!  Good luck...

From Chapter One, "What is Theory?"

1. What does it mean that an idea like sex, or gender, is "culturally constructed"?  How can theory help us examine this and understand why it's like this--and perhaps, even re-write it? 

2. Culler, through examples with Derrida and Rousseau, explains that writing is a supplement to speech (just as speech is itself a supplement of an earlier, pre-linguistic 'language'): what does it mean that writing 'supplements' speech?  Is it less important or powerful?  How does this help us understand how we write and use writing, and the limits of writing (especially in literature) itself?

3. Our culture talks a lot about being a "natural" person or being an "authentic" person.  We're very concerned with being our "true self."  However, as Culler points out, such a thing might not even exist.  Why is this?  How does culture (through theory) explain how being "natural" is no more natural than any other state of being?

4. Why, according to Culler, is theory not predictable or completely knowable?  Why could you never truly master theory?  And if so, why study it at all?  What is the point of studying something you can--in a sense--never truly learn? 

Welcome to the Course!

This is our official class blog for Critical Responses to Prose, Spring 2012.  However, as the web address suggests, our sub-theme for this course is 'gothic literature,' and much of our time in class will be spent discussing this unique--and long-lasting--genre, and particularly, how various theoretical approaches can uncover new meanings in what can seem like rather exhausted stories. 

I will be posting questions each week for the readings, and you will be required to respond to ONE of these questions by Friday of that week (or a Wednesday, if a Friday is canceled).  However, you don't need to worry about that this week...for now, look over the syllabus and be sure to buy the books for class (rather than wait until Week 9 to buy them, at which case the bookstore will have shipped them back!).  I look forward to teaching this class (I've spent the December break reading and preparing for it, to the exclusion of all my other classes!) so I hope you will find it enjoyable, enlightening, and occasionally even fun.  If nothing else, you need to read Dracula at least once in your life. 

More soon!