| Dr. Alex E. Blazer | Course Site | Assignments | Description |
| Materials | Assignments | Policies | Schedule |
Existential Literature
English 310-75: Writing about Literature
Spring 2005, MW 5:30-6:45PM, Bingham Humanities Bldg LL 15
| Professor: Alex E. Blazer | Office: Bingham Humanities Bldg 335A |
| Mailbox: Bingham Humanities Bldg 315 | Office Hours: MW 3:30-5:00PM |
| Email: alex.blazer@louisville.edu | Office Phone: 852-2185 |
| Web: www.louisville.edu/~a0blaz01/ | Departmental Phone: 852-6801 |
My thought is me: that’s why I can’t stop. I exist because I think . . . and I can’t stop myself from thinking. At this very moment—it’s frightful—if I exist, it is because I am horrified at existing. I am the one who pulls myself from the nothingness to which I aspire: the hatred, the disgust of existing, there are as many ways to make myself exist, to thrust myself into existence. —Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea |
What is literature, what is existence, and how does literature help us to define the parameters of our being in the world? In this course, we will learn how to critically write about literature by analytically reading existentialist literature. We will engage the six major genres of literature—poetry, short story, novel, drama, film, and television —in order to see how the techniques of literature—such as characterization, setting, plot, and point of view—can be interpreted to reveal the core conflicts and truth of the self. We will answer study questions to prepare us to write three formal papers, which will dig deeper into each work; and we'll do a group project in which we teach the rest of the class a new work of literature. Note that this course fulfills a General Education Writing (WR) requirement and is graded on a plus and minus letter grade scale.
required (UofL Bookstore)
Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed.
Roberts, Writing about Literature, 10th ed.
Sartre, Nausea
required (online)
course packet and articles
Assignments and Grade Distribution
informal writing, 20%
Informal writing is comprised of 1) responses to the reading and 2) responses to the first drafts of your peers' papers. 1) Approximately once per text, in class or out of class, you will write short, informal responses to a work of literature in order to practice writing about literature and work toward writing fully developed, interpretive papers. 2) Groups of 3-4 will respond to their peers' first drafts for revision.
paper 1, 10%
In the first paper of 500-750 words or 2-3 pages, you will rigorously analyze a key passage of a literary work, for example, how it highlights the core conflicts and themes of the text.
paper 2, 20%
In the second paper of 1000-1250 words or 4-5 pages, you will discuss a point of debate in interpretation of a work of literature and then argue your reading of the work.
paper 3, 30%
In the final research paper of 1500-2000 words or 6-8 pages, you will interpret a literary work of your choice, using 3-4 works of scholarly criticism to support your analysis.
group project, 20%
4 groups of 4-5 members will analyze, research, and then teach the class a work of literature of their choice via both audiovisual presentation and website. Among the 4 groups, each genre will be covered (poetry, drama, prose, film).
Class Participation
We're going to be working with challenging works of literature; therefore, we'll all benefit from sharing our questions and ideas. A bit of an internet addict myself, I recognize that the computers can be quite tempting; however, refrain from using them during class lecture and discussion. Finally, if I feel that the majority of the class isn't participating because they're not keeping up with the reading, I will give a pop quiz, which will factor into your informal writing grade.
Office Hours and Instructor Email
I encourage you to stop by my office hours to discuss any aspect of the course, literature, or life. I'm happy to answer small questions such as due dates over email, but I prefer face-to-face conversations for more substantive topics like papers and exams. I don't regularly check my university email on weekends, and I do not use Blackboard's messages feature.
Blackboard and University Email
We will be using Blackboard and Netmail for class communication and assignments. Have your university email forwarded to your private email or vice versa. You can review the Blackboard student manual and student login instructions for Blackboard and Netmail at Blackboard @ UofL as well as my Blackboard Basics.
Attendance
There will be a one letter final grade deduction for every absence beyond four days. Therefore, missing five class periods will result in a one letter final grade deduction and missing eight classes will result in automatic failure of the course. Habitual tardies and leaving class early will be treated as absences.
Late Assignments
There will be a one letter assignment grade deduction per day, not class period, for any assignment that is turned in late. Failing to turn in an assignment that is worth 15% or more of the course grade within five days, not class periods, of its due date will result in automatic failure of the course.
Plagiarism
Don't do it. Using someone else's words, ideas, or work without proper citation and representing it as your own is the most serious of academic offenses. See the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, Sections 5 and 6 on page 17 of the 2004-2006 Undergraduate Catalog for further information. Proven plagiarism can result in a failing grade for the assignment or the course and will be reported to the College of Arts & Sciences for further action, which can include notice in the permanent record, dismissal, or expulsion.
Failure of the Course
There are three ways to fail the course: 1) failing to regularly attend class, 2) plagiarizing, 3) failing an assignment that is worth 15% or more of the course grade, be it from poor quality, lateness of submission, or a combination of poor quality and lateness.
Disabilities Resource Center
If you have any specific needs or concerns, please feel free to discuss the issue with me outside of class. Contact the Disabilities Resource Center (Robbins Hall, 852-6938) for information and auxiliary aid.
Writing Center
The Writing Center (Ekstrom Library, Room 312, 852-2173) provides drop-in assistance for planning, drafting, revising, and editing papers.
This schedule is subject to change, so listen in class and check online for possible revisions.
Introductions Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (online) Rilke, "The Archaic Torso of Apollo" (online) |
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Kafka, "A Hunger Artist" (online) Sartre, "What Is Literature?" (online) Roberts, Ch1 (preliminary) |
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No Class: Martin Luther King Day |
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Carter, "Flesh and the Mirror" (online) Roberts, Ch4 (character) Woolf, "A Method for Teaching Invention" (online, 401-13 only) Guest Lecturer: Alanna Frost, "Special Topoi" |
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Sartre, Nausea Roberts, Ch7 (setting) In Class Activity: Antoine Roquentin: Character, Setting, Conflict |
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Sartre, continued Roberts, Ch8 (idea and theme) |
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Beckett, Waiting for Godot Roberts, Ch5 (point of view) |
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Beckett, Act without Words (online) Roberts, Ch6 (plot and structure) |
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Rilke, Duino Elegies (online) Roberts, Ch10 (symbolism and allusions) |
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Roberts, Ch9 (metaphors and similes) |
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group project signup |
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Graham, Region of Unlikeness (online) [focus on "Fission," "From the New World," "History," "Chaos," "The Marriage," "Holy Shroud," "Spring," "What Is Called Thinking"] Roberts, Ch11 (tone) group projects assigned |
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Graham, continued Roberts, Ch13 (poetic form) |
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film screening: Being John Malkovich (Dir. by Spike Jonze) Roberts, Ch16 (film) |
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film screening: Being John Malkovich |
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film discussion |
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No Class: Spring Break |
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No Class: Spring Break |
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television screening: Six Feet Under, "Pilot" Roberts, Ch18 (research essay) |
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Six Feet Under, discussion |
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Individual Conferences for Paper 3 Lab Time for Group Projects |
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Individual Conferences for Paper 3 Lab Time for Group Projects |
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| No Class: Work on Group Projects | ||
| Lab Time for Group Projects | ||
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Keats Bergman, Through a Glass Darkly ***Room Change: Bingham Humanties Bldg 217 |
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Wright, Native Son Miller, Death of a Salesman |
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| No Class: Reading Day | ||