Nature/Goals of the Course
The focus of the course is conventional: a few works by five famous mid-19th-century authors. The angle of vision is not. We will examine Whitman's "Song of Myself" and "Brooklyn Ferry," Emerson's "The Poet," and "Self-Reliance," Thoreau's _Walden_, Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," and Melville's _Moby-Dick_. These well-known works of the American Literary Renaissance will be "viewed through" two contexts: (1) the current controversies about the American literary canon; and (2) several literary creations performed or written during the period but rarely taught as "classics": the Navajo Night Way ceremony, Douglass's _Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass_, Harriet Jacobs's _Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl_, the Hopi narrative "Powaq-wuuti," and Stowe's _Uncle Tom's Cabin_. These works will be paired by genre with the well-known classics: chant poetry (Night Way - "Song of Myself" & "Brooklyn Ferry," supplemented by "The Poet"), nonfiction prose/autobiography (_Narrative_, _Incidents_ - "Self-Reliance," _Walden_), and fiction ( "Powaq-wuuti" - "Young Goodman"; _Uncle Tom_ - _Moby-Dick_).
These rather unusual pairings will, I hope, help to raise basic questions about (1) the specific, intrinsic values (literary, historical, emotional, etc.) of the lesser-known works; (2) new ways to perceive American literary classics; (3) the formation of literary criteria; and (4) other implications of expanding the traditional canon.
Required Readings
Folder of readings about the American literary canon: Emerson's "American Scholar," Thoreau's "Reading" from _Walden_, Fuller's "American Literature" and Boyesen's "The American Novelist and His Public"; essays by Matthiessen, Warren-Brooks-Lewis, Lauter, Bercovitch, and Elliott; selected essays from the "Extra" section of _American Literature_; review of Tompkins; excerpts from Bloom and Hirsch; "Reconstructing the American Canon" (essay by the instructor)
Folder of readings related to the Navajo Night Way: "By This Song I Walk"; _Night Chant_; "Land/DenŽ tah."
Whitman, "Song of Myself" and "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry"
Emerson "The Poet"
Douglass, _Narrative_
Jacobs _Incidents_
Emerson "Self-Reliance"
Thoreau, _Walden_
"Powaq-wuuti"
Hawthorne "Young Goodman Brown"
Stowe _Uncle Tom's Cabin_
Melville _Moby-Dick_
Tentative Schedule
July 12-13 Theoretical Contexts: Old & New Literary Histories, Readings: Folder of readings about the canon
July17-25 Chant Ways: From DenŽ tah and Long Island, Readings: _Night Chant_ (17-20) & Whitman's "Song of Myself" & "Brooklyn Ferry" (20-25), Emerson's "Poet" Films: _By This Song I Walk_ & _Navajo_ Guest Speaker: Poet Luci Tapahonso (20: 9am/11am)
July 26 Examination
July 27 - Aug 3 Self P(r)ose: From Southern Plantations and Northern Ponds, Readings: Douglass's _Narrative_ (27),Jacobs' _Incidents_ (31), Emerson's "Self Reliance"(1), Thoreau's _Walden_(1-3)
Aug 7 Paper Due
Aug 7-15 Small & Grand Fictions: From the Pueblo & Hearth, Wood & Sea, Readings: "Powaq-wuuti" (7), Hawthorne's "Young Goodman" (7), Stowe's _Uncle Tom's Cabin_ (8-9), Melville's _Moby-Dick (10-15)_
Aug 16 Final Examination
Examinations
Both examinations will consist of two parts: (1) brief identifications relating to important concepts and "facts" discussed in class and in the readings; and (2) essay questions relating to the stated goals of the course. In the first examination both parts will cover the readings and discussions through Whitman & "The Poet." In the final exam the first part will cover the material after Whitman; the second part will be comprehensive.
Paper
Excluding the works by Whitman, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Melville that we examined closely, select a well-known mid-19th-century American work of poetry, nonfiction, or fiction by one of these authors (e.g., Emerson's "Nature" or one of his poems; Thoreau's _Resistance to Civil Government_; Hawthorne's _Scarlet Letter_ or a story; Melville's "Bartleby," "Benito Cereno," or _Billy Budd_; Whitman's "When Lilacs Last in Dooryard Bloom'd," "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking," "As I Ebb'd with the Ocean of Life." Pair your selection with one of the five lesser-known works we discussed (Night Way, Douglass, Jacobs, "Powaq-wuuti," Stowe. Discuss the implications of the pairing in relation to the goals of this course.
The selection is crucial. If the two texts are too dissimilar, you may end up writing two separate papers. Yet they must be different enought to lead you into discussions about different concepts of the functions, aesthetics, audiences, etc., of literature.
This is not a "research" paper; a 4 1/2-week semester is too short for that. Therefore, I will not require you to consult scholarly or critical studies of the works you discuss, though references to the first folder of readings should be very useful to you. If you think, however, that consulting secondary sources will help you to write your paper, two types of reference works will be particularly valuable: _Eight American Authors_ (which covers secondary sources through the late 1960s on the best-known 19th-century authors) and the annual volumes of _American Literary Scholarship_ (which covers studies of well- and not-so-well-known authors up through 1987). Of course the bibliographies and discussions of recent scholarship in the _MLA Bibliographies_, in _Studies in the American Renaissance_, and in _American Literature_ will also be useful. Consult with me about other types of reference works. (Use the current MLA form for citations, etc.)
Length: approx. 7 - 10 typed pages.
Due date: August 7 (Under normal circumstances, no late papers will be accepted.)
Grading
Criteria: I will expect you to be able to articulate your claims about the implications in an engaging, coherent, and organized essay that demonstrates your ability to support your onservations and claims with "evidence" from the works selected and with reference to relevant theoretical positions. Basic writing structures (grammar) and mechanics (spelling, punctuation, etc.) will also be a consideration.
Approximate weights:
First Exam 25%
Final Exam 35%
Paper 40%
Except in dire circumstances, late work will not be accepted. Intangibles that can raise grades include improvement during the course of the semester and consistent and constructive class participation.
Literature Seminars
Literature HP & Program
The ENGLISH HOME PAGE
Ken Roemer's HP.