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The Garden of Earthly Delights |
English 202: Monsters in Literature and Culture HOPW 017*
9-11:30am M-F *was Thom 201 Dr. Chidsey Dickson dickson.c@lynchburg.edu Office: 222 Carnegie Phone: 544-8110 Office Hours MWF 11:30-12:30 or by appt. |
Course Description:
This class offers a survey of “monster” literature from sea monsters,
Cyclops and Earthdragons of the classical period to
the contemporary monstrous murderers of serial killer lore and slasher films. While at first we’ll focus on monsters as
fantastical creatures, in second week we’ll begin to investigate more the
notion of the “monstrous” and all of its permuations
(grosteque, ugly, disgusting, satanic, uncanny, etc).
Monsters often embody borderline
concepts, things we worry about so we’ll explore the kind of
cultural work done by “Othering” (persecuting
monsters or projecting monstrosity onto some people). We’ll talk about how the
fear and disgust evoked by monsters and monstrous individuals mask or reveal
cultural values and assumptions. Finally, we will consider several “postmodern”
representations of monsters (Freddie Krueger, Salad Fingers, and the tragic
hero in Hal Hartley’s No Such Thing).
Required Materials
On Ugliness. Ed.
Umberto Eco. Trans. Alastair McEwen.
The Old Child: Jenny Erpenbeck
Sexing the
Cherry, Jeanette Winterson
Pop 1280, Jim Thompson
The Tempest, Shakespeare
Macbeth, Shakespeare
Course Goals
The course provides opportunities and support for learning to:
- do
close readings of texts from unfamiliar periods and genre
- appreciate
the importance of a reader’s response to the realization of a literary
work’s meaning
- understand
how conflicting interpretations can deepen the appreciation of works of
art
- be
able to discuss the value of literature for understanding the complexity
of living
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Grades |
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Quality and Quantity of Blackboard Writing & Class
Participation |
40% |
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Essay |
20% |
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Quizzes |
20% |
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Final (Take-Home) Exam |
20% |
Description of Assignments
à Blackboard Discussion
You will write one-two single-spaced, typed pages of journal writing
(on Blackboard) BEFORE 2pm on the
day of every class.
You will read ALL your peers journal entries and RESPOND to one BEFORE class (9am). I will look at
these journals over the semester and grade (at random) 6-8 entries at the end
of the semester. You simply miss those days. You can miss two journals and one
response without penalty.
Grading rubric for Blackboard Discussion:
A: EXCELLENT: the writing begins by
explaining how one of the central questions in the class can be addressed by
the text under consideration (sometimes this accomplished by comparing/contrasting
the assigned text with a previous reading); there is some close attention to
details in the text (a character foil, a scene, an important plot incident). The journal and response writing clearly shows a person making
discoveries about the work and not simply skimming the surface for the obvious
answer.
B to C: the writing does the job but doesn’t
mention the text in a meaningful way and doesn’t show too much interest in
figuring out some of the tough questions we’re puzzling out in the class
à Essay
3 pages, typed, double-spaced. See hand-out for specifics. Grading
rubric:
A: the writer describes a key scene or
feature of a work for the reader assuming the reader has not read the work; the
writer identifies a question or problem that a particular writer tries to work
out in a literary work; the writer’s developmental paragraphs take the reader
up close to the scenes and the language of the text; the writing is
well-organized (topic sentences and transition devices) and proofread.
B: the writer attempts everything described
above but doesn’t quite achieve the goals.
C-D: the writer discusses a thematic issue in
the work but doesn’t find one that really raises a question that merits
thinking about; much of the essay is a rehashing of plot; the writing has some
problems with general coherence and surface error.
à Pop Reading Quizzes
Can be: couple IDs (who’s talking), a couple
plot details (what happens), and some short answer questions.
à Final Exam
Write three essays (2-3 pages, double-spaced,
typed) from 8 possible prompts
Absences and Lateness
I will take roll at 9:03 am. If you’re not there then, you will be marked 1/2 day absent.
You can miss one day (or be late twice) and not suffer any consequences. Every absence after the first one costs your semester grade 1/2 letter grade. So, if you miss three classes, and your scores put you at a B+, your semester grade is a C+. If you miss four, you’re at a C. And so on.
Basically, you have to be
here and you have to be on time!
Disabilities
If you have specific disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know immediately so your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Support Services Coordinator in the Academic Advising Office (extension 8419) in order to have reasonable accommodations arranged and faculty notified.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious act of intellectual theft and will not be
tolerated. All language and ideas you derive from sources other than your own
fecund imaginations must be credited.
Note: Simply copying what others
have said in their Blackboard posts and changing around a few words for your journal
entry counts as plagiarism. You must do your own work for this class or else its not worth your time or mine.
Schedule of Assignments (note: many readings are in the packet)
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M 8 Introduction to the literary and mythological analysis;
discussion of ‘real’ monsters (Eco’s essay “How To Speak of Animals,” Plumwood’s narrative essay, “Being Prey,” & excerpt
from Quammen’s Monster
of God) |
T 9 Classical Monsters Homer’s Odyssey,
Book IX; selections from Job and Beowulf;
On Ugliness pgs 34-41 (lots of
pictures) Optional: On Ugliness pgs 8-33 (lots of pictures) In class: discussion of mythological monsters via
Professor Elizabeth Vandiver’s video lecture on
“Monstrous Females and Female Monsters” in Ancient Greek Culture |
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W 10 Classical Monsters Shakespeare’s The
Tempest Read: Plot overview http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/tempest/summary.htm Then Read the play. |
R 11 Gothic Monsters Frankenstein
(excerpts) http://dickson-c.web.lynchburg.edu/Frankenstein.htm From The
Penguin Book of Vampire Stories: Fragment of a Novel (Lord Byron), The Vampyre (Polidori), Dracula’s
Guest (Stoker), The Transfer (Blackwood), Drink My Blood (Matheson); On Ugliness pgs 203-240 (lots of
pictures) Optional: On Ugliness pgs 179-202 (lots of pictures) |
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F 12 What’s it Like to Be a Monster? Montaigne, “Of a Monstrous Child”; Shields, “Super
Heroes” & “Dying Just a Little” (re: Anorexia); Johnson, excerpts from The Fear of Beggars: Stewardship and
Poverty in Christian Ethics); Miller, excerpts from The Anatomy of Disgust; Read
1/3 of Erpenbeck’s Old Child |
M 15 What’s it Like to Be a Monster? Finish Erpenbeck’s Old Child & read ½ of Sexing The Cherry Optional
On Ugliness pgs 241-310 (lots of pictures) |
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T 16 The Monstrous Female Revisited Finish Sexing
the Cherry & some of Macbeth Optional
On Ugliness pgs 159-178 (lots of pictures) |
W 17 The Monstrous (Killer) Halttunen, Murder Most Foul (excerpts); ½ of Pop. 1280; some more of Macbeth |
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R 18
The Monstrous (Killer) Finish Pop.
1280 ; Faulkner, “A Rose For Emily” http://www.ariyam.com/docs/lit/wf_rose.html ; Klosterman, “This is
Zodiac Speaking” and finish Macbeth
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F 19 The Monstrous (Uncanny) “From Wikipedia: Some Psychoanalytic Concepts: The
Uncanny,” Lovecraft, “The Call of Cthulhu.” Poe,
“Ms Found in a Bottle,” & Ambrose Bierce, “The Damned Thing”: http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/abierce/bl-abierce-damned.htm On Ugliness pgs 311-332
(lots of pictures) |
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M 22 Goth Monsters Du Plesisis, “’Goth
Damage’ and Melancholia” & Edmundson, “Nightmare on Optional
On Ugliness pgs 391-440 (lots of pictures) Class time: Watch Movie: Ginger Snaps |
T 23 Horror &
Humor Lewis, “One,
Two, Freddy’s Coming for You” Class time:
Watch Movie: Pyscho
(Hitchcock) |
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W 24 The Scary Movie Magistrale, excerpts from
Abject Terrors: Surveying the Modern
and Postmodern Horror Film Class Time:
Watch Short: The Mysterious Geographic
Explorations of Jasper Morello (Lucas) |
R 25 The ‘Scary’ Movie http://horrorfilms.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_last_girl_character http://www.chefelf.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2063 |
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F 26 Exam and Essay Due |
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