ENGL 213-01: Spring Semester
2005
MWF 11-11:52, Dana 116
Instructor:Robert
Love Taylor
Office: Carnegie 201
Hours: MWF 1-2 and by appointment.
email:rtaylor@bucknell.edu
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|Requirements|
|Syllabus| |Online
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This
course focuses on twentieth-century fiction by writers of the southern
Appalachian
mountains. Their work portrays Appalachian life sometimes
in harshly realistic terms, sometimes lyrically, lavishly, from
perspectives
ranging (sometimes wildly) from comic to tragic and all points in
between.
In addition to our primary purpose of reading fiction as literary art,
we will try to comprehend the richness of the southern Appalachian
region,
past and present, raising the question of how the culture of that
region,
as presented in art and other forms, differs from the larger, more
familiar,
mainstream American culture. In the process, we should learn something
of the power of oral tradition, of regional folklore, of community,
isolation,
and the human spirit.
- Berry,
Wendell. The Memory of Old Jack.
(novel)
- Carson, Jo.
The Last of the Waltz across Texas. (short stories)
- Chappell,
Fred. Farewell, I'm Bound to Leave You. (short stories)
- Giardina,
Denise. The Unquiet Earth. (novel)
- Offutt,
Chris. Kentucky Straight. (short stories)
- Smith,
Lee. Saving
Grace. (novel)
- Still,
James. River of Earth. (novel)
Films:
- Matewan, feature film
directed by John Sayles, starring Chris Cooper
- Songcatcher, feature
film directed by Maggie Greenwald, starring Janet McTeer and Aidan Quinn
- Sprout Wings and Fly,
featuring old-time Appalachian fiddler Tommy Jarrell
- Seven Sisters, a
documentary about a Kentucky family
- In Jesus' Name, a
documentary about Pentecostal snakehandlers
- The Accountant, a short
film about family and land
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- Classroom
attendance is essential:
- More than
three absences will lower your grade a full letter.
- An absence
on the day of the midterm examination counts double.
- The
midterm examination cannot be made up.
- Six
classroom absences will result in an F for the course.
In
addition to showing up for class.
I expect you to be prepared to answer and raise questions about the
readings,
propose interpretations, and, when it seems necessary and appropriate,
suggest directions for discussion. [10%].
- Oral
Presentations: Twice during the semester, you will be responsible
for presenting
a brief, informal response to the reading and for leading discussion
afterward.
[15%]
- Essays:
I
am
primarily interested in your own interpretation and ideas about the
fiction we will be reading. If you do consult outside sources such as
journal articles or books or online material,
be careful to cite all sources properly (MLA form) and be scrupulous in
distinguishing
your ideas from those of critics, editors, or other readers and
scholars.
There will be two peer-editing sessions. Essays will
be due on:
- February
11.
A comparison/contrast essay focusing on two works. About 1500 words.
[15%]
- April
6.
A comparison/contrast essay focusing on two or more works by writers
not
written about in the first essay. Length: about 2000 words. [25%]
- Examinations:
A mid-term quiz (10%) and a comprehensive final examination. [25%]
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