Syllabus: Masterworks of Literature-World
Instructor: Brian Doherty Parlin
326. Phone 471-8798
http://www.laits.utexas.edu/doherty/
Office Hours: Wednesday 10:30-1:30 (or by appointment)
bfdoherty@mail.utexas.edu
Required Texts:
The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Vol. F.
Voltaire. Candide, Zadig, and Other Stories. Signet Classics Edition.
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Notes from Underground. Viking Press. Translated
by Pevear and Volokhonsky.
Other Texts will be available on Electronic
Reserves and/or Online.
Grading and Assignments:
Discussion Section. Participation, attendance, short assignments. 15%
Exam One. (February 24). Terms, Periods, Texts. 25%
Essay. 3-4 pages. On texts from Feb. 26-Apr. 2. 25%
Final Exam. All texts from Feb. 26-May 5. 35%
Attendance Policy: Applies to discussion sections. For each
absence beyond 3, 15 points will be deducted from your discussion section
grade.
Schedule of Classes:
January 20: Introduction to the course. Review of course syllabus, grading
policy.
22: Alice Munro, “Walker Brothers Cowboy.” (3008-20). Some history
(The Age of Enlightenment) and background to lead up to Voltaire’s Candide.
| *27: Voltaire. Candide. From Westphalia to El Dorado—To chapter
19 (p. 60). 29: Voltaire. Candide. Surinam to Constantinople. To conclusion. |
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February 3: British Romanticism. Online and ereserves reading
of William Wordsworth, with a nod to John Keats.
5: French Symbolism. Poetry and prose of Charles Baudelaire. Online and ereserves.
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10: Literary Realism. Fyodor Dostoevsky. Notes from Underground. Introduction
and Part 1. *12: Fyodor Dostoevsky. Notes from Underground. To conclusion. |
17: Modernism. Franz Kafka, “The Metamorphosis.”
19: Jorge Luis Borges. Intro. and “The Garden of the Forking Paths.”
On Ereserves: “The Circular Ruins.”
24: Test # 1. Literary Periods. Brief Biographies. Plot and Theme of Readings.
26: Africa and Beyond. Birago Diop (2487-2502) and Bernard Dadié (2607-2621).
| March 3: Doris Lessing, “The Old Chief Mshlanga” (2722-35).
Nadine Gordimer, “Keeping Fit” 5: Film of Nowhere in Africa. |
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10: Discuss Film. Introduction to Chinua Achebe. Things
Fall Apart, chapters 1-3 (2855-70). |
24: Chinua Achebe. Things Fall Apart, chapters 17-conclusion
(2923-48).
26: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “The Headstrong Historian.” (online
and on ereserves).
| March 29: Sunday at the Movies: Sugar Cane Alley. 31: Discuss Film/ Short workshop on writing essay test. April 2: Aime Cesaire. “Notebook of a Return to the Native Land.” Excerpts. Intro. (2539-42). Beginning to 2550 (". . . where Death scythes widely"). Page 255 (line 575, "So much blood in my memory") to bottom of page 2560. Page 2566 to 2570. |
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7: Essay test due. Part 3 of Course—A miscellany—around the world
in a month. Colonial North Africa. Albert Camus, “The Guest” (2570-2583).
*9: India Week. Rabindranath Tagore (1671-74), "Punishment" (1693-99).
Premchand, “The Road to Salvation” (1907-17).
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14: Anita Desai. “The Rooftop Dwellers” (3100-29).
16: China and the modern. Lu Xun (1917-41).
21: Zhang Ailing (Eileen Chang), “Love in a Fallen City” (2735-70).
23: Japan after WWII. Kojima Nobuo, “The American School” (2583-2607).
28: Germany and the Holocaust. Tadeusz Borowski, “Ladies and Gentlemen,
To the Gas Chamber.” Primo Levi,
30: Independent Study/ Prepare for the end of the semester.
May 5: From Israel. Poems by Yehuda Amichai. (2793-2800). A.B.
Yehoshua. “Facing the Forests” (3071-3100).
7: Last class day. Course evaluations. Prepare for the final exam. Last words
of wisdom. Awards Ceremony.