2011 BM1 Introduction to the Critical and Scholarly Discussion of Literature
Please note: The BM1 (literature) and BM2 (culture) modules consist of a seminar and a tutorial each. All students beginning in the winter term 2010/11 need to enroll for one of the tutorials called "Reasearch Methods". Additionally, you will choose between a seminar under BM 1 (literature) or BM 2 (culture) for the winter term and then study the other one in the summer term. In the summer term you will enroll for the second tutorial, "Exploring History and Theory".
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Tutorials
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The seminar part of the Basismodul 1 focuses on techniques of textual analysis in the context of discussing literature. We are offering four parallel courses. Please make sure that you are registered under ONE of these in Stud.IP and open a wiki account which will enable you to participate in online discussions.
All parallel courses have a common structure. The texts for our courses will come from a common pool, though each course may have a different choice.
The "analytical tools" will be presented by the lecturers (on a handout) in each meeting. The additional reading from which these 'tools' are taken is not obligatory, and it can be done either before or after each session.
Both the texts and the other materials will be made accessible to you electronically (cf. the links below). In addition you will need to purchase two books.
Courses A-D:
- William Shakespeare. Richard II. Ed. Charles R. Forker. The Arden Shakespeare, 3rd series. London: A & C Black, 2002.
- Robert Louis Stevenson. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Ed. Katherine Linehan. New York, London: Norton, 2003.
Course work: You will be asked to hand in three assignments (max. 3 pages, due on May 6th, May 27th and July 1st respectively) and produce a Research Paper Outline (2 pages, due on August 15th). The assignments are to be formatted according to the style sheet, and will require you to analyse poetry, drama and fiction respectively. For the Research Paper Outline you will need to find your own topic to work on and document the preliminary work (this includes finding an appropriate title, writing a paragraph on the state of the art of your problem and one that describes your problem and your goal, and presenting a tentative table of contents as well as a short bibliography).
Two useful links for all assignments:
- Useful Hints for Assignments
- Literary Studies:Writing academic texts - esp. for the research paper outline
Contents
- 1 Session One, April 07: Introduction
- 2 Session Two, April 14: Analysing Poetry I: Poetic Conventions, Rhyme and Metre
- 3 Session Three, April 21: Analysing Poetry II: Figurative Speech
- 4 Session Four, May 05: Analysing Drama I: Rhetoric
- 5 Session Five, May 12: Analysing Drama II: Dramatic Communication and Plot Structure
- 6 Session Six, May 19: Analysing Drama III: Characterisation
- 7 Session Seven, May 26: Critical Debate and Literary Theory I
- 8 Session Eight, June 09: Analysing Fiction I: Narration and Focalisation
- 9 Session Nine, June 16: Analysing Fiction II: Characterisation
- 10 Session Ten, June 23: Analysing Fiction III: Close Reading
- 11 Session Eleven, June 30: Critical Debate and Literary Theory II
- 12 Session Twelve, July 07: Film Analysis: Themes and Techniques
- 13 Session Thirteen, July 14: RPO Projects
- 14 Further Reading
Session One, April 07: Introduction
Welcome
- Introduction to the BM 1 Curriculum, Aims and Goals
- Introduction to the BM 1 Programme
Texts
- Poetry Reader includes:
- Sir Philip Sidney, "Loving in Truth" from Astrophil and Stella (1591)
- Sir Philip Sidney, "Not at first sight" from Astrophil and Stella (1591)
- William Percy, "Sonnet II" from Sonnets to the Fairest Coelia (1594)
- William Shakespeare, "Sonnet CXXX" from The Sonnets (1609)
- George Herbert, "The Deniall" (1633)
- William Wordsworth, "Scorn Not the Sonnet" (1827)
- Walt Whitman, "One's Self I Sing" (1867)
- Christina Rossetti, "I wish I could remember" from A Pageant and Other Poems (1881)
- Langston Hughes, "I, Too" (1925)
- e.e. Cummings, "Pity This Busy Monster, Manunkind" (1944)
Skills and Activities
Preliminaries for seminar communication.
Session Two, April 14: Analysing Poetry I: Poetic Conventions, Rhyme and Metre
Analytical Tools
- Handout Analysing Poetry
- Sources: Culler 161-178; Ludwig, 31-33; Cambridge Companion to Literatures in English
Texts
- Poetry Reader
Skills and Activities
Structural approach to poetry: communicative situation, themes, metrics and language. Acquire a basic checklist of what to look (first) for in a poem. Recapitulate the basics of metrics and rhyme patterns. Recognise the features of a particular genre and genre conventions: the sonnet.
Session Three, April 21: Analysing Poetry II: Figurative Speech
Analytical Tools
- Handout: Figurative Speech
- Sources: Ludwig, 47-60; Leech, 147-157
Texts
- Poetry Reader
Skills and Activities
Figurative language, interplay. Spot metaphors, similes, etc. the metric pattern and valorise the points where it is broken. Reinforce basic checklist of previous week. Analyse particular features of poetic language (figures of speech, metrical effects).
Assignment I: Poetry (distributed on April 22, due on May 06)
Session Four, May 05: Analysing Drama I: Rhetoric
Analytical Tools
- Handout: Rhetoric
- Sources: Plett 3-22, 102-105
- Excerpt from Plett
Texts
- William Shakespeare. Richard II (1595).
Skills and Activities
A speech from the Shakespeare play
Session Five, May 12: Analysing Drama II: Dramatic Communication and Plot Structure
Analytical Tools
- Handout: Analysing Dramatic Communication
- Sources: Pfister 49 - 57, 86 - 94, 126 - 147
- Excerpt from Pfister
Texts
- William Shakespeare. Richard II (1595).
Skills and Activities
Dramatic Structures and Communication; Exposition.
Session Six, May 19: Analysing Drama III: Characterisation
Analytical Tools
- Handout: Analysing Dramatic Communication
- Sources: Pfister 183 - 195
Texts
- William Shakespeare. Richard II (1595).
Skills and Activities
Characters and Genre Aspects.
[assignment 1 returned]
Assignment II: Drama (distributed on May 20, due on May 27)
Session Seven, May 26: Critical Debate and Literary Theory I
History and Variety of Editions of Shakespeare's Richard II, History of scholarly and public interest in Shakespeare as a person and an author, Postmodern conceptions of text and authorship
Material
- Brief Overview of Theoretical Approaches and Movements
- Brief Overview of Theoretical Approaches and Movements, Variety A
- Major Theoretical Approaches and Movements in Relation to Wider Social Issues and
- Theory and the Wider Market of Debates - A First Draft
Texts
- Ina Schabert (Ed.), Das Shakespeare-Handbuch, 120-133 (Biography).
- Ina Schabert (Ed.), Das Shakespeare-Handbuch, 185-193 (Verfasserschaftstheorien).
- Ina Schabert (Ed.), Das Shakespeare-Handbuch, 196-243 (Editionsgeschichte).
- Michel Foucault, "What is an Author?". -- In Foucault's essay, concentrate on pages 108 - 113, where the four characteristics of the author function are discussed, and look especially at the third characteristic which is described on pages 110 and 111.
Skills and Activities
Theory and Critical Discussion. Secondary Material.
Session Eight, June 09: Analysing Fiction I: Narration and Focalisation
Analytical Tools
- Handout: Narratology
- Sources: Rimmon-Kenan, Chapter 6, 72-86
- Excerpt from Rimmon-Kenan
Texts
- Robert Louis Stevenson. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886).
Skills and Activities
Narration, Focalization.
Session Nine, June 16: Analysing Fiction II: Characterisation
Analytical Tools
- Handout: Narratology
- Sources: Rimmon-Kenan, Chapter 5, 59-71
- Excerpt from Rimmon-Kenan
Texts
- Robert Louis Stevenson. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886).
Skills and Activities
Characterisation.
Session Ten, June 23: Analysing Fiction III: Close Reading
Analytical Tools
- Handout: Narratology
- Sources: Rimmon-Kenan, Chapter 5, 59-71, Rimmon-Kenan, Chapter 6, 72-86
- Excerpt from Rimmon-Kenan
Texts
- Robert Louis Stevenson. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886).
Skills and Activities
Close Reading
[assignment 2 returned]
Assignment III: Fiction (distributed on June 24, due on July 01) Please find the assignment in your Stud.IP group.
Session Eleven, June 30: Critical Debate and Literary Theory II
Material
- Brief Overview of Theoretical Approaches and Movements
- Brief Overview of Theoretical Approaches and Movements, Variety A
- Major Theoretical Approaches and Movements in Relation to Wider Social Issues and
- Theory and the Wider Market of Debates - A First Draft
Texts
Skills and Activities
Theory and Critical Discussion. Secondary Material.
Film Screening: David Fincher (dir.), Fight Club (1999 film) Time/Date: 06.07.2011 20-22 Uhr A14 1-103
Session Twelve, July 07: Film Analysis: Themes and Techniques
Analytical Tools
- Handout: Film Analysis
- Link to glossary of terms by Mark Bischoff (based on Monaco): Glossary
- Sources:
Monaco, James. How to Read a Film: The World of Movies, Media, and Multimedia: Language, History, Theory. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2000. Bordwell, David and Kristin Thompson. Film Art. An Introduction. 9th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Korte, Helmut: Einführung in die Systematische Filmanalyse. Ein Arbeitsbuch. 3. überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage. Berlin: Erich Schmidt, 2004.
Texts
- David Fincher (dir.). Fight Club (1999).
Skills and Activities
Spectacle, Narratives and Fiction. Film Analysis. [Fiction worksheet]
Session Thirteen, July 14: RPO Projects
Skills and Activities
Brief Report on 'Work in Progress': Your Term Paper Projects
[assignment 3 returned]
Assignment 4: Research Paper Outline (due on August 15)
