2008-09 BM1 Introduction to the Critical and Scholarly Discussion of Literature, Part 1

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Please note that this academic year we will begin with the parallel courses (former Part II, now Part I) in the winter term and proceed with the lecture (former Part I, now Part II) in the summer term. It is not important which part of BM 1 you study first - as long as you study both.

See also: BM1:Curriculum for more information about what the BM1 wants to achieve and the specific course requirements.


  • Hannah Treffert: Di 8 - 10, A04 4-411 (starts Oct 28)
  • Soeren Koopmann: Do 8 - 10, A01 0-004 (starts Oct 30)
  • Sarina Lal: Fr 10 - 12, A13 0-027 (starts Oct 31)

The first part of the Basismodul focuses on techniques of textual analysis in the context of discussing literature. We are offering five parallel courses (supported by tutorials). 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. You will find information relating to your course under the individual course number and lecturer.

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) and as a master copy at Wersig. In addition you will need to purchase two books.

Courses A-E:

  • William Shakespeare. The Tempest [1611]. Ed. Virginia Mason Vaughan and Alden T. Vaughan. London: Arden (3rd Series), 2000.
  • Joseph Conrad. Heart of Darkness [1899]. Eds. Owen Knowles, Robert Hampson, and J.H. Stape. London: Penguin Classics, 2007.

Course F:

  • William Shakespeare. Othello [1603]. Ed. E.A.J. Honigmann. London: Arden (3rd Series), 1996.
  • Joseph Conrad. Heart of Darkness [1899]. Eds. Owen Knowles, Robert Hampson, and J.H. Stape. London: Penguin Classics, 2007.

Course work: You will be asked to hand in three assignments (in session 6, 10 and 13 respectively) and produce a Research Paper Outline (due 02.03.09). The assignments are limited to a max. of 2-3 pages of text, 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 that describes your problem and your goal, and presenting a tentative table of contents as well as a short bibliography).

Tutorials will help you to practise your analysis skills and support you in doing your assignments and Research Paper Outline.


Two useful links for all assignements:


Session One, Oct 13-17: Literature and Education

Welcome

Texts

  1. Rudyard Kipling, "The White Man's Burden" (1899)
  2. Langston Hughes, "I, Too" (1925)
  3. Walt Whitman, "One's Self I Sing" (1867)
  4. John Donne: “Holy Sonnet XIV” (1633)
  5. John Milton: “Sonnet VII” (1645)
  6. John Milton: “Sonnet XIX” (1673)
  7. Stevie Smith: “The Galloping Cat”

Skills and Activities Preliminaries for seminar communication.


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source Wikipedia

Session Two, Oct 20-24: Poetry 1

Analytical Tools

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.

Session Three, Oct 27-30: Poetry 2

Analytical Tools

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 Four, Nov 3-7: Poetry 3

Analytical Tools

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 (Due: Session 6)

Session Five, Nov 10-14: Drama 1

Analytical Tools

Texts

  • Shakespeare, The Tempest (1611)

Skills and Activities

A speech from the Shakespeare play

Session Six, Nov 17-21: Drama 2

Analytical Tools

Pfister 49 - 57, 86 - 94, 126 - 147 Excerpt from Pfister

Handout: Analysing Dramatic Communication

Texts

  • Shakespeare, The Tempest (1611)

Skills and Activities

Dramatic Structures and Communication, Exposition [assignment 1 due]

Session Seven, Nov 24-28: Drama 3

Analytical Tools

Pfister 183 - 195

Texts

  • Shakespeare, The Tempest (1611)

Skills and Activities

Characters and Genre Aspects

Session Eight, Dec 1-5: Literary Theory

Analytical Tools

Texts

Skills and Activities

Postcolonial Studies

     Assignment II: Drama (Due: Dec 19)

Session Nine, Dec 9: Film Screening

Francis Ford Coppola (dir.), Apocalypse Now (1979 film)

  • Venue: A14 1-101 (Hörsaal 1)
  • Time: 19.45 - 22.15 h

Session Ten, Dec 15-19: Film Analysis

Analytical Tools

  • Handout: Film Analysis
  • David Bordwell et al.; Korte, Einführung in die Systematische Filmanalyse (2000)

Texts

  • Francis Ford Coppola, Apocalypse Now (1979)
  • Essay on Apocalypse Now in: Moore, Gene M., Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness: a Casebook, place: publ., 183-196.

Skills and Activities

Spectacle, Narratives and Fiction. Film Analysis.

[assignment 2 due]

 Übungsblatt (practice sheet on research techniques) deadline: first session in January!

Session Eleven, Jan 5-9: Fiction 1

Analytical Tools

Rimmon-Kenan 72-86

Excerpt from Rimmon-Kenan

Handout: Narratology

Texts

  • Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1899)

Skills and Activities

Narration, Focalisation. [assignment 2 returned]

      Assignment III: Fiction (Due: Session 13)

Session Twelve, Jan 12-16: Fiction 2

Analytical Tools

Rimmon-Kenan 59-71

Handout: Narratology

Texts

  • Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1899)

Session Thirteen, Jan 19-23: Beyond the Literary Text or Recapitulation

Analytical Tools

Texts

Skills and Activities

Literary Analysis and non-literary materials,

[assignment 3 due]

Session Fourteen, Jan 26-30: Term Paper Projects

Skills and Activities

Brief Report on 'Work in Progress': Your Term Paper Projects [assignment 3 returned]

     Assignment 4: Term Paper Projects (Due: 02.03.09)

Further Reading