S Modernist Fiction

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COURSE OUTLINE

3.02.141 S Modernist Fiction

  • [Module] ang614 - Genres: Cultural, Historical and Theoretical Perspectives
  • [Credits] 6 KP
  • [Instructor] Dr. Christian Lassen
  • [Time] Wednesday, 08.15 am - 09.45 am
  • [Room] A14 1-112 [exception: December 06, online]
  • [Description] The turn of the twentieth century with its many revolutionary and ground-breaking insights in fields as diverse as psychoanalysis (Freud), evolutionary biology (Darwin), physics (Einstein), economy (Marx), or even language itself (Saussure), marks the onset of an age that has since reshaped the world and the people who live in it: the Modernist Age. Exploring the relevant historical, cultural and intellectual contexts that give rise to Modernism and delving into the spirit of an age that is marked by war, social change, and cultural diversification, this seminar offers a comprehensive exploration of Modernist fiction through a critical examination of seminal works by Joseph Conrad, E.M. Forster, James Joyce, Katherine Mansfield, and Virginia Woolf. It centres on the intricate interplay between subjectivity, narratology, gender, sexuality, colonialism, religion, and (the limits of) language in a number of selected novels and short stories and, therefore, pays close attention to the many innovative narrative techniques, such as stream of consciousness writing, unreliable narration, or narrative fragmentation, that contemporary authors employ to represent their characters' ever-evolving consciousness, their identity formation and their inner thoughts and perceptions. Throughout this seminar, students will actively engage in close reading, critical discussions, and independent research projects (i.e., presentations), in order to grasp the subtle complexities of Modernist fiction. By the end of the course, participants will possess the analytical tools to deal with the period's arguably most influential works, while also recognising their enduring significance in the shaping of literary history.
  • [Office Hours] Thursday, 11.00 am - 12.00 am


PRIMARY TEXTS (Mandatory Texts)

Short Stories [will be made available]

  • Conrad, Joseph. "The Secret Sharer: An Episode from the Coast." 1910. Typhoon and Other Tales. Oxford: OUP, 2008. 177-217. Print. [ISBN: 978-0-19-953903-1]
  • Mansfield, Katherine. "At the Bay." 1922. The Garden Party and Other Stories. London: Penguin, 2007. 5-37. Print. [ISBN: 978-0141441801]
  • Woolf, Virginia. "The Mark on the Wall." 1917. Kew Gardens and Other Short Fiction. Oxford: OUP, 2022. 3-9. Print. [ISBN: 978-0-19-883813-5]


Novellas and Novels [please get your own copy]

  • Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness and Other Tales. 1899. Oxford: OUP, 2008. Print. [ISBN: 978-0-19-953601-6; please prepare Heart of Darkness]
  • Forster, E.M. Maurice. 1971 [1913/1914]. London: Penguin, 2005. Print. [ISBN: 978-0-14-144113-9]
  • Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. 1916. Oxford: OUP, 2008. Print [ISBN: 978-0-19-953644-3]
  • Woolf, Virginia. Mrs Dalloway. 1925. Oxford: OUP, 2008. Print. [ISBN: 978-0-19-953600-9]


ASSIGNMENTS

  • [Prüfungsleistung] Gruppenreferat (3-4 Personen; ca. 20 Folien) mit Schriftlicher Ausarbeitung (10 Seiten) [oder in Ausnahmefällen: Hausarbeit (15 Seiten)]
  • [Aktive Teilnahme] Regular Attendance (cf. Richtlinien der Fakultät III, Studiendekanat), Course Preparation (i.e. watching the asynchronous presentations), 4 Abstracts

Please note that written assignments (abstracts, short term papers, long term papers) need to be composed according to the style sheet ("Leitfaden") of the University of Oldenburg, which can be accessed via the 'Institutswiki'-page of the English department. The style sheet not only provides relevant information on how to write a correct bibliography but it may also help you to structure your work according to academic standards.

Please make sure to sign the "Erklärung zum 'Plagiat'" and to attach it to your research papers.

  • [Abgabefrist] 15. März 2024.



Contents


Session 01, October 18: Introduction

Organisational Matters

  • Assignments

Assignments are graded and mandatory. In order to obtain 6 credits (KP), you will have to give an (group) presentation (Referat, 20 Folien) on one of the presentation topics specified in the syllabus. In addition to that, you will have to hand in a short term paper (Ausarbeitung, 10 Seiten) by the end of term (15. March). In exceptional cases, you may hand in a long term paper (Hausarbeit, 15 Seiten) instead of the above. However, an exception is only granted upon prior consultation.

  • Presentation Topics, Presentation Groups

Presentation Topics are specified in your syllabus. In order to prepare your presentations, please pick a topic, get together in groups (see below) and write up a power-point presentation. Save the file and send it on to me so that we can discuss your presentation in your preparatory session. Preparatory sessions take place one week before your presentation is due, i.e. at the end of the session preceding your presentation. After the preparatory session, revise your presentation and make your file available on Stud.IP on the Friday before your presentation is due so that all participants can read/ watch the presentation in time, i.e. before the session.

Requests regarding your choice of presentation topics can be send to me via e-mail, starting on Monday, October 09. Please send me three possible presentation topics and prioritise them according to your preferences. I will sign you in in the order of the requests' arrival. Please check this page regularly to see if your requests have been met.

  • Active Participation

Active Participation is ungraded but mandatory. In order to fulfil the requirements, you will have to attend class regularly and prepare the presentations prior to the relevant sessions. Moreover, you will have to write four abstracts, each including a topic, a state of research, a thesis statement, and a brief outline of your argument (approx. 1 page), in the course of the seminar. You can choose your own topic; however: all abstracts have to address different primary texts. In other words, your abstracts will have to cover the four primary materials below. Abstracts are due by the end of the week (i.e. Friday) that marks the ending of the respective sections, i.e. due date Heart of Darkness: December 01; due date Maurice: December 15; due date A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: January 12; due date Mrs Dalloway January 26) 

   Summary: Presentations

1. Pick a presentation topic and contact me via e-mail (starting October 09). Check below for available places. Presentation groups may consist of 3-4 people. Send me three suggestions and prioritise them accoording to preference.

2. Contact the other members of your group and prepare your presentation, i.e. power-point presentation.

3. Send me your presentation at least 8 days before your presentation is scheduled.

4. Discuss your presentation with me in your preparatory session 7 days, i.e week, before your presentation is scheduled. Preparatory sessions take place during the second part of class, i.e. Wednesday 9.30 am - 9.45 am.

5. Revise and upload your file on the Friday before your presentation is scheduled.

6. Give your presentation in class.

Session 02, October 25: Theory Session - Modernist Fiction

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Guiding Questions

  • How does modernism relate to its literary predecessors, especially Victorian realism? What are some of the major "new" aspects of modernist literature and art that distinguish modernist modes of representation from realist modes of representation?
  • What social, cultural, and historical changes and developments have influenced and indeed brought about the emergence of modernist art? How do these changes (and the discourses the produce) shape the objectives and the (self-)concepts of modernist art?
  • Regarding form, what are some of the innovative techniques of modernist writing and what is their supposed function, i.e., what effects are supposed to bring about?
  • Regarding the representation of allegedley "basic" (or even "factual") aspects, i.e. time, space, identity (class, race, gender, sexuality, etc.), how does modernist art approach these issues?
  • Can you pinpoint modernist elements in other contemporary forms of art, i.e., modernist painting, music, etc.? What do these different modernisms have in common?

Group Work

These are the first pages from James Joyce's novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The first sentences basically throw us into a very specific mindset. Without further explanation, we come to share the perspective of the novel's protagonist, young Stephen Dedalus. How does he see the world, and how do we see the world through his eyes? Please discuss the narratological design of this opening, especially in terms of focalisation, and identify and discuss relevant discourses. You may want to look at aspects such as genre, gender, age, and national identity.

"The Garden Party" is the titular story of Katherine Mansfield's last short story collection. In it, the Sheridans prepare for their afternoon garden party and everybody seems thrilled with anticipation and excitement, especially Laura, a teenager, who is busy sorting out all the necessary arrangements when her enthusiasm is suddenly stopped short: she learns that one of their neighbours - the father of a poor family - has unexpectedly died in an accident. How does she fit this event into her life? And how do the other members of her family respond to it? What do they tell her, and what do they withhold from her? Please discuss the narratological design of the passage, especially in terms of focalisation, and identify and discuss relevant discourses. You may want to look at aspects such as class, gender, age, and family.

It is June 13th, 1923. Septimus Warren Smith, a combat veteran from the First World War, finds himself in Regent's Park on a sunny summer's day in postwar London with his Italian wife Lucrezia, when a single word - "time" - suddenly unhinges him. What is it that he sees, that he feels, that upsets him beyond recognition? And what do the others see and feel - Lucrezia, his wife? Or even Peter Walsh, a passerby who has just returned from India and visits London for the first time in decades? What is it that they recognize about Sepetimus? Please discuss the narratological design of the passage, especially in terms of focalisation, and identify and discuss relevant discourses. You may want to look at aspects such as war, mental health, age, and gender.

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group: Ramon-Gigel Lupu

Session 03, November 01: Modernist Short Fiction I - "Narrative Form, Subjectivity, and the Mind"

Primary Material

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Presentation

  • Representing the Workings of the Mind, or: Modernist Subjectivity, Stream of Consciousness Writing, and the (Alleged) Absence of Plot in Woolf's "The Mark on the Wall"
  • Presentation Group: Ramon-Gigel Lupu

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group: Lea-Marie Krüger, Finn Fromme, Patrick Kreyenborg

Session 04, November 08: Modernist Short Fiction II - "Narrative Form, Gender, and Genre"

Primary Material

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Presentation

  • Representing the Self and the Other, or: Modernist Masculinities, Changing Genre Traditions, and the Function of the Double in Conrad's "The Secret Sharer"
  • Presentation Group: Lea-Marie Krüger, Finn Fromme, Patrick Kreyenborg

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group: Lotta Nissen, Lea Tersteegen, Lukas Schewe

Session 05, November 15: Modernist Short Fiction III - "Narrative Form, Liminality, and Space"

Primary Material

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Presentation

  • Representing Liminal Spaces, or: Maritime Spaces, Gendered Spaces, and Colonial Spaces in Mansfield's "At the Bay"
  • Presentation Group: Lotta Nissen, Lea Tersteegen, Lukas Schewe

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group: Marvin Martens, Tom Dillner, Thomas Marr

Session 06, November 22: Analysing Heart of Darkness I - "Modernism and Colonialism: Eurocentric Attitudes, Colonial Exploitation, and the Congo Free State"

Primary Material

  • Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness.

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Presentation

  • "All Europe Contributed to the Making of Kurtz," or: Marlow, Narrative Ambivalence, and the Deconstruction of Colonial Power Structures in Conrad's Heart of Darkness
  • Presentation Group: Marvin Martens, Tom Dillner, Thomas Marr

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group: Antonia Blome, Cai Richter

Session 07, November 29, Analysing Heart of Darkness II - "Modernism and Gender: Deconstructing Gendered Spaces and Gendered Spheres"

Primary Material

  • Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness.

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Presentation

  • "The Women Are out of It," or: Deconstructing the Binaries of Gender, Race, and Space in Conrad's Heart of Darkness
  • Presentation Group: Antonia Blome, Cai Richter

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group: Paul Hasdenteufel, Leon Jürning

Session 08, December 06: Analysing Maurice I - "Modernism and Sexuality: (De-)Constructing Sexology and its Classification of Sexual Identities"

Primary Material

  • Forster, E.M. Maurice

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Presentation

  • "An Unspeakable of the Oscar-Wilde Sort", or: Representing Sexology's Invention of (Male) Homosexuality in Forster's Maurice
  • Presentation Group: Paul Hasdenteufel, Leon Jürning

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group: Alice Santoro, Annalena Schmitz, Marie Kersken

Session 09, December 13: Analysing Maurice II - "Modernism and Space: Locating Otherness and Male Same-Sex Desire in Modern Culture"

Primary Material

  • Forster, E.M. Maurice

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Presentation

  • "Greece Is not for Our Little Lot," or: Greek Love, Democratic Comradeship, Pastoral Escapes, and the Construction of Gay Cultural History in Forster's Maurice
  • Presentation Group: Alice Santoro, Annalena Schmitz, Marie Kersken

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group: Lucie Timm, Niklas Hand, Alexander Ifebuzor

Session 10, December 20: Analysing A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man I - "Modernism and the Developing Mind: Narrative Form, Adolescence, and Subjectivity"

Primary Material

  • Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Presentation

  • Becoming Stephen Dedalus, or: Stream of Consciousness Writing, Coming-of-Age Narratives, and Identity Formation in Joyce's A Portrait
  • Presentation Group: Lucie Timm, Niklas Hand, Alexander Ifebuzor

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group:

Session 11, January 10: Analysing A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man II - "Modernism and National Identity: A Look at Contemporary Ireland"

Primary Material

  • Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Presentation

  • "To Fly by those Nets,": or: Identity Constructions beyond Catholicism, Irish Nationalism, and the Celtic Revival in Joyce's A Portrait
  • Presentation Group:

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group: Stella Hachtmann, Lutz Emken, Mikko Bank, Fynn Menne

Session 12, January 17: Analysing Mrs Dalloway I - "Modernism and War: Modern Warfare, Shell Shock, and Trauma"

Primary Material

  • Woolf, Virginia. Mrs Dalloway

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Presentation

  • "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori", or: Representing Shell Shock, Trauma, and Mental Health Crises in Woolf's Mrs Dalloway
  • Presentation Group: Stella Hachtmann, Lutz Emken, Mikko Bank, Fynn Menne

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group:

Session 13, January 24: Analysing Mrs Dalloway II - "Modernism and Beyond: Post-War Britain, Civilian Incomprehension, and Social Change"

Primary Material

  • Woolf, Virginia. Mrs Dalloway

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Presentation

  • Clarissa and Her Kind, or: Post-War London, Civilian Incomprehension, and the Deconstruction of Traditional Gender Roles in Woolf's Mrs Dalloway
  • Presentation Group:

Group Work

  • Group 01: "[T]hey love life [...] to give her party." (4-5)
  • Group 02: "He [Richard] must be off [...] the only flowers she could bear to see cut." (101-2)
  • Group 03: "She walked to the window [...] the little room." (157-8)

Please discuss the narratological design of the respective passages, i.e. narration and focalisation, identify relevant discourses, and characterise Clarissa Dalloway. What's your reading of Clarissa as a representative of postwar London?

Session 14, January 31: RPO Session

Guidelines for finding your RPO topic:

Your RPO topic needs to be related to at least one of the primary texts 

   March 15: Term Paper Due

Please upload your paper to the folder "Ausarbeitungen und Hausarbeiten" on our Stud.IP page and send a printed copy to the address below.

Bitte stellen Sie Ihre Prüfungsleistung in den Ordner "Ausarbeitungen und Hausarbeiten" auf unserer Stud.IP-Seite ein und senden Sie eine gedruckte Fassung an die untenstehende Adresse.

Dr. Christian Lassen

Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik

Fakultät III: Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaften

Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg

Ammerländer Heerstraße 114-118

26129 Oldenburg

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