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(→‎Session 06, November 22: Analysing Heart of Darkness I - "Modernism and Colonialism: Eurocentrism, Colonial Exploitation, and the Congo Free State")
(→‎Session 11, January 10: Analysing A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man II - "Modernism and National Identity: A Look at Contemporary Ireland")
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* "To Fly by those Nets,": or: Identity Constructions beyond Catholicism, Celtic Revival, and Irish Nationalism in Joyce's ''Portrait''
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* "To Fly by those Nets,": or: Identity Constructions beyond Catholicism, Irish Nationalism, and the Celtic Revival in Joyce's ''A Portrait''
  
 
* ''Presentation Group'':  
 
* ''Presentation Group'':  

Revision as of 09:50, 21 September 2023

!!!UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!!


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] A01 0-009
  • [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. Print. 177-217. [ISBN: 978-0-19-953903-1]
  • Mansfield, Katherine. TBA. The Garden Party and Other Stories. London: Penguin, 2007. Print. [ISBN: 978-0141441801]
  • Woolf, Virginia. "The Mark on the Wall." 1917. Kew Gardens and Other Short Fiction. Oxford: OUP, 2022. Print. 3-9. [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] asynchrones (Gruppen-)Referat (2-3 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.




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 asynchronous (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. September). 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 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. Add your audio commentary to the presentation, save the file and send it on to me so that we can discuss your presentation during your preparatory session before you upload it. After that, you 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, April 03. 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.

Preparatory Sessions for presentations take place in the second part of the weekly sessions, i.e. Wednesday 9.30 am - 9.45 am. Please make sure that you send me your presentation at least one day prior to your preparatory session and that you attend said session the week before your presentation is due.

  • Active Participation

Active Participation is ungraded but mandatory. In order to fulfil the requirements, you will have to attend class regularly and watch the asynchronous 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 four out of five primary materials. They are due by the end of the week (i.e. Friday) that marks the ending of the respective sections, i.e. due date Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: May 5; due date Billy Budd, Sailor: May 19; due date Rebecca: June 9; due date Calamity Jane June 23; due date Dead Poets Society July 7) 

   Summary: Presentations

1. Pick a presentation topic and contact me via e-mail (starting April 03). Check below for available places. Presentation groups may consist of a maximum of 3 people.

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

3. Send me your presentation 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. Upload your file on the Friday before your presentation is scheduled.

6. Be ready to answer questions on the day of your presentation.

Session 02, October 25: Theory Session - Modernist Fiction

Theory Texts

  • Stevenson
  • Childs

Guiding Questions

  • TBA

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group:

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

Primary Material

  • Woolf, Virginia. "The Mark on the Wall."

Theory Texts

  • Bartkuvienë
  • Ki
  • Head

Further Reading

Presentation

  • Presentation Group:

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group:

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

Primary Material

  • Conrad, Joseph. "The Secret Sharer."

Theory Texts

  • Casarino
  • Perel

Further Reading

Presentation

  • Presentation Group:

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group:

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

Primary Material

  • Mansfield, Katherine, TBA.

Theory Texts

  • Tordasi

Further Reading

Presentation

  • Presentation Group:

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group:

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

Primary Material

  • Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness.

Theory Texts

Further Reading

  • [TBA]

Presentation

  • Presentation Group:

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group:

Session 07, November 29, Analysing Heart of Darkness II

Primary Material

  • Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness.

Theory Texts

Further Reading

  • [TBA]

Presentation

  • Presentation Group:

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group:

Session 08, December 06: Analysing Maurice I - "Modernism and (Pseudo-)Science: (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 Maurice
  • Presentation Group:

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group:

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 Promises, and the Construction of Gay Cultural History in Maurice
  • Presentation Group:

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group:

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

Primary Material

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

Theory Texts

  • Esty
  • Stasi
  • Frattarola
  • Robinson

Further Reading

Presentation

  • Becoming Stephan Dedalus, or: Stream of Consciousness Writing, Developmental Narratives, and Identity Formation in Portrait
  • Presentation Group:

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

  • Mulrooney
  • Stevic
  • Schwarze

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:

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 Mrs Dalloway
  • Presentation Group:

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group:

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

Primary Material

  • Woolf, Virginia. Mrs Dalloway

Theory Texts

Further Reading

Presentation

  • Clarissa and Her Kind, or: Post-War Britain, Civilian Incomprehension, and the Deconstruction of Gender Roles in Mrs Dalloway
  • Presentation Group:

Preparatory Session

  • Preparatory Session Group:

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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