Theory & Criticism ENG382 Professor Mead
Spring 2021
An explanation of this class’s form is in order. The subject of literary theory is massively broad and often (but not always) unfathomably deep. It is akin to studying how people react to, say, people. In fact it is studying how people react to one of the most common activities of people, which is writing. There are a number of ways this course could go. For example, we could study formalism, structuralism, new criticism, psychoanalytical theory, Marxist criticism, feminist criticism—the list goes on and on. Then the students would be familiar with the general modes of thought of various schools of theory. This is a strong model with a time-honored history. Typical assignments would then be to practice these theories on literary texts. But to what end? How would you use this knowledge? How would this knowledge change you, as a reader of texts and perhaps a reader of organizations, events, or other people?
Perhaps the best thing a course in that Literary theory can do for us is to make us more aware of who we are, what a text is, and how we process the experience of reading a text and bringing that text into the world.* So this is my plan: to present you with a text. To subsequently present you with two serious responses to the same text. To ask you what you think is important in the text to the two critics. To ask you what you think is important to the text (hoping you will all have different answers). To present you with four or five contemporary schools of reading, for your consideration of the text. And finally to require you to write two interpretive essays about the text that organize themselves around or in reputation of differing modes in inquiry (not just different ideas or parts of the text).
My thinking here is to make literary theory authentic to your reading, interpreting, and writing about Othello. To do that we will work from the inside out. What does that mean? Well, the opposite, working from the outside in, might look like reading the play, choosing a theory, and applying the theory to the play—sort of like finding a nice piece of wood and painting it. The problem with “outside in” is that it never really gets to the “in”; it stays on the surface (plot, narrative, characters) of the text. Consider finding this same piece of wood and first asking yourself, “what to me is special or definitive about this piece?” Maybe it has an interesting grain; maybe it smells pleasantly; maybe it is particularly hard and close-grained, or soft and wide-grained. Maybe the kind of tree it come from is important to you. Maybe you want to think about its shape and wonder what natural forces got it that way. Maybe you want to build a chair and are thinking about how this piece would be used. If you were to reshape the piece of wood, how important would it be to you to preserve its native grain, color, texture, place or origin, etc.? What processes could you enlist to bring out the natural colors? Was this wood or the tree it came from important to a particular group of people? How? Why? So our process will be to study Othello, cognizant of its sources, history, language, audience, associations; its place in our world; its connections to our current concerns. And then to test a sample, the way a mineralogist might test moon dust, as a way of asking it questions and inferring some answers. The sample will be brief passages which we will subject to various theoretical approaches to see what they will yield.
Some critical schools are responses to earlier schools of thought; some exist to create social change; some delve deeply into historical, social, and scientific methods and materials.
You will probably notice some connections between different theories: feminist and queer, materialist and postcolonial, ecocritical and posthumanist.
* When I use read to denominate the fullest sense of the word: first, to decode the letters and words on the page, then to study the language, its context, meaning, connotations; to consider comparatively other works; to interpret and to analyze.
Participation in this class is vital; you cannot receive a sterling grade without regular, informed, and considered interaction with the instructor and your classmates. 20% of final grade.
Presentations are an important way to demonstrate your learning to the class. Each student will have the opportunity to present a summary and explanation of the secondary texts lists in the syllabus. 20% of final grade.
Papers are the final piece that will show your learning. You must write two interpretive papers on some aspect of Othello. Each must demonstrate the following: a clear thesis supported by analysis of the text; an articulated methodology; serious consideration and integration of at least one school of theory (you may not use the same school(s) in both papers); a clear conclusion of what has been gained by use of that theory relative to use of other theories. Each paper is worth 30% of your final grade. You may submit these papers at any time during the semester. I strongly advise you not to do so before having worked through the beginning of at least two or three etexts we’re using in the class. A paper submitted prior to March 31st may be re-submitted with substantial revision** for a new grade once. The rewrite must be submitted within two weeks of your receiving it back from the instructor. Papers may be no longer than 7 pages (exclusive of works cited and notes), so be sure to cut all the verbiage!*** I suggest you write one paper well before 3/31 (so you can rewrite before April) and the second paper at the end of the semester, to take advantage of the student presentations and workshops. MLA format.
January
20 W Introduction. Syllabus. Very, very brief history of criticism.
25 M Othello. Have whole play read. 3 critical questions about I.i.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN4Kpj1PFKM
27 W G. K. Hunter 275-288.
February
1 1 M Michael Neill 314-337.
3 W What kinds of questions do we want to ask?
8 M Shakespeare & Feminist Theory 1-74
10 W Shakespeare & Feminist Theory 1-74
15 M No Classes
17 W Shakespeare & Queer Theory 1-55
22 M Shakespeare & Queer Theory 1-55
24 W Shakespeare & Cultural Materialist Theory 1-66
March
1 M Shakespeare & Cultural Materialist Theory 1-66
3 W Shakespeare & Postcolonial Theory 1-78
8 M Shakespeare & Postcolonial Theory 1-78
10 W Shakespeare & Ecocritical Theory 1-93
15 M Shakespeare & Ecocritical Theory 1-93
17 W Shakespeare & Posthumanist Theory 1-54
22 M Shakespeare & Posthumanist Theory 1-54
24 W Feminist Theory Presentation
29 M Queer Theory Presentation
31 M Cultural Materialist Theory Presentation
April
5 M No Classes
7 W Postcolonial Theory Presentation
12 M Ecocritical Theory Presentation
14 W Posthumanist Theory Presentation
19 M Psychoanalytic Theory (extra credit)
21 W Workshop
26 M Workshop
28 W Your Semester in Review
**Substantial revision does not mean merely cleaning up the grammar, spelling, and usage. Or “sticking things in.” It implies modifying the thesis, methodology, and use of secondary sources.
***In my experience, almost all writing can be shortened by at least 30-50% without losing any meaning. Most writing has almost twice the necessary words. (I just cut the previous sentence by a half)
Our Virtual Classroom Environment: You have asked to be challenged by deciding to pursue a college degree. You may not have imagined what those challenges would look like or how much time and energy you will need to put into meeting those challenges. Please remember that I will always be asking you for your best, asking you to achieve things you have not achieved before, to manage skills you may not have been adept at before. Why else take a class? But please understand that behind my expectations, impelling them, is my desire that you benefit deeply from our collegial inquiry, in preparation for profession life.
Please be in attendance a few minutes before class time. Have your texts, a notebook, and writing tools with you. Please keep your video on throughout, and your audio on whenever appropriate, which is most of the time.
The free pursuit of knowledge is your right, as you are a member of this Benedictine community. Therefore, you can expect at college an environment free of harassment, censorship, intimidation, or retaliation. This also means that if my teaching strategies give you cause for discomfort or confusion, please speak to me. I promise to listen respectfully and to strive to come to a mutually agreed-upon response.
Academic Honesty & Plagiarism: Academic dishonesty—in the form of intentional plagiarism (the representation of the work of others as your own) or in the form of unintentional plagiarism (improper citation of sources)—will not be tolerated in this class. Please see the University’s policy on plagiarism as detailed in the Student Handbook for an official statement regarding this serious issue.
If you ever panic about an assignment, please do contact your instructor rather than resorting to actions that might take you into the realm of academic dishonesty. I will be happy to clarify an assignment and its objectives, or to help you brainstorm. Even if you have to turn in an assignment late, that is far better than risking the consequences of academic dishonesty. If you are ever unsure of whether a citation is needed, I am happy to talk to you about this, as well. Be sure to see me about this BEFORE the assignment is due.
You must complete all assignments to receive a passing grade for the class.
Keep copies of all work submitted. Keep copies of enough drafts of each paper so that, if I suspect your work is not original, you can show me the growth of your idea through the drafts, and shame me into silence. Which I would love.
More than four absences (defined as not attending or attending but neither speaking nor participating) will seriously deflate your participation grade.
Office Hours as this class is online, you can either turn up early before our class meetings or stay after the meetings to chat. If You need more time or if these times are not good for you, we can arrange another time to zoom.
Required text: Shakespeare, William. Othello, Norton Critical Edition, 2nd ed.
ISBN 9780393264227
eTexts available through O’Grady Library:
Shakespeare & Posthumanist Theory - https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1p2cpl/CP71339059890001451
Shakespeare &
Cultural Materialist Theory - https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1p2cpl/CP71339029140001451
Unhistorical Shakespeare : Queer theory in Shakespeare- https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1n9ad1a/TN_cdi_askewsholts_vlebooks_9780230614574
Shakespeare & Postcolonial Theory -https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1p2cpl/CP71340180880001451
Shakespeare & Ecocritical Theory - https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1p2cpl/CP71340229930001451
Shakespeare & Feminist Theory - https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1p2cpl/CP71339328810001451
Optional: Brown, Carolyn E. Shakespeare & Psychoanalytic Theory. Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare, 2015. ISBN ePub 978-1-4742-1612-8.
Finally, I’d like to encourage you all to work together. Not only on papers, but also on readings, presentations, and especially class conversations. Ideally, I would find you all talking about the class and texts before I even get online in the Zoom. I would like to have a hard time getting through my class plan because you all have your own intellectual agendas. Ideally, I would not talk as often as you talk to and respond to one another.
