Introduction to Literature
01 MTH1 CAC 10410 SADOFF SC-203
Critical thinking in literary studies inquires into the categories “ordinary” readers normally take for granted, such as the concepts of authorship, writing, and reading. It also demands that we examine what constitutes the cultural and historical contexts for literary production, reception, and study. This course introduces students to the terminologies, methodologies, and writing strategies necessary for successful reading of literature or pursuit of an English major. Through close readings of literary works, critical essays, and historical material, we will study a variety of critical and theoretical approaches to textual analysis and explore the relationships among literature, history, and culture. As we learn the skills of critical thinking in the discipline of literary studies, we will ask questions such as: “What is an author?” “What is the link between an author’s historical situation and cultural production?” “Why and what kind of special language does poetry (or fiction or drama) use?” “What is a genre, and how does it shape the reader’s response?” “Who or what ‘makes’ meaning: the author, the text, or the reader?” “What is the literary canon and who decides what counts as a classic?” The techniques and abilities you learn in this class will prepare you for reading and writing in your next English—or your other humanities—courses. Our literary texts will be Shakespeare’s Othello, Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, and Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, and poems by Keats, Matthew Arnold, and Anthony Hecht.
Attendance: Regular attendance and participation required; more than three absences will lower your grade.
Means of Evaluation: class participation, biweekly response papers, in-class and out-of-class writing assignments, and a research paper (7-10 pages).
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