HC 221 H, Honors College World Literature: The Narrative Subject, the Subject of Narrative
Bishop, Fall '07 | 308 Chapman | (541) 346-0733 | lmbishop@uoregon.edu
Office hours:
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Monday, 2:00 to 4:00 pm |
Wednesday, 2:00 to 4:00 pm |
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and by appointment |
Reserve office hour time via sign-up sheets on my office door (sign-up sheets list hours for the entire term); make an appointment if these hours don't work.
Class hours: CRN 12393 Mon., Wed., Fri. noon to 1:50 pm in 307 Chapman; CRN 12394 Mon., Wed., Fri. 1:00 to 1:50 pm in 307 Chapman
In this study of literary genres and types with attention to form, content, context, and literary history, we will concentrate on narrative (plot and genre) and identity (character). We will assess our texts with an eye to their contexts, while also enabling the past to engage our attention and sympathy. We will also gear ourselves to the habit of close reading. Our interest will be particularly drawn to shifts in narrative focus between war and love. Reading list: The Epic of Gilgamesh, the biblical book of Genesis in Robert Alter's translation, The Iliad, the Indian epic The Mahabarata, a selection of Arabic love poetry, and the lais of Marie de France. Except for the Arabic poetry and the lais, these books (including used copies, which are cheaper) are all currently available at the UO Bookstore.
Your own writing is, of course, both formally and contextually situated. HC 221 H includes writing analysis (composition) with the study of literature. In order to evaluate the formal elements of your own writing, please be advised of the University Composition Program's resources. (Back to top of page)
1. FIRST WRITING ASSIGNMENT, DUE WEDNESDAY, September 26: The harlot brings Enkidu from nature to civilization. What blandishments of modern American civilization would the harlot enumerate and/or describe to convince Enkidu that his estrangement from the animals has its compensations? Write a little narrative, in the harlot's voice, explaining to Enkidu what he will find in American culture to compensate for his lost idyll in nature.
2. Response papers. You'll write four one- to two-page response papers this term; each will use a prompt from the study questions below. See the schedule below for due dates: there are five opportunities in which to write papers; you'll choose four of them. Response paper are formal in the sense that spelling, grammar, and thinking count; at the same time, these are papers in which to try out ideas, to experiment and challenge yourself intellectually. Here are the steps for writing response papers:
I will read these papers, comment on them, and grade them pass/no pass. Normally, a no-pass paper lacks a thesis and/or contains egregious writing errors. Four passing papers will count as a 4.0, three as a 3.0, two as a 2.0, one as a 1.0. No-pass papers may be re-written, but MUST be handed back to me within a week. You may also request that I give any response paper a "grade," meaning the grade it would get were it a graded assignment. I would "grade" the paper in order to give you an idea of how grading works on formal papers, but the grade won't "count," per se.
3 . Graded formal papers. See TIPS FOR TOPICS. Two five-page (1250-word) papers, each of which will use an observation originally explored in a response paper and/or an informal study group. Paper 1, due Wednesday, Oct. 24, will treat Gilgamesh, Genesis, and/or the Odyssey. Paper 2, due Wednesday, Nov. 21 , will treat the Iliad (provided you didn't write on it for Paper 1), The Mahabharata, Arabic love poetry, and/or the lais of Marie de France. Note paper due dates: turn in your papers on the date specified. The first paper may also be rewritten (due one week after returned, graded), with the two grades averaged for the paper's final grade.
4 . Writing portfolio and reflective essay. During the term, keep all of your work in this portfolio; at the end of the term, you'll write a reflective essay about your writing, using your portfolio in order to include specific examples of your writing's strengths and weaknesses, and to list what you hope to continue to improve in your writing. You'll give me your writing portfolio, with reflective essay, along with your final exam, due no later than Thursday, December 6, at 5:15 pm. Completing this assignment contributes 10% to your final grade.
5. Final exam. Cumulative, essay, take-home exam, due no later than Thursday, December 6, at 5:15 pm. (Back to top of page)
Informal study groups. The learning community of the Honors College affords you an opportunity to test your ideas and grow intellectually in a supportive yet challenging environment.
To facilitate conversations about our texts, I have provided question sheets on Blackboard for eight weeks during the term (the first few questions, about Gilgamesh and Genesis, are from last year's class, so the due dates are a little bit off).
To get credit, you must turn in each sheet at the beginning of the appropriate Monday class. If you complete a sheet for each of the eight weeks, you'll receive 3 tenth-points extra-credit on your final grade; for seven, 2; for six, 1; for five, half a tenth.(Back to top of page)
The response papers constitute 15% of your grade; the first formal paper, 20%, the second, 30%; reflective essay, 10%; participation, 10%; and the final exam will constitute 15% of your grade. Please note the University's "grade point value" system effective 9/90, as I will be using this system (unless otherwise noted):
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A+ = 4.3 |
B+ = 3.3 |
C+ = 2.3 |
D+ = 1.3 |
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A = 4.0 |
B = 3.0 |
C = 2.0 |
D = 1.0 |
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A- = 3.7 |
B- = 2.7 |
C- = 1.7 |
D- = 0.7 |
Note that a grade of "C" is, according to academic regulations, "satisfactory," while a "B" is "good." That means that a "B" is better than average, better than satisfactory, better than adequate. The average grade, then, is a "C"; a grade of "B" requires effort and accomplishment.
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Sept. 24 class introduction--historicizing "literature" and respecting difference; introduction to Gilgamesh--the purpose of story |
Sept. 26 First Writing Assignment
Gilgamesh, a poem of the human condition |
Sept. 28 Gilgamesh, Tablets 2 and 3: eroticism, male bonding, heroic challenge and anticipation |
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Oct. 1 Gilgamesh |
Oct. 3 Gilgamesh |
Oct. 5 Gilgamesh Tablets 10 and 11 and see Appendix B, pp. 116-17, for "Tablet XII": the journey to the underworld, the flood story, and immortality *Gilgamesh (#1) response paper due |
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Oct. 10 Alter's Genesis, Chapters 12-22 (Generations to Abraham, ending
with the sacrifice of Isaac) |
Oct. 12 Alter's Genesis, Isaac, Jacob, generations and women's roles (Chapters 23-26) | |
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Oct. 15 Alter's Genesis |
Oct. 17 Alter's Genesis and the reasons for reading the Bible *Alter's Genesis (#2) response paper due |
Oct. 19 Iliad, Introduction to Fagles edition and Book 1: Achilles rage |
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Oct. 22 Iliad, Books 2 through 5: Characters |
Oct. 24 Iliad, Books 6 and 9 |
Oct. 26 Iliad, Books 11 through 14: telling a story you know |
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Oct. 29 Iliad, Books 15 through 19: rage and depair
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Oct. 31 Iliad, Books 21through 24: the quality of mercy *Iliad (#3) response paper due |
Nov. 2 Mahabharata, Introduction and Chapters 1 through 3: narrative frames |
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Nov. 5 Mahabharata, Chapters 4 through 6: gambling a metaphor? |
Nov. 7 Mahabharata, Chapters 7 through 9: gender identity and erotic service |
Nov. 9 Mahabharata, Chapters 10 through 13: Wisdom and dharma |
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Nov. 12 Mahabharata, Chapters 14 through 16: Duryodhana's story of death |
Nov. 14 Mahabharata, Chapters 15 through 20: Krishna *Mahabharata (#4) response paper due |
Nov. 16 Arabic poetry: love and violence |
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NO CLASS; HAPPY THANKSGIVING! | |
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Nov. 26 Marie de France, Guigemar: Love is a wound |
Nov. 28 Marie de France, Lanval: troth and truth |
Nov. 30 Marie de France, Chevrefoil: The role of poetry and song *Marie de France or Arabic poetry (#5) response paper due |
Gilgamesh: Tablet 1: Why present Gilgamesh as a bad king? Why do the animals reject Enkidu after he has intercourse with the harlot? What does their rejection mean? Why does reason and understanding result from Enkidu's episode with the harlot? What more defines a man, according to the epic? Tablet 2: Why does Gilgamesh propose killing Humbaba? Tablet 3: What role does Ninsun play in the drama? Assess the approach/avoidance motif shared between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Tablet 4: Why detail Gilgamesh's dreams? What do his dreams mean? Tablet 5: Does anything make Humbaba a sympathetic character? Tablet 6: Why does Gilgamesh reject Ishtar? What is Enkidu's role in the rejection and in the death of the Bull of Heaven? How does the Bull of Heaven's death compare with Humbaba's? Tablet 7: Why does Enkidu change his mind about cursing the harlot? How do curses compare with dreams? Tablets 8, 9, and 10: Tablet 10 culminates in Uta-napishtim's description of death. How have we been prepared for it? How does it differ from other actions and descriptions? From scorpion-men and Shiduri the tavern-keeper to Uta-napishtim, how does their advice count for Gilgamesh and for the audience? Since death is so much this text's concern, how do you account for its failure to recount Gilgamesh's death? See the account of Gilgamesh's death, pp 195-208 (from a different tablet find). Argue for or against including this final account in the epic.
Genesis: Chapters 1-22: Cain and Abel: which is the shepherd, which the farmer? Which does God prefer? Why? Compare the flood narrative with Uta-napishti's from Gilgamesh. How do they differ? What is the point? What kind of god plays tricks on the faithful like that of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac? Chapters 37-50: What role does Judah play in the story of Joseph? How does the story of Judah and Tamar fit into the larger story? Why does Joseph hide his identity from his brothers so long? What is he trying to accomplish? Is he angry? Vengeful? Is he testing them? Do they pass?
Iliad: Why does Homer begin Book 12 with a "flashforward" past the end of the Trojan War? Why is the action continuous between Books 17 and 18? One of the most controversial aspects of the recent Iliad film, starring Brad Pitt, is its exclusion of the gods. Note the role of the gods in your reading; select one divine intervention and explain its importance to a theme of the Iliad.
Mahabharata: Among the challenges of this text is its "nesting box" structure: Vyasa himself is both poet and actor in the epic. What effect does such fabulation have on the story? What does it mean to become a hero? A god? How does the Pandavan rule compare with Gilgamesh's? Dharma and karma are central ideas for this text, and they defy any simplistic scientific definition. But we still must try. Are stories the best way to explore the challenges of dharma and karma?
Poems of Arab Andalusia What differentiates lyric and narrative poetry? What are the various "love objects" this poetry addresses? What does it make of war and desire? How do this poetry's metaphors compare with those of Gilgamesh, the Iliad, Genesis, or the Mahabharata on the broad topic of love? of family? of honor?
Lais of Marie de France Traditional romance motifs include love at first sight, tremendous obstacles to consummation, courtly behavior, and exterior (rather than interior) exposition. What motifs from our other texts do you detect in the lais? What is the role of magic in them? What is the significance of the color white? What role does jealousy play, and why? What does Marie consider the ultimate significance of courtly behavior?
While it would be ideal for you to read the entire Iliad, you are responsible only for the passages indicated below. Total reading: about 230 pages.
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Page numbers |
Book # |
Line numbers |
Description of what's happening |
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77-98 |
1 |
whole thing |
Achilles' rage |
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99-115, 124-6 |
2 |
1-572, 866-934 |
Greeks, Trojans |
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128-44 |
3 |
whole thing |
Helen |
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157 |
4 |
405-414 |
Odysseus |
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164-94 |
5 |
whole thing |
Aeneas, Diomedes, gods |
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203-13 |
6 |
288-631 |
Hector, his family |
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254-75 |
9 |
103 to end |
Embassy to Achilles |
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303-6 |
11 |
253-360 |
Agamemnon, Hector, and "birth pangs" |
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325-6 |
12 |
1-42 |
post-Trojan war |
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359-362 |
13 |
626-760 |
injury of Menelaus |
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374-82 |
14 |
187-474 |
Hera tricks Zeus |
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387-90, 393-4 |
15 |
1-96, 219-238 |
Gods talk, Zeus commands, Poseidon reacts |
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437-441 |
16 |
874 to end |
death of Patroclus |
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470-1, 483-7 |
18 |
91-150, 558 to end |
Achilles' despair, description of shield |
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488-95 |
19 |
whole thing |
concern about decay, talking horses |
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532-40 |
21 |
435-656 |
gods fight, warriors think |
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544-7, 551-8 |
22 |
108-221, 341 to end |
warriors, gods think; death of Hector |
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563-4 |
23 |
128-184 |
Patroclus's funeral |
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588-614 |
24 |
whole thing |
Achilles and Priam |
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If you follow this scheme: |
Books 1-6, approx. 95 pp. |
Books 9-19, approx. 87 pages |
Books 21-22, approx. 25 pages |
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