SYLLABUS FOR E236 STUDIES IN LITERARY TRADITION
CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY, FALL 2008
*2023 Note. Most links have been removed from this archival version of the syllabus.
COURSE INFORMATION. English 236. MWF 12:00 – 12:50 p.m. Location: Beckman 205. Instructor: Alfred J. Drake, Ph.D. Office hours: MW 11:00 – 11:50 a.m. in Cyber Café. Email: e236_at_ajdrake.com. E236 is part of the 15-credit core course requirement for the BA in English. Catalog: “This course provides an overview of some of the major texts of the western literary tradition. . . .” Credits (3).
REQUIRED TEXTS AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE
Aeschylus. The Oresteia. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Classics, 1984. ISBN-13: 978-0140443332.
Alighieri, Dante. Inferno. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum. New York: Bantam, 1982. ISBN-13: 978-0553213393.
Cervantes, Miguel de. Don Quixote. Trans. Edith Grossman. New York: Harper Perennial, 2005. ISBN-13: 978-0060934347.
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Classics, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-0143039952.
King James Bible. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0199535941.
Ovid. Metamorphoses. Trans. A. D. Mellville. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998. ISBN-13: 978-0192834720.
Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Classics, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0143105138.
COURSE RATIONALE AND ACTIVITIES
FOCUS AND OBJECTIVES. This course will cover selected masterpieces in Western literature, beginning with Homer’s Odyssey and continuing on to the Classical Era with Aeschylus’ trilogy The Oresteia, Virgil’s Aeneid, and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and thence to the King James Bible, Dante’s Inferno from The Divine Comedy, and Miguel de Cervantes’ seventeenth-century epic Don Quixote. A survey should help you build your knowledge of the periods, authors, and movements studied and point you towards further exploration of the the literature that most interests you. My comments will provide historical and thematic background, but the course will center on discussion of the specifics of our assigned texts. Rather than trying to impose claims of universal coherence, thematic unity, etc. on such wide-ranging material, I prefer to follow a roughly chronological order and to discuss themes and issues as they occur throughout the course, making connections where appropriate.
ACTIVITIES. In class, there will be a mix of lectures, whole-class and smaller-group discussion, occasional quizzes, an essay, and a final exam. I encourage questions and comments—class sessions improve when students take an active part. Outside class, do the assigned readings before the relevant discussion dates, complete your journal sets as outlined below, start planning and drafting your essay early, and work on your presentation drafts. In literary studies, the aim is to read and discuss actively and thereby to develop your own voice in response to the texts you read. Insightful interpretation and the ability to make compelling connections are central goals. The essay, discussions, presentations, and journal-keeping should combine to help you work towards these goals.
HOW YOUR PERFORMANCE WILL BE EVALUATED
COURSE POLICIES. Please review the course policies page early in the semester since it addresses matters such as attendance, incompletes and withdrawal, late or missing work, and academic integrity.
JOURNAL REQUIREMENT. Responses to a choice of questions from the study questions page for each author. Three separate journal sets due by email as specified below in reading schedule. Electronic format required. (30%)
TERM PAPER REQUIREMENT. By Friday of Week 13 (11/21), a one-paragraph description addressing the topic and argument of the projected paper will be due by email. (Full rough drafts are also encouraged.) Not providing this description on time may affect the final draft grade. Please read the term paper instructions carefully since they contain the general prompt, suggested topics, and advance draft comments. I reserve the right to require proof of the final paper’s authenticity, such as notes or an early draft. Final draft (5-7 pages) due by exam day or as specified towards the bottom of the syllabus page. Follow MLA guidelines. Research is optional. (30%)
FINAL EXAM REQUIREMENT. The exam will consist of substantive id passages, mix-and-match questions (match phrase or concept x to author/text y), and essay and/or short-essay questions. There will be more choices than required responses. Books and notes allowed for all sections, but no laptops. Exam date: see below. (20%)
EMAILING ASSIGNMENTS. Email journals, presentations, and term paper as attachments. Don’t send more than one document in the same email. Label subject lines appropriately: “E236 Journal 1, Jane Doe” etc. You can paste journal sets into a regular email or send them as an attachment. (Journal “sets” include responses to questions about several authors; do not send entries on each author in a given set separately—responses on the relevant authors should be combined into one document.) Please contact me if you don’t receive a prompt email confirmation.
QUESTIONS FOR JOURNALS AND PRESENTATIONS
*2023 Note. Visitors may download the following questions in PDF format: WORLD LITERATURE TO 1650 | WORLD LITERATURE SINCE 1650.
Homer | Aeschylus | Virgil | Ovid | King James Bible | Dante | Cervantes
SCHEDULE: WORKS DISCUSSED ON DATES INDICATED
WEEK 1
M. 08/25. Course Introduction.
W. 08/27. Introduction to the Greeks; The Odyssey, Book 1.
F. 08/29. Homer. The Odyssey, Books 1-2.
WEEK 2
M. 09/01. Labor Day Holiday. No classes.
W. 09/03. Homer. The Odyssey, Books 3-4.
F. 09/05. Homer. The Odyssey, Books 5-6.
WEEK 3
M. 09/08. Homer. The Odyssey, Books 7-8.
W. 09/10. Homer. The Odyssey, Books 9-10.
F. 09/12. Homer. The Odyssey, Books 11-12.
WEEK 4
M. 09/15. No class. Canceled due to a family matter.
W. 09/17. Aeschylus. The Oresteia. First Play: Agamemnon.
F. 09/19. Aeschylus. The Oresteia. First Play: Agamemnon.
WEEK 5
M. 09/22. Aeschylus. The Oresteia. Second Play: The Libation Bearers.
W. 09/24. Aeschylus. The Oresteia. Third Play: The Eumenides.
F. 09/26. Aeschylus. The Oresteia. Third Play: The Eumenides. Journal Set 1 Due by email over the weekend.
WEEK 6
M. 09/29. Virgil. The Aeneid. Books 1-2.
W. 10/01. Virgil. The Aeneid. Books 3-4.
F. 10/03. No class. I will be out of town.
WEEK 7
M. 10/06. Virgil. The Aeneid. Books 5-8.
W. 10/08. Virgil. The Aeneid. Books 9-10.
F. 10/10. Virgil. The Aeneid. Books 11-12.
WEEK 8
M. 10/13. Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book 1.
W. 10/15. Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book 2.
F. 10/17. Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book 3.
WEEK 9
M. 10/20. Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book 4.
W. 10/22. Ovid. Metamorphoses. From Book 5: “The Rape of Proserpine,” “Arethusa.” From Book 6: “Tereus, Procne, and Philomela.” From Book 8: “Daedalus and Icarus.”
F. 10/24. Ovid. Metamorphoses. From Book 10: “Hyacinth,” “Pygmalion,” “Orpheus and Euridyce.” From Book 11: “The Death of Orpheus.” From Book 15: “The Apotheosis of Julius Caesar” and “Epilogue.”
WEEK 10
M. 10/27. The King James Bible. From Genesis: Chs. 1-4 (Creation and Fall); Chs. 6-9 (Noah’s Ark); Ch. 11 (Tower of Babel); Ch. 22 (Abraham and Isaac).
W. 10/29. The King James Bible. From Exodus: Chs. 1-20 (pp. 65-90).
F. 10/31. The King James Bible. Job (pp. 607-40).
WEEK 11
M. 11/03. The King James Bible. The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Chs. 1-14 (pp. 3-22).
W. 11/05. The King James Bible. The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Chs. 15-28 (pp. 22-44).
F. 11/07. The King James Bible. “The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (pp. 206-22). Journal Set 2 due by email over the weekend.
WEEK 12
M. 11/10. Dante Alighieri. The Inferno. Cantos 1-4.
W. 11/12. Dante Alighieri. The Inferno. Cantos 5-11.
F. 11/14. Dante Alighieri. The Inferno. Cantos 12-17.
WEEK 13
M. 11/17. Dante Alighieri. The Inferno. Cantos 18-22.
W. 11/19. Dante Alighieri. The Inferno. Cantos 23-28.
F. 11/21. Dante Alighieri. The Inferno. Cantos 29-34. Paragraph on paper topic and argument due by email today.
WEEK 14
M. 11/24. I will be present in class for a free-form meeting–this is a useful time to discuss paper topics, the exam, etc., so I encourage you to attend.
W. 11/26. Thanksgiving Holiday, no classes.
F. 11/28. Thanksgiving Holiday, no classes.
WEEK 15
M. 12/01. Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote. Book 1, Chs. 1-5 (pages 19-45); Book 1, Chs. 7-8 (53-61 paragraph 1).
W. 12/03. Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote. Book 1, Ch. 18 (125 bottom – 133); Book 1, Ch. 22 (163-72); Book 1, Ch. 52 (440 middle – 446 top).
F. 12/05. Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote. Book 2, Chs. 71-74 (919-40).
FINALS WEEK
Final Exam Date: Monday December 8, 8:00 – 10:30 a.m. Due by Monday December 15: Paper and Journal Set 3. I must turn in grades by 4:00 pm Sunday, December 21. For your other courses, check the Fall 2008 Chapman Final Exam Schedule.