Introduction to Literature:

 Literature of the Fantastic

The purpose of this course is. . .

• to expose students to a wide range of literary genres: poetry, drama, novel and the short story
• to introduce students to a wide range of authors from differing cultures, genders and ages.
• to encourage students to consider what makes a work of literature worthy of study--how should the cannon be formed?
• to introduce some of the important common issues which authors--in spite of their different backgrounds, cultures, and mediums--often examine.
• to illustrate the value of literature often dismissed by 20th century "realists"

Texts: One Loose-leaf Notebook divided into three (3) parts

A- Class-Notes, B- Handouts C-Journal

Continuing with Texts:

Plays

• Macbeth by William Shakespeare
• The Bacchae by Euripides

Novels and Short Stories

• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Bulfinch's Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch
• Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyon
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Golden Bug and Other Stories by Edgar Allen Poe
• The Natural by Bernard Malamud
• The Grass Dancer by
• Native American Songs and Poems edited by Brian Swann
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• Great Ghost Stories Edited by John Grafton
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
• The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
• The Best of the Year's Science Fiction (On Reserve in the Library)

Poetry

• The Odyssey by Homer
• Beowulf by anonymous
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight also anonymous but edited and translated by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Selected Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
• Mabinogion edited by Charlotte Guest
• Paradise Lost by John Milton (Not in Book store)
• Poems and Songs by Robert Burns
• The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• Selected Poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Pour Point Presentations

You may review Power Point Presentations from Here. However be aware that these are not HTML documents and so they may be busy.

• Definition and Defense of Literature of the Fantastic
• Archetypes
• Greek Literary Terms click here for HTML doc

Hand outs:

Handouts will be given throughout the class; these texts should be treated exactly as those found in the books for this class. They are assignments which students will be expected to draw from for both quizzes and exams.

Grading:

• 4. Tests 40%
• Mid-term 20%
• Journal 20%
• Final Exam 20%

Attendance:

Since we are functioning on a very intensive schedule, it is vital that you be in class throughout the semester--even on days when a play is being shown in class. Students will be allowed three (3) un-excused absences and then three points will be taken from the student's final score at the end of the term for each class missed. If the student's absences add up to seven then he or she will be asked to drop the course

Class Participation:

Lecture will only play a part in the class activities. Literature is meant to be talked about. Students are encouraged to express their opinions and share their unique insights. Each of us brings something special to a text that is ours alone. Your comments are very important. I will be noting in a record book the students who participate in class.

Journal:

Your journal is IMPORTANT! You should write in it Three times a week. It is your personal repository for what you think about the works you are reading and about the material being covered in class.

I will be looking for the following in your journal:

1. Three entries per week (totaling 36 by the end of the semester). Going beyond that 36 entries could indicate to the instructor the kind of student who will achieve a high grade.

A. Periodic class checks will determine the currency of your journal entries. Always bring your journal with you to class.

B. Journals will be handed in twice during the semester: Oct. 7 and Nov. 24

2. Journal entries must be at least 2/3 of a page long.

3. All entries should be numbered and dated (Entry # 12; Sept. 21)

4. Although I will not be grading the journal harshly concerning mechanics

and restarts of thought which require a single line to cross out some material is common, I do expect the final product to be neat and legible.

I will be especially looking in your journal for. . .

1. Development of ideas. Remember that it is not necessary to finish a

work to have a good idea. In fact waiting till you have finished can be overwhelming. Keep your journal handy while reading.

2. Interconnectedness of journal entries. This means that an idea you examine

at one point in your journal might have relevance to another work discussed later. Works in literature should not be thought of in a vacuum.

A journal is NOT. . .

1. A diary. Your entries should be about what you are reading or what you

hear discussed in class. I do not want to read (as I have in the past) what you had for lunch or who is making your blood pressure rise.

2. A place for notes. Class notes belong in the section provided for them in

your loose leaf. I should not see your actually writing in your journal during class.

REMEMBER: Your journal account for 20% of your grade. That's the same as your final: DO NOT PUT OFF TO THE LAST MINUTE; DO NOT "BLOW IT OFF!"

Tests:

There will be a test given on the reading and on class discussion on weeks 3, 5, 9 and 12. Make up tests will be allowed only for excused absences and must be made up within two school days after the test was given.

Mid Term Exam:

The mid-term exam will be similar to the tests and will cover the material up to the mid-term. It will be on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

Final Exam:

The final exam, which is scheduled for Tuesday, December 9, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM, will cover material mostly included in tests from the second half of the Fall Term. However, some of the material from the first half of the semester relating to theory as well as concrete examples given at that time could be included.

Extra Credit:

Although there will be no papers required for this class, a student can add extra credit to his or her grade by writing a paper on outside reading concerning any of the works or authors covered in class. I will supply an example in an upcoming session of the form I will accept. Furthermore, another option for extra credit is to view or listen to and then write a review about tapes or video films on reserve in the library. Credit will vary according to the assignment. Extra points will be added directly to the final score for work handed in before or on the class just before the mid-term, Oct. 14. After October 14, extra credit material will be added to the score of the tests' average. The last day for quiz extra credit is December 4. Students may take advantage of both, but for each half no more than five (5) points will be allowed.

Grading Scale:

91 to 100 is an "A" Exceptional, a cut above-unusually good.

81 to 90 is a "B" Well Done! A fine Job!

71 to 80 is a "C" Good, a concrete understanding of the subject

60 to 70 is a "D" Passing but weak

59 and below is an "F" Fell short of required understanding of material

Some Web Sites which might be of interest to you:

http://humanitas.ucsb.edu/shuttle/eng-rom.html

This site has a lot of the Romantic Poetry we will be covering in class along with The Rime of the Ancient Mariner with illustrations. There are also leads to articles written by critics. I have not explored it fully so check it out and let me know what you find.

http://humanitas.ucsb.edu/shuttle/eng-vict.html

This site is part of the same series of sites as the Romantic one listed above. It has a lot of the Victorian Poetry and prose we will be covering in class. There are also leads to articles written by critics. I have not explored it fully so check it out and let me know what you find. There are also leads to other related sites like. . .

http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/hypertext/landow/victorian/victov.html

This site is maintained by Brown University under the eye of George P. Landow who is one of the most respected of literary critics in the Victorian field.

Also while using your internet browser of choice, check out Dr. Rearick's Reading Room on the J-Drive. I deposit a lot of my lecture material and many of the handouts originals are also filed there. Someday I hope it will be included on our official web site.

1997 Fall Class Schedule

Week One

Wednesday: Sept. 3 Introduction The Hobbit

Friday: Sept. 5 Bulfinch and The Hobbit

Week Two

Monday: Sept. 8 The Hobbit and Native American Songs and Poems

Wednesday: Sept. 10 The Grass Dancer and Native American Songs and Poems

Friday: Sept. 12 The Grass Dancer

Week Three

Monday: Sept. 15 The Grass Dancer and Native American Songs and Poems

Wednesday: Sept. 17 No Class

Thursday: Sept. 18 Native American Lecture Attendance will be taken

Friday: Sept. 19 1st Quiz followed by Bulfinch's Mythology

& The Odyssey Books 1-6

Week Four

Monday: Sept. 22 The Odyssey Books 7-17 & Selected Poems by Tennyson

Wednesday: Sept. 24 The Odyssey Books 18-19 & Selected Poems by Tennyson

Friday: Sept. 26 The Odyssey Books 20-24

Week Five

Monday: Sept. 29 Bulfinch's Mythology & The Bacchae

Wednesday: Oct. 1 The Bacchae

Friday: Oct. 3 2nd Quiz. Bulfinch's Mythology & Beowulf

Week Six

Monday: Oct. 6 Journal Check # 1 Beowulf

Wednesday: Oct. 8 Bulfinch's Mythology & Sir Orpheo

Friday: Oct. 10 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Week Seven

Monday: Oct. 13 Selected Canterbury Tales "Wife of Bath"

Wednesday: Oct. 15 Midterm Examination

Thursday Oct. 16 Mid-term Break Begins 9:30 Thursday Evening

Friday: Oct. 17 Mid-term Break

Week Eight

Monday: Oct. 20

Tuesday Oct. 21 Midterm Grades Due

Wednesday: Oct. 22 Fall Revival

Friday: Oct. 24

Week Nine

Monday: Oct. 27 Last day to Drop this Class

Wednesday: Oct. 29

Friday: Oct. 31 3rd Quiz. Halloween OOOOooooo! Great Ghost Stories

Week Ten

Monday: Nov. 3

Wednesday: Nov. 5

Friday: Nov. 7

Week Eleven

Monday: Nov. 10

Wednesday: Nov. 12

Friday: Nov. 14

Week Twelve

Monday: Nov. 17

Wednesday: Nov. 19

Friday: Nov. 21

Week Thirteen

Monday: Nov. 24 Second Journal Check Due

Wednesday: Nov. 26 Thanksgiving Break Begins at 1:40 p.m.

Friday: Nov. 27

Week Fourteen

Monday: Nov. 30

Wednesday: Dec. 3

Friday: Dec. 5

Final Exam Date: Tuesday, December 9, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Have a Glorious Christmas and a Grand New Year!

Class Calendar

Week One

Sept. 4 Introduction

Sept. 6 The Hobbit

Week Two

Sept. 9 The Hobbit Bulfinch's Mythology

Sept. 11 Bulfinch's Mythology & The Odyssey

Sept. 13 1st Quiz & The Odyssey

Week Three

Sept. 16 The Odyssey

Sept. 18 The Odyssey

Sept. 20 The Odyssey

Week Four

Sept. 23 Bulfinch's Mythology & Oedipus Rex

Sept. 25 Oedipus Rex

Sept. 27 The Bacchae

Week Five

Sept. 30 The Bacchae

Oct. 2 Bulfinch's Mythology & Beowulf

Oct. 4 2nd Quiz & Beowulf

Week Six

Oct. 7 Beowulf & Journals Due

Oct. 9 Beowulf

Oct. 11 Bulfinch's Mythology & Sir Orpheo

Week Seven

Oct. 14 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Oct. 16 Midterm EXAM

Oct. 18 No Classes

Week Eight

Oct. 21 The Natural

Oct. 23 The Natural

Oct. 25 Bulfinch's Mythology & Idylls of the King

Week Nine

Oct. 28 Idylls of the King

Oct. 30 Macbeth

Nov. 1 3rd Quiz & Macbeth

Week Ten

Nov. 4 Macbeth

Nov. 6 Pilgrim's Progress

Nov. 8 Pilgrim's Progress

Week Eleven

Nov. 11 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Nov. 13 Frankenstein

Nov. 15 Frankenstein & The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Week Twelve

Nov. 18 Alice in Wonderland & "Descent into the Maelstrom"

Nov. 20 Dracula

Nov. 22 4th Quiz & Dracula

Week Thirteen

Nov. 25 Journals due & Dracula

Nov. 27 The Picture of Dorian Gray Thanksgiving Break begins 1:40

Nov. 29 No Classes

Week Fourteen

Dec. 2 Till We Have Faces

Dec. 4 Fellowship of the Ring

Dec. 6 A Christmas Carol

Week Fifteen Final Exam Week

FINAL EXAM Tuesday, December 8, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AMPlays

• Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Novels and Short Stories

• Bulfinch's Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch
• Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyon
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Golden Bug and Other Stories by Edgar Allen Poe
• The Natural by Bernard Malamud
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
• The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
• The Best of the Year's Science Fiction (On Reserve in the Library)

Poetry

• Paradise Lost by John Milton (Not in Book store)
• Poems and Songs by Robert Burns
• The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Selected Poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson