Professor Jim Lang
Office: 225 Founders Hall
Office Phone: 767-7055
Home Phone: 755-7525
Office Hours: MW 10:00-2:00
TTH: 1:30-2:30
lang@assumption.edu
TR 11:30-12:45 Kennedy Science Building 200
COURSE OVERVIEW:
In this course we will read British novels from the post-World War II period to the present, and analyze three prominent trends in the fiction of this period. We will begin with two novels that explore the origins of–and remedy for–evil and violence in the human condition (Lord of the Flies and A Clockwork Orange). British writers in the decades immediately following the Second World War were especially interested in this issue, as they struggled to reconcile traditional notions of what it means to be a human being with the horrors of the war and the events of the Holocaust. Next we will turn to two philosophical novels, one (The Green Man) dealing again with the supernatural and one (The End of the Affair) dealing with organized religion. Both these novels reflect another common intellectual pursuit for British writers and intellectuals in the post-war period: searching for meaning in an increasingly secular world, and wondering whether religion has anything left to offer us in the second half of the twentieth century. Finally, we will read two novels which are focused on the idea of history, and how history relates to fiction. As the collapse of the once-proud and far-reaching British empire shook the faith of many British in the idea of historical progress (i.e., we are slowly becoming more enlightened, more just, more perfect human beings), a host of British novelists began to see history as the writing of a different kind of stories, rather than as the simple recording of facts. In both Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and The Remains of the Day, the reader is challenged to distinguish between "truth" and "fiction."
In these three areas, post-war British novelists have helped push the form of the novel in exciting new directions in the late 20th century. They ask us to consider some of the most basic questions that we can ask about the human condition: How do stories help us make sense of our lives? What separates true stories from fictional ones? Why do we tell stories at all?
Throughout the quarter we will keep these fundamental questions at the forefront of our inquiry. We will also ask more specific questions about each of these novels, and about the social context of post-war Britain. We will look at some art from the period, and read some historical material. We will study the critical appraisals of these novels as well, by looking at selected works of literary criticism, and by considering how two film makers interpreted two of these novels (Clockwork Orange and Remains of the Day) on the screen.
TEXTS:
William Golding, Lord of the Flies
Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange
Kingsley Amis, The Green Man
Graham Greene, The End of the Affair
Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day
Course Packet (CP)
COURSE PROMISES:
This course makes a set of promises to you (assuming you fulfill the expectations below). By the end of the semester, you should be able:
1. To identify and describe in writing three prominent trends
in post-war British fiction, and understand the relationship of those trends
to post-war British society and culture.
2. To understand and describe literary works as modes of social
inquiry–akin to works of philosophy, sociology, history, etc.–which arise
from and attempt to account for specific historical contexts and circumstances.
3. To write an incisive and concise response to any work of literature
you read–i.e., to compose an effective 1-2 page response paper; to construct
a sustained and persuasive argument about the interpretation of one or
more works of literature, engaging with the cultural and critical contexts
of that work or works.
4. To appreciate and enjoy at least one post-war British novel.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
This course will only fulfill these promises if you promise the following in return:
1. To attend class. This course will rely largely
on discussion. For this format to succeed, you must be present and
on time. You will receive a participation grade for this course, and part
of that grade will depend upon your attendance in class. On a regular
basis I will initiate or conclude our discussion by asking you to respond
in writing in class to a specific question or issue; your work on these
in-class writings will count towards your participation grade.
2. To read the assigned materials. The literature
we read will provide us with some common ground upon which we will base
our conversations. Without that common ground, our conversations
will lose some of their richness.
3. To be attentive and participate in class. Participation
does not simply mean speaking aloud in class. Students should participate
by actively following the discussion, by contributing to our quarter-long
conversation through the insights they present in their papers and projects,
and even by making contributions or suggestions for contributions to the
course website.
4. To complete the required assignments in a timely fashion.
The assignments provide you with both informal and formal opportunities
to articulate your responses to the issues we'll be discussing. You
will get the most out of the course if you turn in your work on time.
Extensions require advanced approval from me.
ASSIGNMENTS AND EVALUATIONS:
For each novel you will write a 1-2 page response paper. For some of these responses I will assign you a specific topic to address; for others you will be free to address any aspect of the novel or its context which you find significant and worthy of the class's attention. I will drop the lowest grade of your five response papers (although you must still write all five response papers). Learn more about response papers, and read some sample response papers.
You will write one longer analysis of a single novel (5-7 pp.), due at the course mid-term.
You will write one final paper, which will be a comparative analysis of two novels, or of a film and a novel, or of a novel and a work of post-war British art. This paper will incorporate your independent research on the novel or its cultural and historical contexts.
Your grade will be determined according to the following percentages:
Response Papers: 30%
Mid-Term Paper: 25%
Final Paper: 30%
Participation: 15%
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Links to WWW sites on 20th-Century British Literature, Art, and Culture