EN2101E: Models of Literary Appreciation and Criticism

Dr Philip Holden (email: ellhpj@nus.edu.sg)

[ Introduction and Description | Schedule and Readings | Assessment and Policies | Related Resources ]

SCHEDULE 2007 - 2008 Semester 2

Week	Beg.	Class	Topic	Reading	Assignments
1	14/1	1	What is Literature? What is the purpose of studying it?	Readings and Preparatory Questions	IVLE Introductory Posting
2	21/1	2	Short Story (1) Putting our study in context: What do we already know? What don't we know?	Readings and Preparatory Questions
3	28/1	3	Short Story (2) Narratology: the way stories are structured	Readings and Preparatory Questions	Tutorial 1: IVLE Posting 2
4	4/2	4	Poetry (1)	Readings and Preparatory Questions
5	11/2	5	Poetry (2) Postcolonialism: how do we read texts from cultural contexts different from those of the traditional English Literature canon?	Readings and Preparatory Questions	Assignment 1 Due Monday after the lecture Tutorial 2: IVLE Posting 3
6	18/2	6	Poetry (3) Feminism: why do issues of gender matter in literary texts?	Readings and Preparatory Questions
Mid-semester Break Use this chance to read The English Patient, watch the movie, and generally read ahead
7	3/3	7	Introduction to Research	Readings	Tutorial 3: IVLE Posting 4
8	10/3	8	The Novel (1)	Readings and Preparatory Questions
9	17/3	9	The Novel (2) Postmodernism: how do literary texts reflect the contemporary society in which we live?	Readings and Preparatory Questions	Assignment 2 Due Tutorial 4: IVLE Posting 5
10	24/3	10	Filmic Narratives	Readings and Preparatory Questions
11	31/3	11	Drama (1)	Readings and Preparatory Questions	Tutorial 5: IVLE Posting 6
12	7/4	12	Drama (2) Marxism: in what way might we say literary texts are political?	Readings and Preparatory Questions	Assignment 3 Due
13	14/4	13	Concluding Discussion Revision	Readings and Preparatory Questions
14	15/4	Revision
15	22/4	NUS Examination Period Final Examination
16	29/4

Readings

Many texts are available online. Follow the links for each individual class meeting for details. In addition to online resources, you will need to obtain the following set texts:

To Buy From NUS Co-op:

Note that while these books have been placed on reserve at the library, this has been done to aid those of you who might be on campus and have forgotten to bring the book with you, but need to consult it urgently. In literary studies, you need to buy the text.

Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. Houghton Mifflin: Boston, 1999.
Markham, E.A., ed. Hinterland: Caribbean Poetry from the West Indies and Britain. Newcastle: Bloodaxe, 1989.
Ondaatje, Michael. The English Patient. New York: Vintage, 1993.
Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 2nd Edition. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2002.
This is an invaluable coursebook which will help you in further studies in Literature: it will be very useful to dip into, so don't be tempted just to zap the required sections!
COURSE PACK, available from the NUS Co-op, containing:

Pu Songling. "Drawing the Human Skin." Strange Tales of Liaozhai. Ed. Tsai Chi Chung. Tr. Tang Nquok Kiong. Singapore: Asiapac, 1990. 100-113.
Savory Fido, Elaine. "Macho Attitudes and Derek Walcott." Literature in the Modern World: Critical Essays and Documents. Ed. Dennis Walder. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1991. 288-295.
McFarlane, Brian. "Part 1: Backgrounds, Issues, and a New Agenda." Novel to Film: An Introduction to the Theory of Adaptation. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1996. 3-30.
Kuo Pao Kun. “The Coffin is Too Big for the Hole." The Coffin is Too Big for the Hole and Other Plays. Singapore: Times, 1990. 29-46.
Kuo Pao Kun. "Mama Looking for Her Cat." Images at the Margins: A Collection of Kuo Pao Kun’s Plays. Singapore: Times, 2000. 120-138.

The amount of reading will vary from week to week, so do make sure you plan ahead. There's nothing worse than trying to read a novel the night before a class meeting! Note that it may be prudent to download any resources which require campus network access and print them out at one time, rather than leaving this until the last minute.

Last updated: 24 January, 2008