Masterpieces of World Literature (LIT 2331.

501)—Spring 2006
Tuesday at 7-9:45 p.m. in JO 4.102
Instructor: Diana C. Gingo
Office: JO 4.134
Office phone: (972) 883-2713 (please email first)
Office Hours: Tuesday 6-7:00 p.m. and by appointment (Online hours TBA--AIM: dgingo)
Email: dgingo@utdallas.edu
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COURSE DESCRIPTION

What defines a text as a “masterpiece of world literature”? Are there certain qualifications that allow
us to classify a text as a masterpiece? Did it receive a literary award? The approval of Harold
Bloom? Was there a Hollywood adaptation made? Our examination of this question throughout
the semester will undoubtedly lead to other, even broader, questions including the ever evasive--
what is literature? This course will explore the previous questions while challenging students to read
closely, think critically, and write analytically.

Throughout the semester, students will discover works of literature from around the world while
applying literary theory and discussing various questions vital to the study of literature. Students will
explore numerous texts in a variety of styles and genres in order to sample a small piece of the
literary universe as they travel around the world and through time.

In addition to our discussion of specific works of literature, films will be shown (either in whole or
in part) and these films will be discussed and treated as assigned texts as well.

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. ISBN: 0385474547

Cortázar, Julio. Blow-Up and Other Stories ISBN: 0394728815
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll House. ISBN: 0192833871
Kafka, Franz. Metamorphosis. ISBN 0486290301
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. ISBN 074347712-X
Voltaire, Francois. Candide: Or Optimism. ISBN 0143039423

Dictionary (Any good college level dictionary will do--The American Heritage Dictionary, etc. OR an
online dictionary like www.m-w.com, if you are reading near a computer.)

Selected readings (including short stories and poetry) will be made available to students as handouts,
reserve readings and online literature (via WebCT and/or the internet). Students will be required to
print/photocopy any of these necessary readings and bring them to class.

Internet access is required--email and WebCT will be used regularly throughout the semester.

Highly Recommended:
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th ed.), Joseph Gibaldi (ISBN 0873529863)

Recommended:
Critical Theory Today: A User Friendly Guide, Lois Tyson (ISBN 0815328796)
 ATTENDANCE AND CLASS PARTICIPATION

Attendance is mandatory. If you must be absent, due to illness or emergency, always notify me in
advance (email is best)--you are responsible for any and all assignments that are due (check with a
reliable classmate in case there are any changes, and/or email me with any questions). Five
absences will result in an automatic failure for the course. Lateness to class will count as one-
half of an absence (you are late if you enter the room after attendance has been taken OR if you are
noticeably late returning from break). Chronic lateness is unacceptable, as is coming to class
unprepared. You will be considered absent if you come to class unprepared, unwilling to participate,
etc. Perfect attendance will be rewarded with two bonus points added to your final semester
average.

Class participation is NOT optional. Regular class participation is required and will be a
recorded part of your final grade. Come to class prepared and ready to participate in daily
discussions.

GRADING

Attendance, participation, and effort (participation in class discussion required)—20%

Reading responses/quizzes, online discussions and various assignments—20%
Paper (including a brief presentation)—20%
Midterm Exam—20%
Final Exam—20%

*Please note that you cannot skip any of the above elements and pass the class--all
assignments must be completed. Papers are due at the beginning of class and they must be
submitted with any other required materials (TBA). If the paper is not handed in at the beginning of
class, your paper will be considered late. Late papers will be accepted, but they will receive lower
grades depending upon the extent of the lateness. In addition to the paper copy submitted in class,
your paper must be submitted to www.turnitin.com.

*There are no make-up quizzes/reading responses (the lowest two quiz/reading response
grades will be dropped to allow for emergency absences). Exams can be made-up only in the case of
a documented medical emergency (approved by the instructor). You will receive a “0” for any
missed or incomplete assignments.

OFFICE HOURS

I have regularly scheduled office hours every week but you can also arrange to see me at other times
that are convenient to us both. This time belongs to you just as much as does the time I give you in
class. Please do not hesitate to take advantage of the help I am ready to offer. Online office hours
can also be arranged to further accommodate students.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's work (or your own previously submitted work) as
your own, either accidentally or intentionally. Plagiarism is not tolerated in the University, and
anyone found to have plagiarized will receive the maximum sentence possible. Please consult
the University’s policy on Academic Dishonesty, or your instructor if you have questions about how
to avoid improper uses of other people's ideas, writing, or information. [You may also refer to
Chapter 2: Plagiarism of the MLA Handbook (6th edition) for further assistance and explanation.]
 DISABILITY SERVICES

If you are a student with a disability and/or special needs, please contact Coordinator Kerry Tate at
(972) 883-2098. The Disability Services Office located in the Student Union (1.610). It is your
responsibility to alert your instructors of any special needs or requirements.

CLASS SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS

(Please note that the assignments are listed on the days on which they are due to be completed.)

Introduction to Masterpieces of World Literature

Tuesday--01.10.06 Introduction to Masterpieces of World Literature.

Shakespeare and Film: From the Stage to the Teen Screen

Tuesday--01.17.06 Nabokov’s “Good Readers and Good Writers”; Hamlet
(Preface/Introduction); Introduction to Shakespeare
Tuesday--01.24.06 Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Tuesday--01.31.06 Shakespeare Criticism (Reading TBA); Shakespeare and film.

Selections from The Satirical Universe: Pope, Swift and Voltaire

Tuesday--02.07.06 Pope and Swift--Readings TBA (handouts or WebCT)
Tuesday--02.14.06 Voltaire’s Candide: Or Optimism.

The Sound, Rhythm and Language of Poetry

Tuesday--02.21.06 Poetry of the World (TBA--handouts or WebCT)

Tuesday--02.28.06 Midterm Exam (Blue book OR blank loose-leaf paper required for exam.)

Tuesday--03.07.06 Spring Break--No Class. (Make sure to keep up with the readings.)

Drama and Marriage--Ibsen’s A Doll’s House

Tuesday--03.14.06 Ibsen’s
Tuesday--03.21.06 Paper Proposal Due (WebCT); Ibsen’s A Doll House criticism and film
discussion.

Colonization and The Way in Which “Things Fall Apart”

Tuesday--03.28.06 W.B. Yeats’s “The Second Coming” and other poetry (handouts or
WebCT); Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (3-209)

Issues of Identity and Change: Kafka’s Metamorphosis

Tuesday--04.04.06 Presentations; Kafka’s Metamorphosis

Antonioni Blow(s)-Up Cortázar

Tuesday--04.11.06 Paper Due; Cortázar’s “Blow-Up”
Tuesday--04.18.06 TBA

Tuesday--04.25.06 Final Exam (Blue book OR blank loose-leaf paper required for exam.)

**The class schedule is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of
such changes. Additional readings may or may not be added. Additional assignments will be added.
 PAPER ASSIGNMENT

This semester’s paper will be an analytical and critical argument that is 4-6 pages in length. The
paper must be focused upon one or more of the works that we have read, watched, and/or
discussed in class this semester. (NOTE: No outside readings/films will be accepted unless they are
used in conjunction with a work or works that we have read in class.)

While you will be depending mainly upon primary sources, your critical analysis must also include at
least three secondary sources. These sources should be academic scholarship on the chosen work
or specific element that you are examining. If relevant, you may use the essays at the back of the
critical edition of the text as sources. If you are unclear about secondary source selection, please
come see me during my office hours.

You will be required to use MLA format for your paper and the bibliography (please refer to the
MLA Handbook).

The following are some topic suggestions, but please remember that the subject matter for this
paper is your choice. Whatever topic you select, you will need to create a solid argument and
include an ample amount of primary and secondary source material. As one final reminder, please
remember that your final paper is an analysis of only a few pages--do not choose a topic or subject
that is too broad or far too complex to analyze in a 4-6 page paper (narrow your focus).

Topic Suggestions (Only a few suggestions...):

• Argue for a specific reading of a text, or a specific section of a text. Support your reading
and remember to explain the significance of this reading.
• Do a close reading of a primary text and discuss a specific element, theme and/or motif
within the text; analyzing its function and purpose throughout.
• Analyze the structure of any one primary text and discuss its significance and effect within
the work.
• Compare and/or contrast a specific literary element (theme, language, etc.) in two works and
discuss how it functions within the works (and to what purpose?).
• Compare two texts of your choice and formulate an argument as to similar themes, motifs,
style, tone, etc. Make sure that you have a point/purpose and a focus for this comparison.
• Choose one film adaptation and analyze the style of the adaptation, or choose a specific
element of the adaptation (the depiction of a character, a motif, theme, etc.) and analyze its
role in the adaptation. Make sure to address how this compares to this element/character’s
role in the literary text. (NOTE: You will need to see the chosen films in their entirety
before beginning an analysis of this kind.)
• Choose one scene in Hamlet, A Doll House, etc. and look at several (two or more) film
versions of that one scene. Discuss the film adaptations in terms of this one scene. What
seems to be the filmmaker’s focus? How has the scene been adapted in comparison to the
others? Has the text of the play changed and to what effect? Again, these are only
suggestions. (NOTE: You will need to see the chosen films in their entirety before
beginning an analysis of this kind.)

Please remember that these are only a few possible suggestions. If you choose a topic that interests
you, the likelihood is that the paper will be more enjoyable to write and the final result will be more
interesting and more enjoyable for me to read. Please remember that you have several novels, short
stories, plays and films to choose from.
Important Steps and Dates to Follow:
If you have questions about any of this, please email me or come see me during my office hours.

Tuesday 03.21.06: Informal proposal due for approval. This proposal should consist of one or
two paragraphs in which you explain the purpose of your argument and analysis (remember that you
cannot prove anything). Make sure to explain your argument clearly and to include which primary
text(s) you are planning to use. Remember to include your preliminary thesis and to state it clearly.
I would also suggest that you include a preliminary bibliography, although it is not required to
submit a bibliography before the final paper submission date.

OPTIONAL 03.28.06: You may, if you so choose, submit your completed analysis early (on or
before this date). If you choose to complete your paper on this date, it will be returned to you with
comments for revision the following week (04.04.06). (NOTE: This should not be a rough draft.)
You may also, on your own, arrange to exchange papers with your peers for out-of-class peer
editing. The Writing Center, located in the library, is also a valuable source. They are there to assist
you with your grammatical and structural writing issues (they will not be able to help you with the
content of your analysis--this is up to you but if you have questions or problems, please come see
me).

Tuesday 04.11.06: Final paper and bibliography due. Please remember to attach your
proposal to your final paper and to submit your final paper at the beginning of class. In
addition, please remember that your final paper must also be submitted to
www.turnitin.com on or before midnight 04.11.06. Please note that this is a required part of
the assignment.