ENG303.001
Literary Masterpieces: Ancient and Medieval
FALL 2004

Prof. Eileen A. Joy

Office Hours: TUE/THU 11-2 & TUE 5-6

Peck Hall #0214

650-2990

ejoy@siue.edu

The Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve (William Blake, c. 1825)

"Force is as pitiless to the man who possesses it, or thinks he does, as it is to the victims; the second it crushes, the first it intoxicates. The truth is, nobody really possesses it. . . . Perhaps all men, by virtue of being born, are destined to suffer violence; yet this is a truth to which circumstance shuts men's eyes. The strong are, as a matter of fact, never absolutely strong, nor are the weak absolutely weak, but neither is aware of this. They have in common a refusal to believe they belong to the same species. . . . The man who is the possessor of force seems to walk through a non-resistant element; in the human substance that surrounds him nothing has the power to interpose, between the impulse and the act, the tiny interval that is reflection. Where there is no room for reflection, there is none either for justice or prudence."--Simone Weil (from "The Iliad, or The Poem of Force")

"What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving, how express and admirable in action, how like an Angel in apprehension, how like a God: the beauty of the world; the paragon of Animals; and yet to me, what is this Quintessence of dust?"--Hamlet (from Shakespeare's Hamlet)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course, we will study some of the major works of ancient and medieval literature in both the Western and Eastern traditions, with a special emphasis on war and violence, spiritual heroes, the problem of evil, and the question of what it means to be virtuous. As part of our exploration, we will discuss some of the social and cultural histories that went into the shaping of these works, and we will explore together why it might be important to have a "global" perspective on literary culture, and further, whether or not we can better understand "the world" through different cultures' unique artistic productions. Finally, since we will mainly be reading what might be called "grand" or "high" epics and sagas, we will also spend some time contemplating why we need such works at all, and why they remain so stubbornly popular even today (think of recent films such as Gladiator, Troy, Arthur, The Passion of the Christ, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy)--why do we think we need epic narratives (or conversely, why do we think we should outgrow them), and what can epic stories tell us about a culture's hopes and aspirations, as well as its fears and nightmares?

We are going to engage in what Guy Davenport, in his essay "On Reading," calls "imaginative reading"--"For the real use of imaginative reading is precisely to suspend one's mind in the workings of another sensibility, quite literally to give oneself over to Henry James or Conrad or Ausonius, to Yuri Oleysha, Basho, and Plutarch." In order to read in this manner, we must be willing to lose ourselves in the worlds and minds that literature creates. We must also take the time to read literary works with care and thoughtfulness; we must engage their ideas energetically and with conviction in discussion with others; we must seek to understand these works on the multiple levels of reality and unreality they create. To that end, we will practice the skills of close reading and the equally important skills of intellectual dialogue and debate, and we will also develop our abilities to write critically about literature. Finally, we will seek together to make connections between the older worlds of these works of literature and the world we live in today.

In this course, you will also learn that one does not think well in a vacuum--our ideas benefit immeasurably when exchanged with others in a series of critical dialogues. Preparing for and participating in class are vitally important to your success in this class, and therefore, your contribution to in-class discussions as well as your attendance record will be factored into your final grade. While some class time will be devoted to lecturing by the professor, an equal amount of time will be devoted to discussing various aspects of the readings and the ideas they raise, and the professor wants to see students vigorously engaging with the readings. Allow me to also note here that if I sense that students are not keeping up with the reading or are coming to class unprepared to discuss the readings, I will institute weekly reading quizzes. Please don't make me resort to this.

REQUIRED TEXT

Textbook Rental Services>

Davis, Paul et al, eds. The Bedford Anthology of World Literature. Package A; 3 vols. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

2 CRITICAL ESSAYS (25% each)

There will be two short papers (approx. 4-5 pages each) in which you will demonstrate your skills at the close analytical reading of a literary text, as well as at the comparative analysis of two literary texts. In these essays, you will practice your hand at literary interpretation, where you produce your own ideas about how texts create meaning. Through close reading, you will look closely at the language of literary texts in order to demonstrate not just what you think the texts mean, but more importantly how they mean what you think they are expressing.

FINAL EXAM (30%)

There will be one final CUMULATIVE exam that will comprise a section of identification of literary passages and a short analytical essay.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20%)

At least once a week, I will post a discussion question on the website syllabus that is related to the reading under discussion (you will find these on the Schedule of Events under particular readings), and it will be your responsibility to type responses to these questions and turn these in during the appropriate class period (minimum length: 1 typed page, but 1-1/2 to 2 typed pages is the ideal length). These questions will be mainly interpretive in nature, and will be graded on the requisite effort (or lack thereof) put forth, and not on whether or not the answers are "right" or "wrong." These short papers are critical for practicing your hand at close, analytical reading and are designed to help you "limber up" for the critical essays.

LATE PAPER POLICY

I do not accept late papers. Period. If there is an extraordinarily good reason for needing an extension on a paper due date, let me know in advance, and I will be kind.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Attendance, promptness, and participation are essential to success in college courses. Faculty members recognize that unexpected occasions may arise when a student must be absent from class, but my general attendance policy is that if a student is absent more than the number of required class sessions per week (in this case, that would be more than 2 sessions), I retain the option of lowering the student's final course grade by one letter grade for each additional session missed. Furthermore, if absences become excessive (more than two weeks' worth of sessions), the SIUE Registrar, at my request, reserves the right to withdraw the student administratively. For more information on this, please consult the following: SIUE Class Attendance Policy. Failure to attend class in a responsible and committed manner may thus be grounds for failure in or administrative withdrawal from the course.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Any student found engaging in an act of academic dishonesty will be promptly dismissed from the course with a grade of "F." By "academic dishonesty," I mean PLAGIARISM (the act of representing the work of another as one's own), which the University considers a grave breach of intellectual integrity. All definitions, terminology, concepts, and patterns of organization taken from an outside source must be identified and given credit in any essay or exam you write--whether it be for the English department or any other department. For more detailed information on this, please consult the following: SIUE Plagiarism Policy. For the English department's guidelines on documenting sources, go here.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS

If you feel that you are entitled to special accommodations (for example, a volunteer note-taker, interpreter, special desk, or extra time on tests), please contact the Disability Support Services office in Rendleman Hall #1218 (Jane A. Floyd-Hendey, Director), and they will help you fill out the necessary paperwork.

GRADING SCALE

Grading Guidelines

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

All readings are in the Bedford Anthology, unless indicated by ECR = electronic course reserves; readings listed below are accompanied by hyperlinks to notes & study guides, plot synopses, and background material which are provided to assist your understanding of what can often be difficult reading material, and also to help you when preparing for exams