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It often seems that, when not simply repeating itself, history is the stuff of even the most radical of innovations. This phenomenon of going backwards in order to go forwards is as true of the history of the novel as of any other kind of history. In this course we will consider what the novel is, has been, and could be. We will assume that what the novel is is often about how it responds to what it was, and by reading novels in pairs, we will consider how later novels revisit earlier ones—to critique, re-examine, answer, and echo them. Along the way we will isolate for analysis some of the distinctive formal elements of the novel—character, structure, voice—and look at several ways it evolved in different cultural traditions (classically English, post-colonial, Japanese, modernist, American, African postmodernist). Our focus throughout will be on the practice of reading—how to interpret texts in light of both their contexts and other texts, as well as our own experiences of them. To this end, we will focus on writing, with regular workshops and informal response papers in addition to more formal critical essays and a research paper.

Texts (available in bookstore):
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre (ed. Mason, Penguin Books)
Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea 
Tanizaki Junichiro, Some Prefer Nettles
Banana Yoshimoto, Kitchen
Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway
Michael Cunningham, The Hours
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
Ben Okri, The Famished Road

We’ll also watch the following films: Itami Juzo’s Tampopo, and Moussa Sene Absa’s Ça twiste à Popoguine.

Requirements: response papers (15%), 2 short papers (15%, 15%), presentation (20%), mid-term (10%), final (10%), participation (15%) (You must pass each part to pass the class.)

Participation: This is a discussion class. Come to class prepared to discuss the readings. (To do this, of course, you must come to class: attendance is required).

Writing: Because writing well is an integral component of reading well, there will be regular and frequent writing assignments in this class. These will be divided into three levels or stages:
     First, for each class please prepare a prep paragraph, which should consist of a brief comment or question about the day’s reading. Sometimes a passage or theme will be assigned and sometimes you will choose your own. These will be presented orally in class or shown to me.
     Second, each week an informal response paper will be due. These are on topics of your own choosing, responses to the week’s readings or class discussions. They may further elaborate on your prep paragraphs or be on something completely different. Each Friday, a couple of people will share their responses with the class—and each of you should volunteer to share a response at least twice during the semester.
     Third, there will be 2 short formal essays (3-5 pages) on topics assigned by me (although you will always have the option of proposing an alternative topic, which could start from either your prep paragraphs or your response papers). Drafts of these will be due the class before the final paper is due. These classes will be workshops in which we will practice editing skills on each other’s paper.
     All papers handed in to me or used for in-class workshops must be word-processed, double spaced, with normal margins and font.

Presentation:
Each student will pick one text or topic to independently research. You may choose to look at some of the cultural or historical background to the text, or some of the criticism on it, or some of the writer’s other work. You will then share your project with the class in a 5-10 minute presentation. Please consult with me on your topic at least a week in advance, and hand in an outline at the time of your presentation. You may work with another student on your presentation if you wish.

Exams (including surprise quizzes) will include both identifications and essays.

Plagiarism: Do your work, and do your own work. If you cheat, you fail. Period.

week of:

1/10 (M) introduction: what is a novel?
(W) Jane Eyre (--vol. 1, ch. 2 [ch. 2] / p. 25)
(F) Jane Eyre (--vol. 1, ch. 9 [ch. 9] / p. 96)

1/17 (M) Jane Eyre (--vol. 1, ch. 15 [ch. 15] / p. 171)
(W) Jane Eyre (--vol. 2, ch. 5 [ch.20] / p. 247)
(F) Jane Eyre (--vol. 2, ch. 11 [ch. 26] / p. 331)

1/24 (M) Jane Eyre (--vol. 3, ch. 4 [ch.30] / p. 400)
(W) library workshop (meet in Falvey)
(F) Jane Eyre (--vol. 3, ch. 12 [ch. 38] / p. 502)

1/31 (M) Wide Sargasso Sea (--p. 61)
(W) Wide Sargasso Sea (--p. 173)
(F) Wide Sargasso Sea (--p. 190)
paper 1 assignment

2/7 (M) Wide Sargasso Sea 
(W) workshop / draft due
(F) Japanese poetry (handout) / paper 1 due
Japanese poetry handout

2/14 (M) Some Prefer Nettles (--p. 109)
(W) Some Prefer Nettles (--p. 150)
(F) Some Prefer Nettles (--p. 202)
Tanizaki website
Japanese literature site
Japanese literature webring

2/21 (M) Kitchen (--p. 43)
(W) Kitchen (--p. 105)
(F) Tampopo / midterm
Japanese film site

2/28 spring break: no class

3/6 (M) Mrs. Dalloway (--p. 194)
(W) Mrs. Dalloway
(F) workshop
map of Mrs. Dalloway's London

3/13 (M) The Hours (--p. 62)
(W) The Hours (--p. 139)
(F) The Hours (--p. 172)

3/20 (M) The Hours (--p. 226)
(W) workshop / draft due
editing worksheet
(F) The Hours / paper 2 due

3/27 (M) Things Fall Apart (--p. 62)
(W) Things Fall Apart
(F) Things Fall Apart (--p. 125)

4/3 (M) Things Fall Apart (--p. 209)
(W) Ça twiste à Popoguine
(F) Ça twiste à Popoguine

4/10 (M) The Famished Road (--p. 71)
(W) The Famished Road (--p. 183)
(F) The Famished Road

4/17 (M) The Famished Road (--p. 265)
(W) The Famished Road
(F) Easter break: no class

4/24 (M) Easter break: no class
(W) wrap-up