Proseminar: Varieties of the American Short Story 4219-ZP044

Topics of classes:
1. The short story as a classic genre of American fiction
2. Early tales: Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe
3. Realism after the Civil War: Hamlin Garland, Ambrose Bierce
4. Decadence in New England: Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Sarah Orne Jewett
5. Southern culture: Kate Chopin, George Washington Cable
6.Emancipation: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Charles Waddell Chesnutt
7. Lost Generation: Ernest Hemingway, Francis Scott Fitzgerald
8. Modernism in the South and remebering the Civil War: William Faulkner
9. Southern grotesque: Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers
10. Heritage of slavery: James Baldwin, Alice Walker
11. Postmodern fiction: Donald Barthelme, Robert Coover
12.Post-post realism: Raymond Carver, Ann Beattie
13. Vietnam: Tim O'Brien
14. Some new voices: Jeffrey Eugenides, Junot Diaz
15. Summing up and making choices
Some minor changes are possible.

Type of course

obligatory courses
proseminars

Mode

Classroom

Prerequisites (description)

The objective of the proseminar is to make student ready to write their B.A. theses. The reading material includes American short stories from the first half of the 19th century to the present (authors: W. Irving, E.A. Poe, N. Hawthorne, H. Garland, K. Chopin, M.E. Wilkins Freeman, S.Orne Jewett, Ch. Perkins Gilman, Ch.W. Chesnutt, E. Hemingway, W. Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, F. O'Connor,, C. McCullers, R. Coover, D. i F. Barthelme, R. Carver, A. Beattie, J, Eugenides, J. Diaz i A. Walker. When the proseminar will be nearing its end, the participants should be able to make their choices as regards authors and their texts, to come up with topics of their theses. In addition, they will familiarize some basic concepts useful in the study of short fiction.

Course coordinators

Marek Wilczyński

Learning outcomes

Student
KNOWLEDGE
knows and understands:
- the terminology, methods, tools, and techniques for obtaining data, selected traditions, research schools, and directions of development appropriate for the cultural and religious studies and literary studies for researching cultural and social phenomena in the United States
- the importance of academic integrity

SKILLS
is able to:
- formulate and solve complex research problems, recognize, understand, interpret, and analyze the causes and course of cultural phenomena in the United States using sources and standard research methods and tools within the humanities
- interpret works of American literature in the context of broadly understood American culture
- communicate on American topics related to the United States using specialized terminology in English and advanced information and communication techniques
- participate, under the supervision of a research supervisor, in the preparation of research projects (individual and group) in the field of broadly understood studies of culture in the United States

SOCIAL COMPETENCES
is ready to:
- utilize acquired interdisciplinary knowledge relevant to cultural and religious studies and literary studies in the USA to formulate their own opinions

Assessment criteria

1. Acrive participation in class discussions - 30 p.
2. Short response essays (1-2 pages) - 30 p.
3. Preparing bibliography and writing draft versions of BA thesis chapters - 40 p.

Grading:100-90/5, 89-75/4, 74-60/3, 59-O/2

Practical placement

None

Bibliography

1. Washington Irving, Tales of a Traveller, Bracebridge Hall
2. Edgar Allan Poe, Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque
3. Hamlin Garland, Main Travelled Roads
5. Ambrose Bierce, Tales of Soldiers
6. Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, A New England Nun
7. Sarah Orne Jewett, The Country of Pointed Firs
8. Ernest Hemingway, 49 Stories
9. Francis Scott Fitzgerald, [selected stories]
10. William Faulkner, [selected stories]
11. Flannery O'Connor, A Good Man Is Hard to Find
12. James Baldwin, Going to Meet the Man
13. Alice Walker, [selected stories]
14. Donald Bathelme. City Life
15. Robert Coover, Pricksongs & Descants
16. Raymond Carver, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
17. Ann Beattie, What Was Mine
18. Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried
19. Jeffrey Eugenides, Fresh Complaint
20. Junot Diaz, This Is How You Lose Her

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 4219-ZP044 in USOSweb