(E) = on e-reserve
Thematic Organization of the Course:
I. Psyche and the City
II. War
III. Sex / Gender
*Synthesis (i.e., Mrs. Dalloway)
IV. Empire
Tues., Jan. 24
HENRY JAMES, What Maisie Knew (1897), introduction
Thurs., Jan. 26
What Maisie Knew, ch. 1—12
Tues., Jan. 30
What Maisie Knew, ch. 13—end
JAMES, “Preface to What Maisie Knew”
RELEVANT CONTEXTS: point of view / scenic, psychology, everyday life studies, industrial London / urbanism, mass culture
Thurs., Feb. 2
JAMES JOYCE, Dubliners (1914)
“Araby,” “Eveline,” “Counterparts”RELEVANT CONTEXT: epiphany
Tues., Feb. 7
Dubliners
“Ivy Day in the Committee Room,” “Grace”
Thurs., Feb. 9
Dubliners
“The Dead”
RELEVANT CONTEXTS: Irish Home Rule, Catholicism, nationalism, class
Tues., Feb. 14
JEAN RHYS, After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie (1929), Parts I
Thurs., Feb. 16
After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie, Parts II—end
RELEVANT CONTEXTS: alienation, the New Woman, gender, exile
Tues., Feb. 21
FORD MADOX FORD, The Good Soldier (1915), Parts I—III
Thurs., Feb. 23
The Good Soldier, Parts IV—end
FORD, “On Impressionism” (E)
RELEVANT CONTEXTS: Catholicism, psychoanalysis, Tories, sexology, Edwardian / Georgian, Impressionism, Continental fiction, impersonality
*short written assignment due by Friday, February 24 at 5:00 pm
Tues., Feb. 28
REBECCA WEST, The Return of the Soldier (1918), Parts I—III
Thurs., Mar. 2
The Return of the Soldier, Parts IV—end
RELEVANT CONTEXTS: World War I, war neuroses / trauma, gender, psychoanalysis, childhood
Tues., Mar. 7
GRAHAM GREENE, The Ministry of Fear (1943), Books I—II
RELEVANT CONTEXTS: World War II, genre fiction, theories of modernity, fascism, mass culture, technology, Catholicism
*MIDTERM PAPER due by Wednesday, March 8 at 5:00 pm
Thurs., Mar. 9
The Ministry of Fear, Books III—end
Mar. 11—19 SPRING BREAK
Tues., Mar. 21
REBECCA WEST, “Indissoluble Matrimony” (1914) (E)
RELEVANT CONTEXTS: gender, race, the New Woman, feminism, socialism (Fabians), sexology, degeneration, psychoanalysis, avant-garde
*screening of The Third Man (1949) (direction: Carol Reed; screenplay: Graham Greene): date and time to be announced
Thurs., Mar. 23
D. H. LAWRENCE, The Fox (1920), read entire text
Tues., Mar. 28
The Fox (continue discussion)
RELEVANT CONTEXTS: anti-Victorianism, gender, class,
high / low modernism, homosexuality, World War I, psychoanalysis
Thurs., Mar. 30
VIRGINIA WOOLF, Mrs. Dalloway (1925), pp. 3—100
WOOLF, “Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown” (1924) (E)
Tues., Apr. 4
Mrs. Dalloway, pp. 101—end
Thurs., Apr. 6
Mrs. Dalloway (continue discussion)
RELEVANT CONTEXTS: Bloomsbury, feminism, stream of consciousness, Edwardian / Georgian, theories of modernism, British Empire, war neuroses / trauma, epiphany, everyday life studies, Tories, Post-Impressionism
Tues., Apr. 11
E. M. FORSTER, A Passage to India (1924), “Mosque”
Thurs., Apr. 13
A Passage to India, “Caves”
Tues., Apr. 18
A Passage to India, “Temple”
FORSTER, from Aspects of the Novel (1927) (E)
RELEVANT CONTEXTS: British Empire, liberal humanism,
anti-colonial movements, religion / spirituality, Bloomsbury
Thurs., Apr. 20
JOSEPH CONRAD, Lord Jim (1901), ch. 1—14
Tues., Apr. 25
Lord Jim, ch. 15—23
Thurs., Apr. 27
Lord Jim, ch. 24—end
RELEVANT CONTEXTS: British Empire, genre fiction, Impressionism, Darwinism, degeneration, theories of modernity, psychology, exile, impersonality, Continental fiction
*FINAL PAPER due by Tuesday, May 9 at 12:00 noon