2010-11 Winter Term 1 English 459C The Fictions of Angela Carter and Jeanette Winterson. Mon & Thurs: 2-3:30 Arts 204 Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Gustar Office: Arts 152 Tel. 250.807.9384 e: jennifer.gustar@ubc.ca Office Hours: T & Th 11:30-12:30, or by appt. English 459C: Feminism and Postmodernism in the Fiction of Angela Carter and Jeanette Winterson Course Content and Objectives This course will examine a selection of the works of contemporary feminist British authors, Jeanette Winterson and Angela Carter. We will employ critical frames of feminist, queer, and postmodernist theory in order to elucidate the work of these authors. The student will build a repository of knowledge concerning contemporary critical discourses and approaches to feminist fiction and fairy tales. Further, the student will improve his/her ability to contribute to scholarly work on contemporary fiction by applying critical approaches and scholarly insights in thoughtful critical analyses of short stories and novels. Required Texts (Available in the UBCO bookstore) Angela Carter: The Passion of New Eve Nights at the Circus The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories (short story collection) Jeanette Winterson: The Passion Written on the Body Essays on Vista: Excerpt from Angela Carter, The Sadeian Woman Judith Butler Bodies that Matter J. Gustar, The Body of Romance. http://web.ubc.ca/okanagan/critical/ shared/assets/js-pubonline2069.pdf
Using Vista Course material such as course outlines and additional supporting material will be posted on Vista. I also make announcements on Vista (which I will also make in class). Please send all e-mail to me for this course to Vista. If you have any problems with accessing material online, please be sure to let me know. You will be expected to contribute to the online discussion forum weekly, excepting the weeks of the midterm and the final. Academic Integrity The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all students are expected to know, understand, and follow UBCO codes of conduct regarding academic integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. To do otherwise is considered plagiarism. Acts of deliberate plagiarism will result in a failing grade or a mark of zero on the assignment or in the course. All students should familiarize themselves with the UBCO policies and procedures regarding academic integrity and plagiarism that are available in the academic calendar and online at: http://web.ubc.ca/okanagan/faculties/resources/academicintegrity.html. If you have any questions about how academic integrity applies to this course, please consult with your professor. Class Schedule (subject to change at the discretion of the instructor) Week Topic #1 Monday Sept 8-10 Topic #2 Thursday 1. Feminism in literature. 2. Postmodernism 3. Queer Theory Relevant deadlines and information & assignments Sept 13-17 Sept 20-24 Essays: Butler excerpt from Bodies that Matter. Excerpt from Sadeian Woman Carter. Puss-in-Boots, The Erl-King, The Snow Child Revisiting the Fairy Tale: The Bloody Chamber, The Courtship of Mr. Lyon, The Tiger s Bride The Lady of the House of Love, The Werewolf, Wolf Alice The Company of Wolves Sept 27- The Company of Carter. The Passion of New Eve Oct 1 Wolves Oct 4-8 The Passion of New Eve The Passion of New Eve
Oct 11-15 Thanksgiving Short story essay due Winterson, The Passion Oct 18-22 Winterson, The Passion Carter. Nights at the Circus Oct 25-29 Nights at the Circus Midterm Test Nov 1-5 Nights at the Circus Nights at the Circus Nov 8-12 Nov 15-19 Winterson. Written on the Body & The Body of Romance Read: J. Gustar, The Body of Romance http://web.ubc.ca/okanaga n/critical/ shared/assets/j s-pubonline2069.pdf Written on the Body Essay Due Short story essay due Oct. 14 th in class & Vista drop box Friday Oct 15: Last date to withdraw WITH W standing No class: midterm study break Nov. 11: Remembrance Day; Nov 12: midterm study break Written & Novel Essay Due Nov.15 th in class & vista drop box Nov 29- Dec 3 Dec 7 Monday 7 th last day of classes. NB: This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the Instructor or Teaching Assistant. Disability Services: If you require disability related accommodations to meet the course objectives please contact the Coordinator of Disability Resources located in the Student development and Advising area of the student services building. For more information about Disability Resources or about academic accommodations please visit the website at http://okanagan.students.ubc.ca/current/disres.cfm. Evaluation Essays must conform to MLA style in all respects. http://www.library.ubc.ca/pubs/mlastyle.html
Assignment 1: Short Story Essay: 5-6 typed pages: Due Oct. 14, 2010, in class and on-line. MLA format, double-spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman font. Cover page optional. Include Works Cited. Choose one of the following topics. Secondary resources may be limited to Perrault, Grimm, or Carter s The Sadeian Woman: 1. Critical analysis discussing the relationship between Carter s story/stories and their originals (in Grimm or Perrault) and elaborating on Carter s contribution to the genre. 2. Discuss Carter s short stories as a continuation and qualification of her argument in The Sadeian Woman. 25% Assignment 2: Novel Essay: 10-12 typed pages: Due November 15 th in class and on-line. MLA Format (10 pages double-spaced, typed, not including Works Cited or title page). Cover page optional. Choose at least 4 scholarly articles on either Carter or Winterson, or on course concepts such as subjectivity, intertextuality, carnivalesque, ludism, postmodernism, feminism, queer theory, desire, etc. Read the articles carefully and often, taking careful notes. Write an essay that includes the following, not necessarily in this order: 1. the major points made in the articles and your response to these points 2. the relationship between the perspectives presented in the articles 3. the relationship between the views expressed in the articles and your own thesis a debatable statement elucidating the original author s work (i.e. Carter or Winterson). You may write on one or more works, depending on your thesis. The introduction to your thesis should elaborate on the relationship between the critical essays, the novel, and your own reading. The more research & reading you do, the better your paper will be! 35% Midterm in-class Essay Test covering the semester s work to date excluding Nights at the Circus 15% Novel s 10% Participation grade (online 10% and in-class 5%) 15% You will be expected to contribute to the online discussion forum at least once per week, excepting week one and the weeks of the midterm and the final tests. You may
pose questions for discussion, prior to the lecture or after the lecture. You may also make relevant and thoughtful observations about the work, respond to the professor s comment or question, or respond to another student, etc. Your contributions will be graded at the end of the year on frequency, relevance, insightfulness, your capacity to make connections across the readings and your demonstrated commitment to better understand and elaborate the work under consideration. In-class participation is also required, but I recognize not everyone is comfortable speaking in class; therefore, more than 3 unexplained absences will result in a loss of points towards your participation grade. Late Essays: It is your responsibility to ensure that I receive your assignments. If you submit assignments at the faculty office or slip them under my door, I will not be responsible for them should they go missing. Late essays will be penalized by subtracting 5 marks for each day late from final mark of the essay. If you have a good reason for not submitting your work on time such as illness or family emergencies please submit a doctor s note or (for emergencies) some kind of documentation. Always keep copies (computer file, disk or hard copy) of submitted work.