| English 490-902: Fitzgerald
and Hemingway (Senior Seminar)
Spring 2009: Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00-5:15 Anderson House, Room 101 Professor Bryant Mangum (Web Syllabus) I. Book List: Books will be available through the Virginia Book Company (900 W. Franklin) Fitzgerald:
Hemingway:
Scott and Ernest: A Dangerous Friendship by Matthew J. Bruccoli (Note: This book may take a while to come in. We will discuss this, and I will make copies available while we wait. I want everyone to have this book. I’ll keep you posted on availability.) Optional Texts: The Cambridge Companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald, ed. Ruth Prigozy. I also recommend that you buy this book. The Virginia Book Company will order a limited number of these, and it is possible that you may want to pair off and share copies of these. They can also be ordered through Barnes and Noble's web site. We will also discuss this in class. II. Reserve and Reference Books (You can find a full list of the reserve books for our class by going to this web address and following the prompts: http://www.library.vcu.edu/reserves/). Below is a partial list. BIOGRAPHICAL
LETTERS
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL
MISCELLANEOUS, for example: Papa (Hotchner); Scott Fitzgerald (Turnbull); True Gen (Brian); A Moveable Feast (Hemingway); Hemingway: The Paris Years (Reynolds); The Way It Was (Loeb); Zelda (Milford); F.Scott Fitzgerald (LeVot); Fitzgerald/Hemingway Annual (ed. Bruccoli); The Fitzgerald Newsletter (ed. Bruccoli); etc. I will give you a list of our reserve books. III. Course Description and Objectives F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway met in April 1925 in the Dingo Bar, rue Delambre, Paris, just after the publication of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and shortly before the publication of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. The relationship that developed between them during the next fifteen years was important to both of them. In this course we will examine works by both of these authors, looking closely at the ways in which their stormy friendship influenced their writing and the direction of their literary careers. Our major objective in this class will be to acquaint ourselves with the contributions to American letters of Fitzgerald and Hemingway through close reading and careful discussion of much of the fiction written by them--particularly of that fiction written during the time of their friendship, 1925-1940. Another main objective will be to familiarize ourselves with the major source material--biographical, bibliographical, and critical--for each author; and through the use of this material we will draw conclusions about their relationship to each other and to the time in which they wrote. IV. Assignments A. Oral Report (SR): a brief summary (fifteen minutes long) of biographical material relevant to a work being considered; given during the class in which the work is being discussed. Referred to in schedule as SR (Seminar Report). B. Oral Report (CR): a critical reception presentation on the novel or stories being considered on the day scheduled for the discussion of the work(s). This will be very brief (five minutes or less). Referred to in schedule as CR (Critical Reception). C. Two 3-4-page papers in which you respond to a critical article on some subject related to the fiction of Fitzgerald and Hemingway (one for each). D. One close reading test and blackboard postings substantive (50 or more words each; see separate sheet on the counting of the blackboard postings). E. 15-page paper: this paper will deal with some original problem (biographical, bibliographical, or critical) including a complete check of existing treatments of the problem by other scholars. This is a documented, thesis-support paper. V. Grading: A. oral reports (10% for SR; 5% for CR): 15%
VI. VCU Honor System: "Virginia Commonwealth University recognizes that honesty, truth, and integrity are values central to its mission as an institution of higher education." This class will be conducted in strict adherence to VCU's Honor System policies. In essence, you should not use another student’s work. You should not falsely present source material as your own. Whenever you use material from another source, you must credit this source clearly, whether you are quoting directly, summarizing, or paraphrasing. Conscious and uncorrected acts of plagiarism (either from another student's work or from an academic source) will result in a failing course grade. In other words, respect the work of others and in no way present it as your own. Please read the policy in its entirety: http://www.provost.vcu.edu/pdfs/Honor_system_policy.pdf VII. Students with Disabilities: “Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to providing students with disabilities equal opportunities to benefit from all programs, services and activities offered.” Students with disabilities should identify to the instructor at the beginning of the course the services that they will need. VIII. Student Conduct in the Classroom: According to the VCU Resource Guide, “The instructional program at VCU is based upon the premise that students enrolled in a class are entitled to receive instruction free from interference by other students. Accordingly, in classrooms, laboratories, studies, and other learning areas, students are expected to conduct themselves in an orderly and cooperative manner so that the faculty member can proceed with their [sic] customary instruction. Faculty members (including graduate teaching assistants) may set reasonable standards for classroom behavior in order to serve these objectives. If a student believes that the behavior of another student is disruptive, the instructor should be informed.” Among other things, cell phones and beepers should be turned off while in the classroom. Also, the University Rules and Procedures prohibit anyone from having “…in his possession any firearm, other weapon, or explosive, regardless of whether a license to possess the same has been issued, without the written authorization of the President of the university...." Certainly the expectation in this course is that
students will attend class with punctuality, proper decorum, required course
material, and studious involvement. The VCU Resource Guide contains additional
information about a number of other policies with which students must be
familiar, including Guidelines on Prohibition of Sexual Harassment, Grade
Review Procedure, and Ethics Policy on Computing. Please read the policy
in its entirety:
IX. A Note on Computers: Much of the work in this course will depend on regular use of Blackboard and on email sent to and from your VCU email address. If you do not have a user ID and password that will allow you to access Blackboard and your VCU email, be sure to get one before the second class meeting. You will be able to access all of the course materials by going to http://blackboard.vcu.edu. If you do not have a computer ID number and password you can get one by following the steps listed at the following web address: http://www.vcucard.com/ X. Online Information: The address
for my website is http://www.people.vcu.edu/~bmangum
XI. Daily Assignment Sheet to Follow (I will upload a copy of the basic assignment sheet to our course website. This will be updated periodically on blackboard, which will contain the most recent modifications.) |