The New Yorker
English 624: Fall
2007
Virginia Commonwealth
University
Professor Bryant Mangum
Schedule of Assignments
Weeks 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16
Week One (23
August)
Course Introdution:
1. Brief General History of
New Yorker: contextualizing it in 1920s; other "slicks"
2. Course Format and
Dividing Up Topics for Seminar Reports
Week Two (28,
30 August) The New Yorker Issue/August 27, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
1. New Yorker Story
in context of American short story
2. Current New Yorker
and old New Yorker: Browse through old and new issues
3. Discussion of
"decade" stories: 20's, 30's, etc.
THE TALK OF
THE TOWN
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
Fiction: "Nawabdin
Electrician” by Daniyal Mueenuddin
THE CRITICS
"The Girls in Their
Summer Dresses" by Irwin Shaw http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/dresses.html
POEMS
Week
Three (4, 6 September) The New Yorker Issue/September 3 & 10, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
Discussion of Beginning
of Profiles and Talk Presentations to begin Week Four
(dates uploaded after
Labor Day)
THE TALK OF
THE TOWN
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
Complete discussion of “Nawabdin Electrician” by Daniyal
Mueenuddin (Tuesday)
New Fiction: "Luda and
Milena” by Laura Vapnyar (Thursday)
THE CRITICS
"Over the River and
Through the Wood" by John O'Hara (on Blackboard: Course Documents)
(Tuesday)
POEMS
Week
Four (11, 13
September; No Class Thursday) The
New Yorker Issue/September 3 & 10, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
THE TALK OF
THE TOWN
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
THE CRITICS
"The Secret Life of
Walter Mitty" by James Thurber (on Blackboard: Course Documents) (Tuesday)
"Homecoming" by
William Maxwell (on Blackboard: Course Documents) (Tuesday)
POEMS
Week
Five (18, 20 September) The New Yorker Issue/September 17, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
THE TALK OF
THE TOWN
Sue Anne Kinelski: The Role
of the E.B. and Catherine White (Tuesday)
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
Current Fiction from
September 17 issue (Tuesday)
Stephen Kovach: E. B. White, “The Door”
"The Door" by E.B. White http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/door.html
(Thursday)
THE
CRITICS
POEMS
Week Six (25, 27
September) The New
Yorker Issue/September 24, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
THE TALK OF
THE TOWN
Norah Lind: James Thurber: Biography, Personality
(Tuesday)
Cathy Hart: Thurber's
New Yorker Drawings (Tuesday)
Kristen Hall: Dorothy
Parker and the Round Table (Thursday)
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
Current Fiction from
September 24 issue (Tuesday)
Keith Hollowell: Dorothy Parker,
“Arrangement in Black and White” (Thursday)
Audio Recording: http://www.salon.com/audio/2000/10/05/parker/
THE CRITICS
POEMS
Week Seven (2, 4 October) The New Yorker Issue/October 1, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
THE TALK OF
THE TOWN
Jing Zhuo: Harold Ross and the Ross Era (Tuesday)
Dan Wipert: Famous Contributors during the Ross Era (Tuesday)
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
Current Fiction
from October 1 (Tuesday)
Dan Wipert: John Cheever, "The Enormous Radio" (Thursday)
Norah Lind: Nancy Hale,
“Midsummer” (Thursday)
THE CRITICS
POEMS
Week
Eight (9, 11 October) The
New Yorker Issue/October 8, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
THE TALK OF
THE TOWN
Mary Alice
Beck: The Shawn Era (Tuesday)
Josh Watson: A
Perspective on New Yorker Humor (Thursday)
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
Sue Anne Kinelski: “The
Lottery,” Shirley Jackson (Tuesday)
"A Perfect Day for Bananafish" by J.D. Salinger (Tuesday)
Current Fiction from October 8 issue (Thursday)
THE CRITICS
POEMS
Week
Nine (16, 18 October; No Class 18 October: Reading Day)
The New Yorker Issue/October 15, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
THE TALK OF
THE TOWN
Stephen Kovach: Social/Political
Outlook of The New Yorker (Tuesday)
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
Mary Mullins:
Alice Adams, "To See You Again" (Tuesday)
Current Fiction from
October 15 (if time permits)
THE CRITICS
POEM
Week Ten (23, 25 October) The
New Yorker Issue/October 22, 2007
GOINGS ON ABOUT TOWN
THE TALK OF THE TOWN
Ashlyn Howell:
Evolution of New Yorker Poetry (Tuesday)
Jami Dittus: The New
Yorker's Handling of Manuscripts (Tuesday)
[FEATURES: FACT /FICTION]
Jing Zhuo: Woody
Allen, "The Kugelmaas Episode" (Tuesday)
Kristen Hall:
Ann Beattie, "The Burning House" (Thursday)
Robin Ashworth: Susan Minot, "Thorofare" (Thursday)
Current Fiction from October 22
THE CRITICS
POEMS
Week
Eleven (30 October, 1 November) The New Yorker Issue/October 29, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
THE TALK OF
THE TOWN
The Tina Brown
Era (Tuesday)
Discussion of long,
end-of-term projects (Tuesday)
Mary Mullins: The New Yorker Book Critics (Thursday)
Robin Ashworth: The “Profile” Section (Tuesday)
Keith Hollowell: The “Fiction”
Issue (Tuesday)
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
Jami Dittus: Alice Munro,
"Nettles" (Thursday)
Current Fiction from
October 29 (Thursday)
THE CRITICS
POEMS
Week
Twelve (6, 8 November) The New Yorker Issue/November 5, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
THE TALK OF
THE TOWN
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
Josh Watson: “Errand"
by Raymond Carver from The New Yorker, June 1, 1987 (for Tuesday--to be
uploaded)
Cathy Hart: George Saunders, "Sea Oak" (Tuesday)
Ashlyn Howell: Garrison Keillor, "We Are Still Married"
(Thursday)
Current Fiction from November 5 issue (Thursday)
THE CRITICS
POEMS
Week
Thirteen (13, 15 November) The New Yorker Issue/November 12, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
Working
bibliographies due Tuesday
THE TALK OF THE
TOWN
Justin Greene: The New
Yorker and “Non-American” Authors (Tuesday)
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
Sue Anne Beck: Jhumpa
Lahiri, "The Third and Final Continent" (Tuesday)
Justin Greene: Charuki
Murakami, “The Year of Spaghetti” (or another tba; Thursday)
Current Fiction from November 12 issue (Thursday)
THE CRITICS
POEMS
Week
Fourteen (20 November; No class 22 November: Thanksgiving)
The New Yorker Issue/November 19, 2007
GOINGS ON ABOUT TOWN
Drafts of final paper
due
Begin Synthesis; Short Film Clip on The New
Yorker
THE TALK OF THE TOWN
The
David Remnick Era
[FEATURES: FACT /FICTION]
Current Fiction from
November 19 issue
THE CRITICS
POEMS
Week
Fifteen (27, 29 November) The New Yorker Issue/November 26, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
THE TALK OF
THE TOWN
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
"For
Esme--With Love and Squalor" by J. D. Salinger (Tuesday)
Jamaica Kincaid, "A
Walk to the Jetty" from Annie
John by Jamaica
Kincaid (Tuesday)
"So Much Water
So Close to Home" from What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
by Raymond Carver
Current Fiction from November 26 issue
THE CRITICS
POEMS
Week
Sixteen (4, 6 December) The
New Yorker Issue/ December 3, 2007
GOINGS ON
ABOUT TOWN
Final Papers due 13
December at 4 pm
THE TALK OF
THE TOWN
[FEATURES:
FACT /FICTION]
Catch up on “decade”
fiction; Current Fiction from November 26 issue or catchup “current” fiction
Synthesis
THE CRITICS
POEMS
FINAL PAPERS WITH BIBLIOGRAPHIES DUE AT 4 PM ON THURSDAY,
13 DECEMBER IN OUR SEMINAR ROOM