Topics in Literature : American
Writers in Paris ENG 491-901 Introduction We will be examining the experiences of the many writers--Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, E. E. Cummings, Malcolm Cowley and John Dos Passos among them--who expatriated to France in the early decades of the twentieth century. We will pay particular attention to those writers of the "Lost Generation" in the 1920s. We will focus on a couple of broad concerns, including an attempt to construct a "theory" of literary expatriatism and an assessment of the aesthetic termed Modernism. Why did so many talented writers leave America? What attracted them to Paris and what influenced them most while there? What impact did Paris have on the form and content of their fiction and poetry? Why did so many of them return to America at the end of the decade? We will address these questions as we chronicle the experiences of these writers within the contexts of the social and cultural climates of both America and Europe during the 1920s, and assess how their lives in Paris shaped some of the most interesting literature of the twentieth century. We will also devote considerable attention to developments in the other arts--in painting, sculpture, music, dance and the like--as we come to grips with the modernist aesthetic. Texts Cowley, Malcolm. Exile's Return: A Literary Odyssey of the 1920s. Plus a packet available at Uptown Copy (1205 W. Main St.) which contains these materials: Biographies in Brief Requirements and Grading Your main work this semester will be researching and writing a substantial paper (see paper assignment). This assignment will be worth 50% of your final grade. There will also be a series of short reading responses to write in class. These will be worth 15% of your final grade. There will be a comprehensive final exam, also worth 25% of your final grade. Attendance, timeliness with assignments, and participation in class will also account for 10% of your final grade. Attendance is expected at all class meetings. I reserve the right to penalize any student who misses more than three of the fourteen classes. Students with Disabilities Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 require that VCU provide an "academic adjustment" and/or a "reasonable accommodation" to any individual who advises us of a documented physical and/or mental disability. If you have a physical or mental limitation that requires an academic adjustment or accommodation, arrange a meeting with me at your earliest convenience. Tentative Schedule of Classes and Assignments Aug 29 American Writers in Paris: An Overview Sep 5 La Belle Epoque, Gertrude Stein and Modernism in the Arts Sep 12 The Impact of World War I Sep 19 The Lost Generation Sep 26 Hemingway’s Paris Oct 3 Hemingway’s Paris (cont.) Oct 10 Fitzgerald’s Paris Oct 17 Lost Generation (cont.) Oct 24 Published in Paris: Boyle and McAlmon Oct 31 Published in Paris: Boyle and McAlmon (cont.) Nov 7 Dada and Surrealism Nov 14 Dada and Surrealism: The Strange Case of Harry Crosby Nov 21 Thanksgiving Holiday Nov 28 Another View of Paris and After the 1920s Dec 5 Wrap-Up: Paris, Art and Illusion The Researched Essay Project Because this course is a "senior seminar," it will be a bit different than other English courses you have taken. One of the purposes of the senior seminars is to give students the opportunity to investigate a topic at some length and to write an extended researched essay, and so this will be the principle written work you will be required to do for the course. This project will ultimately result in a lengthy essay (at least fifteen typed, single spaced pages of text, plus additional citations and works consulted/cited pages). Directions: In a thoroughly researched, well-written, and accurately documented paper of no less than 15 pages of text (plus documentation), please outline and assess the experiences and importance of one of the following figures. You should 1) outline their major experiences in Paris or connection to that city; 2) their importance to the cultural life of Paris in the 1920s; 3) their importance to the Modernist movement in the arts; and/or 4) their impact on the lives and works of other American writers. Depending on the figure chosen, you will have to focus more or less on each of these four points. Please consult me if you have difficulty locating sources. I would prefer that everyone write on different figures, so that we don't run into problems with sources. Note: If you are dying to write on some other topic, please run it by me. If it is directly related to the material in the course, I'm likely to approve it. European Figures Guillaume Apollinaire American Writers in Paris through 1920s Harold Loeb American Writers in Paris after the 1920s Anais Nin Other Figures of Note Mabel Dodge We will work on this paper stages. The following schedule sets out the process and the relative weight of each step: Topic Exploration Essay In a 1-2 page (300-500 word) typed essay, think about what topic you would to write on, or what possible topics you are considering. Let me know why the topic or topics interests you, what questions about the topic you would like to answer, and the like. As a starting point, you might want to look at Rood, Karen Lane, ed. Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol. Four: American Writers in Paris, 1920-1939. Detroit: Gale Research, 1980. This is a very useful volume, with entries on most of the American writers. It's in the reference section of the library, on the first floor. This is a relatively informal assignment, meant to get you involved in the material from the get-go, and to give me some indication of what your own interests in this material are. Paper Proposal This is a 1-2 page (300-500 word) formal proposal for your paper, including a statement of its focus, a very general sense of the material or issues you wish to address in it, and a brief discussion of at least five sources. Be sure to have done some investigation, because you will be committed to the topic you propose, and so will be living with it for the next couple of months.. Annotated Bibliography Present a complete and accurate bibliographical listing of at least eight (but no more than 10) sources you have consulted. The list should be in MLA format. For each source, also include a paragraph which describes and discusses the source (this is the "annotation" part), and especially how helpful it will be to you. You will not have had to read each source carefully, but you will have had to skim it, in order to get a clear sense of its value to you. Is the source well-documented itself? Does it lead you to other useful information? Final Paper This is a complete and finished paper, not a first draft. It should be properly formatted, contain accurate notes and bibliographical references, and be free of surface error. Be sure to proofread the entire paper carefully. Although you will make one more pass through the paper after receiving comments from me, this is the most important part of the whole project. Revised Paper Your grade here will be based on the quality of your revisions (not just corrections of mechanical errors). You must also turn in a one-page explanation of what changes you made and why.
Although I am not requiring you to buy the following two reference texts, you will find them very useful (and in the case of the MLA Handbook, essential) both for the researching and writing of the paper: Diana Hacker, A Writer's Reference, 4th edition. (NY:
Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999).
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