English Writing: Short Stories and Writing about Literature
進階寫作：短篇小說評論與文學論文
This course introduces students to writing papers on literature. Each week we shall read one short story together and practice writing short passages on character, setting and theme. As we move along, we shall also read sections of a novel and develop a full paper on that novel, which is to serve as your final report. Students will learn how to respond to modern literature, cultivate a critical approach, and shape impressions and emotional responses into a well-structured paper.
1. Orientation
2. Edgar Allen Poe. “The Telltale Heart” (calculated murder? Protagonist/old man relationship)
3. Henry James. “Daisy Miller” (the change in male lead’s view of Daisy)
4. James Joyce. “Eveline,” “The Dead” (how she feels about home and why not leave? Setting, Dubin, home images as static, monotonous, sea as fluid, crowds)
5. Thomas Hardy. “The Fiddler of the Reels” (two types of love, Wessex as setting)
6-8 Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby (Gatsby; houses; 1920s; American Dream)
9. Hemingway. “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”
10 E. M. Forster. “The Other Boat” (relationship with mother) (find a critical paper and summarize)
11. D. H. Lawrence. “The Rocking Horse Winner” (title and outline)
12. Katherine Mansfield. “A Cup of Tea” (write the girl’s story) (first page Introduction)
13. exam
14. Arthur Conan Doyle. “A Scandal in Bohemia” (Sherlock Holmes) ( (two pages)
15. Hanif Kureishi. “My Son the Fanatic” (I don’t want to be my father) (three pages)
16. Final paper discussion
Lecturing: 30%
Discussion: 30%
Group Activities: 40%
Final exam: 30%
Final paper: 50%
Weekly journals: 20%
A reading package will be provided.
|