JulesLaw

313UniversityHall;15526
OH:W23;Th1112andbyappointment

Winter2015

ENG213IntroductiontoFiction:Narration,Detection,andIdentity
Whathappened?WhoamI?Whodidit?Andhowdonarrativeshelpusanswerthese
questions?Dotheactivitiesofinterpretationanddiscoveryonlyrepeattheverypuzzlesthey
attempttosolve?Isthereanyinnocentretellingordetection?Fromshortstoriestolongnovels,
fromstoriesofgrowthtotalesofcrime,fromearly19thcenturyEnglandtolate20thcentury
America,thesearesomeofthequestionsthatpreoccupyliterarywriters.Inthiscoursewewill
explorethevariouswayswriterscreateandresolvemysteriesaboutidentitythroughthe
techniqueofnarrative;andwewillconsiderthecomplicatedrelationshipsbetweendiscoveryand
guilt,actionandnarration,crimeanddetection.Alongtheway,wewillconsiderexamples
drawnfromoneofthemostdominantformsofnarrativeincontemporaryculture:film.
Texts:MaryShelley,Frankenstein(BroadviewPress);ArthurConanDoyle,SherlockHolmes
SelectedStories(Oxford);BramStoker,Dracula(BroadviewPress);JosephConrad,Heartof
Darkness(NortonCriticalEdition,fourthedition);DashiellHammett,TheMalteseFalcon
(Vintage);ToniMorrison,TheBluestEye(Vintage).n.b.TextswillbeavailableatNorris
Bookstore.
Pleasenote:youmustacquirethespecificeditionsorderedforclass,sincechaptersandpage
numbersvaryfromeditiontoedition.Textsmarkedbelowbyanasteriskareavailableindigital
formunderthe"CourseDocuments"sectionofthecourseBlackboardsiteontheweb.
Films:Scott,BladeRunner(1982);Kasdan,ZeroEffect(1998);Herzog,Nosferatu(1979);
Coppola,BramStoker'sDracula(1992);Coppola,ApocalypseNow(1979);Huston,TheMaltese
Falcon(1941).StreamedversionsofthefilmsareavailableonourcourseBlackboardsite.
MethodofEvaluation:midtermexam(15%);750wordmidtermpaper(15%);finalexam
(30%);1250wordfinalpaper(30%);classparticipation(10%).
AcademicIntegrity:Yourworkforthiscoursemustbeyourown.Period.Pleasereadthe
College'spolicyonacademicintegrity,forwhichyouareresponsible(itsavailableontheweb
andintheundergraduatecatalog),andaskyourinstructorifyouhavequestionsorconcerns.
Note:Inadditiontohandinginpapersinsection,youwillberequiredtosubmitanelectronic
versionofyouressaystoSafeAssignment(thereisalinktothissiteinthe"Assignments"
contentareaofourBlackboardsite).Allpapersforthiscoursemaybeanalyzedelectronically

forviolationsoftheuniversity'sacademicintegritycodeandmayalsobeincludedinadatabase
forthepurposeoftestingforplagiarizedcontent.
Whichisalltosay:honestyremainsthebestpolicy,andthebestwayofgettingthemostoutof
youreducation.

ScheduleofLecturesandAssignments:
M.
W.

Jan.
Jan.

5
7

Introduction
MaryShelley,Frankenstein,pp.347352,4771[353359,4571].

M.
W.

Jan.
Jan.

12
14

MaryShelley,Frankenstein,pp.71160[71174].
MaryShelley,Frankenstein,pp.161221[175244].

M.
W.

Jan.
Jan.

19
21

Noclass:observanceofMartinLutherKingday.
Doyle,*"TheMusgraveRitual"and"AScandalinBohemia."

M.
Jan.
26
W.
Jan.
28
Th/F. Jan. 2930

Doyle,"TheSpeckledBand"and"TheRedHeadedLeague."
Stoker,Dracula,pp.2994.
Midtermpaperdueinsection.

M.
W.

Feb.
Feb.

2
4

Stoker,Dracula,pp.95256.
Stoker,Dracula,pp.257314.
*Plato,ThePhaedrus,ch.xxv.

M.
W.

Feb.
Feb.

9
11

F.

Feb.

13

M.
W.

Feb.
Feb.

16
18

Conrad,HeartofDarkness.
Conrad,HeartofDarkness,pp.377.
Achebe,"AnImageofAfrica:RacisminConrad'sHeartofDarkness,"in
Conrad,HeartofDarkness,pp.336349.

M.
W.

Feb.
Feb.

23
25

Hammett,TheMalteseFalcon,pp.3150.
Hammett,TheMalteseFalcon,pp.151217.

M.

Mar.

Stoker,Dracula,pp.315369.
Stoker,Dracula,pp.370419.
*Stoker'scorrespondencewithWaltWhitman.
*Whitman,"Whoeveryouare,HoldingmenowinHand,""AreYouthe
NewPersondrawntowardMe?"and"Trickle,Drops."
MidtermexaminLeveroneAuditorium(notethisisaFriday!).

Morrison,TheBluestEye,pp.3131.
2

W.

Mar.

Morrison,TheBluestEye,pp.132206;conclusion.

M.

Mar.

Morrison,TheBluestEye;conclusion.
Final paper due in lecture.

Thurs. Mar. 19

3:00p.m.LeveroneAuditorium.Finalexam.Pleasenotethatthisis
NOTourregularmeetingtime!

Films:
Manyofthefilmsdiscussedinlecturewillalsobeavailableforviewingontheweb,viathe
courseBlackboard(CourseManagementSystem)site,whichyoucanreachbyclickingon:
https://courses.northwestern.edu.WewilllookatBladeRunnerwhenwereadFrankenstein;
TheZeroEffectwhenwereadourSherlockHolmesstories;NosferatuandBramStoker's
DraculawhenwereadDracula;ApocalypseNow!whenwereadHeartofDarkness;andThe
MalteseFalconwhenwereadTheMalteseFalcon.
TAs:

HannahChaskin
AndrewKeener
StephaniePentz
WillPierce
SarahRoth
SusannaSacks

Email:

OfficeHours

hmchaskin@gmail.com
andrewkeener2018@u.northwestern.edu
stephaniepentz2012@u.northwestern.edu
wepierce@u.northwestern.edu
sarah.e.roth@gmail.com
susannasacks2019@u.northwestern.edu

M11,W1
M11,F2
M11,W1
M11,W12
M11,W9
M1,F2

TAofficesareallinUniversityHall420.
phone:4914991

Sections:
Number

TA

Time

Place

60
61
62
63

HannahChaskin
SarahRoth
HannahChaskin
StephaniePentz

Th4:004:50
Th4:004:50
Th12:301:20
Th4:004:50

FiskB17(basement)
HarrisL06(basement)
Locy301
FiskB17(basement)

64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71

SarahRoth
StephaniePentz
SusannaSacks
WillPierce
AndrewKeener
AndrewKeener
WillPierce
SusannaSacks

F11:0011:50
F11:0011:50
F12:0012:50
F12:0012:50
F12:0012:50
F1:001:50
F1:001:50
F1:001:50

HarrisL06(basement)
UniversityHall218
UniversityHall018(basement)
UniversityHall318
UniversityHall218
UniversityHall018(basement)
UniversityHall218
UniversityHall318

Attendance.Ifyoudonotplantoattendclass,thenthisisnotagoodcourseforyou.
Attendanceatsectionisrequired;attendanceatlectureisnecessaryinordertogetagoodgrade.
Theremaybequizzesgivenduringthequartertoauditattendance.Sincethereareonlynine
sectionmeetings,evenoneunexcusedabsencefromsectioncanaffectyourgrade.Ifyou
accumulatethreeunexcusedabsences,youwillalmostcertainlyreceiveafailinggradeinclass
participationandbeaskedtomeetwithyourinstructortodetermineifyoucanstillpassthe
course.
Assignments,ExamsandPapers.Youmustbeabletoattendthemidtermexam(Fri.Feb.13)
andfinalexam(Thurs.Mar.19).ThesetestswillbegivenONLYonthesedates.Ifyouare
participatinginascheduled,universitysponsoredevent,andauniversityofficialisavailableto
proctortheexam,youmaybeabletotaketheexamoffsite.A750wordpaperisdueatthe
beginningofsectiononJan.29or30(dependingonyoursection),andthefinal1250word
paperisdueonMon.Mar.9atbeforethefinallecture.YourTAwillprovidemoredetailed
instructions.Extensionsmustberequestedmorethan48hoursinadvance.Otherwisealate
paperisalatepaper.
Latepapers:paperssubmittedupto24hourslatewillbedockedonehalflettergrade.Papers
submitted24hourstooneweekaftertheoriginalduedatewillbedockedonefulllettergrade.
Paperssubmittedbetweenoneandtwoweekslatewillbedockedtwofulllettergrades.Papers
arenotacceptedmorethantwoweekslate.
AdetailedsetofinstructionsreallyakindoftutorialonhowtowriteagoodEnglishpaperis
availableintheCourseDocumentssectionofourBlackboardsite(under"Help").It'snotlight
reading,butifyoustudyitcarefullyyouwilllearnanawfullot.Setasidesomeextratime
beforestartingtowriteyourfirstpapersoyoucantakeadvantageofthisresource.Remember,
thefirstruleforwritingagoodpaperisthatitcan'tbedoneinaday(ornight!).
GradingCriteria:
A

Aworkiswellwritten,withoutsignificantflawsingrammar,diction,orspelling,and
demonstratesstrength,precision,andvarietyinitsvocabularyandsyntax.Itiscapable
ofexpressingsophisticatedrelationships,suchasanalogy,antithesis,contradiction,or
contingency.Itdemonstratesanaccurateunderstandingofrelevantfactsinthenovel,

andextendspointsmadeinclass(orincriticalreadings)tonewpassages.Italsomakes
significantobservationsaboutthenovelsformalfeatures.
B

Bworkiscompetentlywritten,withoutsignificantflawsingrammar,diction,or
spelling.Itdemonstratessomerecognitionofsophisticatedrelationshipssuchasanalogy,
antithesis,contradiction,orcontingency.Itreflectsanaccurateunderstandingof
relevantfactsinthenovelandattemptstoextendpointsmadeinclass(orincritical
readings)tonewpassages.Ittakessomenoticeofthenovelsformalfeatures.

Cworkdemonstratesminimallyadequatewriting,whichmanagestocommunicate
basicideasmoreorlessaccuratelydespitesomeconfusionscausedbyerrorsingrammar,
diction,orspelling.Itaccuratelycharacterizestherelevantfactsofthenovel,and
competentlyrehearsespointsmadeinclass.

TheUsualDisclaimers:
Announcementsaboutanychangesinreadingsassignments,deadlines,etc.,aremadeatthe
beginningofclass.Ifyoudomissaclass,orarelate,itisyourresponsibilitytogetgoodnotes
fromsomeoneelseintheclass.Theremaybepopquizzesatthebeginningofsections;these
counttowardtheclassgrade.Popquizzescannotbemadeupifyourabsenceisunexcused.
Theelectronicworld,likeallothers,isanimperfectone.Alwaysmakeallowancefordisasters.
Makesureyoumaintainrunningbackupsand/orhardcopiesofallworkwrittenoncomputer.If
thecomputermisplacesorerasesyourwork,ordeclinestoprintitexpeditiously,youarestill
responsibleforsubmittingsomematerialevidenceofyourworkontime.
Illness:ifyouhaveayuckycommoncold,youstillneedtomakeittoclass.Iknow,Iknow...
attendingclasseswhenyou'vegotacoldisn'tfun,anditcertainlyisn'tgoingtohelpwithyour
recovery...butitwon'tsubstantiallyhinderiteither.Ifyou'vegotsomethingmoreserious,you
needtostayaway.Ifyouneedmoretimetocompleteanassignmentyoumayofcoursehaveit,
butyouneedtocontactyourinstructorinadvance,notonthedaytheassignmentisdue.