Course overview
The definition of "Modernism" is still, a century later, a matter of debate. In this course, we will examine a series of possible approaches to defining this term as we read a range of authors, from Conrad and Eliot to Stein and Woolf, and explore some of the avant-garde movements of the era (including Futurism, Expressionism, and Surrealism) and their historical and social contexts. Students will be encouraged to explore the avenues and works which most interest them. We may have an evening or two of films if there is sufficient interest.Marking scheme
Evaluation will be based upon performance on one short essay (worth 20%), one long essay (30%), one seminar presentation (15%), an annotated bibliography (15%), and class participation (20%). This last refers to participation in both lectures and seminars. Students will receive 15% of the grade by February 26, and should note that the last day to drop a D3 course without academic penalty is March 5. Please note that completion of all assignments is required to pass the course. The rounding of total marks to arrive at a final grade which complies with the 0, 2, 5, 8 marking scheme shall be at the instructor's discretion.
Required Texts:
Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent
William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury
Marcel Proust, The Way by Swann's (trans. Lydia Davis)
Lawrence Rainey, ed., Modernism: An Anthology
Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway
Late policy
A penalty of two percent (2%) for each day late, including weekends, will be incurred in all cases except certified emergencies. Papers more than ten days late will not be accepted, and a mark of zero will be given for the assignment. Requests for extensions sent by email will not be entertained. All assigned work must be submitted in hard copy: emailed assignments will not be accepted.
Plagiarism
Simply: don't even think about it. Students are referred to Brock University's official policy on plagiarism, and they are further advised that the instructor has an especially low view of such behaviour. The course website includes a page titled "On Citation" that students are encouraged to consult.
Medical Emergencies
All students should familiarize themselves with Brock's Medical Exemption policy and follow its procedures if necessary (see http://www.brocku.ca/healthservices/exemption.php).
Schedule
| January 11 |
Course Introduction |
| January 13 |
The Secret Agent
|
| January 18 |
The Secret Agent |
| January 20 |
Marinetti, The Founding and the Manifesto of Futurism (Rainey 3-
6) and Destruction of Syntax - Wireless Imagination - Words-in-Freedom (27-34)
|
| January 25 |
Pound, "In a Station of the Metro" (Rainey 43) and "The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter" (Rainey 45) and "Imagisme" (Rainey 94-97) and "The Chinese Written Character as a Medium for Poetry" (99-112) |
| January 27 |
Yeats, The Tower (Rainey 309-43)
|
| February 1 |
Yeats, The Tower and "The Circus Animals' Desertion" (Rainey 350-51) |
| Febrauary 3 |
Proust, The Way by Swann's (pages 1-187) |
| February 8 |
Proust, The Way by Swann's (pages 188-430) |
| February 10 |
Stein, Tender Buttons (Rainey 373-99) |
| February 15 |
[Family Day: no class] |
| February 17 |
Stein, Tender Buttons and "Composition as Explanation" (Rainey
407-11)
Loy, "Gertrude Stein" (Rainey 432-34) |
| February 22-26 |
[Reading Week: no classes] |
| March 1 |
Eliot, The Waste Land (Rainey 123-43) |
| March 3 |
Eliot, The Waste Land |
| March 8 |
Eliot, The Waste Land |
| March 10 |
Williams, Spring and All (Rainey 500-37) |
| March 15 |
Williams, Spring and All |
| March 17 |
Moore, "Poetry" (Rainey 649-50) and "A Grave" (Rainey 651) and
"What Are Years?" (Rainey 674-75)
|
| March 22 |
Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway |
| March 24 |
Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway |
| March 29 |
Breton, Manifesto of Surrealism (Rainey 718-41)
Desnos, Midnight at Two O'Clock: An Experiment in Modern Magic (Rainey 746-49)
|
| March 31 |
Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury (pages 1-179) |
| April 5 |
Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury (pages 180-321) |
| April 7 |
Beckett, Endgame (Rainey 1035-61)
|
| April 12 |
Beckett, Endgame
|
Assignments
| February 3 | Short essay due |
| April 19 | Long essay due |
Seminars
| Seminar 1 | M 14:00-15:00 |
| Seminar 2 | M 17:00-18:00 |
| Seminar 3 | T 16:00-17:00 |
Seminar Presentations:
Students in each seminar will sign up for one of the seminar topics below by no later than February 1st (students who do not sign up by this deadline will not be permitted to give a presentation). Students may also propose a seminar subject of their own devising, but this topic must have written approval from the course instructor. In preparing presentations, students should consider how best to introduce and discuss the chosen subject and its relation to Modernism for the benefit of the other students in the seminar. Treat the subject as accurately, concisely, and clearly as possible. Be prepared to give examples and take questions. Handouts and audio-visual equipment are welcome (though not required); approach your seminar leader if you need assistance. Seminar presentations should run between 10 and 15 minutes - these are the minimum and maximum, and marks may be deducted if they are not observed.
| Guillaume Apollinaire | Constructivism |
| Lady Gregory | The Armory Show |
| The Dreyfus Affair | Henri Bergson |
| The Hogarth Press | Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven |
| Marcel Duchamp | Igor Stravinsky |
| Parade (1917) | Ragtime |
| Mass Observation | Sergi Eisenstein |
| Dora Marsden | Martha Graham |
| Bauhaus | |
Annotated Bibliography:
You should list 5-10 valuable sources of information (books, essays, etc.) on the subject of your seminar presentation. Presumably you will have used these sources in preparing your presentation. Works by the subject in question will not be counted (for example, a bibliography on Apollinaire cannot be limited to works by Apollinaire himself, though of course you may very well consult such materials and refer to them in your presentation). The sources selected should be appropriate for serious scholarship. Your list should be ordered alphabetically by author, in MLA format, with each citation followed by 1-3 sentences explaining that text's focus, strengths, and/or weaknesses. Websites may be used, but for every website listed on your bibliography you must have three books. The bibliography is due one week after your seminar presentation: late submissions for this assignment will not be accepted.
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