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This course will examine how the concept of Hell evolved from that of an
afterworld where the dead dwell, to a place of diabolically appropriate
punishment, to a useful incentive for impeccable behavior, to a state of mental
and moral torment, to a means of revealing by contrast the nature of God and
Heaven.
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English 3065/5065: Visions of Hell Prof. Marion Perret |
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GOALS
to acquaint students with the changing concept of Hell in Western
tradition
to introduce students to many masterpieces of literature
to challenge students to think about their own beliefs (not necessarily so
they will change these)
to lead students to recognize the implications of their beliefs in terms
of action
to make students conscious of how these beliefs reflect and influence
culture
READINGS
1/18: Introduction to course and subject
1/25: Classical Hell and Biblical Hell
2/1: Dante, INFERNO, I-XI
2/8: " " XI-XVIII
(quiz)
2/15: "
" XIX-XXXIV
2/22: Midterm on Dante
3/1: Marlowe, DOCTOR FAUSTUS (A text)
3/8: SPRING BREAK!
3/15: Milton, PARADISE LOST: Books I, II
3/22: " "
Books IV, V.506ff., VI, IX.1-191
3/29: "
"
Books IX.192ff, X, XII.418ff
4/5: Edwards, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God"
Joyce, A PORTRAIT OF THE
ARTIST (Chapter III only)
Andersen, "The Girl
Who Stepped on Bread"
4/12: Sartre, NO EXIT; grad reports on research projects
4/19: Williams, DESCENT INTO HELL
4/26: Lewis, THE GREAT DIVORCE
5:? final exam (undergraduates)
In the College bookstore you will find copies of Dante, Milton, Williams, and Lewis (GD). The other works listed here (as well as some not listed) here can be found on electronic reserve. To access them, go to the Library home page, click on ERES, and follow through the screens. The password for this course is its number, 3065.
READING
(Undergraduates): I expect you to read the material assigned before
class. Reading for this course will take considerably more time than can be
gauged by the number of pages in the assignment or by how long you would have
spent on this in high school. The material is rewarding but needs careful, close
reading because much of it is poetry that comes from earlier centuries and thus
requires close attention to the footnotes explaining Biblical or mythological
references. Plan your time accordingly. This is a 3000 /5000 level course. What
I expect from you is not plot summary or paraphrase but evidence that you have
thought about, integrated, and questioned what you have read. Remember: just as
there are different kinds of torment for the damned (physical, psychological,
spiritual), there are several conceptions of Hell. Do not limit your thinking to
one of fire and brimstone.
WRITTEN WORK (Undergraduates): Because I want your considered ideas rather than
top-of-the-head reactions, the final exam will probably be in part a take home
essay. You will also write a midterm, two 3-page papers, and, either as
preparation for class or during class as a quiz, a few one-page essays or
question sets, but you do not have to write a research paper. Out of class work
will not be accepted after the beginning of class because class discussion will
deal with the topic assigned for the paper.
READING (Graduates): Many of you may have read some of these works before in
other courses, but you cannot just skim them to refresh your memory. We will
consider the classic texts somewhat unconventionally, focusing on what insight
the work gives us into the nature of hell, emphasizing the relevance and
challenge these works pose for readers today more than their value for their own
period; and discussing psychological or spiritual insight rather than literary
artistry . If you are not familiar with the Bible or mythology, you will need to
do background reading; if you have not read Dante or Milton before, you may also
need to read some criticism of their works.
WRITTEN WORK (Graduates): For you, there is neither a midterm nor a final exam.
You will be asked to write weekly brief papers and the short paper assigned to
undergraduates. Because you are graduate students, you will also write a 15 page
paper with some additional research (exploring further by fitting a work you
have not yet read into the semester's reading) and give a short report on this
in class.
The course grade will be determined as follows:
Undergraduates: 15% class discussion, 15% class prep
exercises/quizzes, 20% midterm, 20% Williams paper, 30% final exam
Graduates: 15% class discussion, 10% class report on research, 25% class
papers, 15% Williams paper, 35% term paper
Since this class meets only once a week, more than two absences will lower your
grade, so save these for illnesses.
OFFICE
HOURS: I will be available to you in G44 Spellman on Monday from 9:30
to 10:30; on Tuesday, from 1:00 to 4:00; on Thursday from 9:30 to 10:30 and from
3:15 to 4:15, and by appointment. Voicemail: x 5106. E-mail:
perretm@mville.edu. Home phone: 914-694-5787.
Please contact me if you feel the
need of help or reassurance.
