ENG 2068: Images of Women in Literature

This is a course description for informational purposes only. A full syllabus will be available via Blackboard to students registered in the course in spring 2008. Readings and assignments are subject to change.

ENG 2065: Images of Women in Literature

Course Description:

This course offers an introduction to women's writing in the English-language tradition, with a concentration on the 19th-21st centuries. Through reading a variety of genres--principally the novel, the short story, and the memoir--we will explore how women authors of different times and nationalities have represented themselves and their gender in literature. Additional concerns will include women's approaches to such topics as love and sexuality, family relationships, artistic achievement, and social differences.

ENG 2065 counts towards the English major as an elective and is cross-listed with the minor in Women's Studies.

Readings:

Austen, Jane. Persuasion. 1818.

Blunt, Judy. Breaking Clean.

Martin, Wendy. More Stories We Tell: The Best Contemporary Short Stories by North American Women. 2004. Random House. 0375714502

Pym, Barbara. Excellent Women.

Ward, Candace, ed. Great Short Stories by American Women. 1996. Dover Thrift. 978-0486287768 or 0486287769

Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. 1905.

Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One's Own. 1929. Harcourt. 0156787326

Course requirements:

active, informed participation in discussion
two short papers (4-5 pages; the first one can be revised)
a take-home exam

Course Objectives:

to introduce you to prominent concerns exhibited and techniques deployed by women writers, both historical and contemporary, in the English-language tradition
to acquaint you thoroughly with the works we will read, as well as with selected historical, biographical, and critical context
to deepen and extend your understanding of terms and methods used in college-level literary criticism
to develop your skills as critical readers—particularly close reading, making connections within a literary work, and generating thought-provoking questions—through active reading and guided class preparation
to develop your skills at presenting your questions and ideas verbally, and at responding to those of others, through seminar-style class discussions
to develop your skills as critical writers about literature through analytical paper assignments, including opportunities for revision

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