Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Division of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Missouri Western State College English 440: Selected Studies in Literary Theory
"Narrative Theory and The Cross-over Writer"
Fall, 2000 Dr. Mike Cadden
Class time and place: 9:30-10:50 Tuesday & Thursday, 120 Murphy Hall
Office: 309-J Murphy Hall
Hours: W 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.; T & Th. 12:30-2:00 p.m.; and by appointment.
Phone: 271-4576 e-mail: cadden@missouriwestern.edu
URL: http://www.missouriwestern.edu/eflj/faculty/cadden.asp Course Description:
The selected study in this case is an examination of narrative theory (or
narratology) as it informs our understanding of how writing (and writers)
for adults and children differ. We will study single authors who write prose
fiction for both adults and children and individual works that seem to be
addressed to a dual or singular audience. While there is a variety of
theoretical approaches that could be taken in order to study this, we'll rely
on narrative theory in order to understand this "cross-over" phenomenon. Prerequisite: ENG 210 or 220 and junior standing. LAS Ethics. Offered every
other fall semester, this course substitutes for ENG 420 American Short Story,
ENG 422 American Novel, ENG 426 Modern American British Poetry, ENG 468
British Novel of the 18th Century, ENG 470 British Novel of the 19th and 20th
Centuries, ENG 484 Selected Topics in English Literature, or ENG 488 Senior
Seminar in English in the BA English/Literature and BSE English majors. It may
be used as a substitute in the BA English/Public Relations, BA English/Journalism,
and BA English/Technical Communications majors for ENG 310, 312, 360, 362.
It will also substitute for literature electives at the 300 level. Declared
English majors and minors who wish to have this course count in their programs
should complete a "Major/Minor Change" form when they enroll. Required Books:
Bal, Mieke. Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative.
Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan.
Le Guin, Ursula K. Catwings.
---. A Wizard of Earthsea.
---. Always Coming Home.
Milne, A. A. Winnie-the-Pooh.
Prince, Gerald. A Dictionary of Narratology. Reserve Readings and Handouts:
Reserve Material--designated on the calendar by "(Reserve)"--can be found
under either my name or the course name. Narrative Society Homepage: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/english/Clayton/nar-titlepage.htm
Website on Postmodern Thought: http://www.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/postmodern.html Evaluation:
Participation: 10%
Concept Presentation: 10%
Cumulative Final Exam: 20%
Two Short Papers: 30%
Cross-Over Author Study: 30% Attendance: Be here. If you miss a week of class, you begin to drop in your
final grade. Tuition guarantees you admission, not success. Your presence is
expected, not rewarded. Late and Missing Work: I reserve the right to refuse any late work. "Late"
will refer to any work that is turned in after I have collected it in class or
by the time I designate in cases where work is to be turned in to my
departmental mailbox. Policy on Students with Disabilities: Any student in this course who has a
disability which requires different contexts for either evaluation or
expression should contact me in the first few days of the course so that those
contexts can be considered.
Calendar (Subject to Constant, Inexplicable, and Disorienting Change): Aug. 22 T- Introduction to the course. From ENG 220 to 440-"Where are you
going? Where have you been?" 24 H- Bal's Introduction and a preview of the three major divisions. We'll
begin compiling a personal list of films and books to serve as examples of the
narrative phenomena studied over the next few weeks. 29 T- Text (Bal 16-53).
31 H- Story (Bal 78-132). Sept. 5 T- Fabula (Bal 175-217).
7 T- C.O. Author Theory: Becket, Knoepflmacher/Meyers (Reserve). 12 T- C.O. Author Theory: Galef (Reserve).
14 H- C.O. Author Theory continued: speculations about the intersection of C-O
theory and narrative theory. 19 T- Peter Pan; Wall (Reserve); First Short Paper Due.
21 H- Peter Pan and the "impossibility of children's fiction." 26 T- Peter Pan.
28 H- Winnie-the-Pooh; Return to Wall (Reserve). Oct. 3 T- Winnie-the-Pooh.
5 H- Winnie-the-Pooh. 10 T- Le Guin for young children: Catwings.
12 H- Le Guin for young adults: A Wizard of Earthsea. 17 T- A Wizard of Earthsea; Midterm Grades Due.
19 H- A Wizard of Earthsea/Always Coming Home. 24 T- Le Guin for adults: Always Coming Home; Second Short Paper Due.
26 H- Always Coming Home; Le Guin (Reserve); Last Week to Drop. 31 T- Always Coming Home.
Nov. 2 H-MMLA. 7 T- Genre and Narrative.
9 H- Genre and Narrative continued. 14 T- The Ethics of Narrative.
16 H- The Ethics of Narrative continued. 21 T- Concept Presentations and descriptions of author/text studies;
Author/Text Studies Due. Thanksgiving Holiday 28 T- Concept Presentations and descriptions of author/text studies.
30 H- Concept Presentations and descriptions of author/text studies; review
for the Final. Final Exam (all revisions due): Thursday, December 7, 8:30 a.m. - 10:20 a.m.
in our regular classroom. Short Papers
(~3-5 pages)
You will examine a narratological concept(s) as seen in a text with which you
are especially familiar. You may choose a text from any medium (film, print,
online) or any genre (nonfiction, novel, poetry). Your goal is to display
your command of the particular principle by identifying it in the text and
explaining its function and significance to that small part or the whole of
the work. A works cited page in MLA form is required. Concept Presentation
(~10-20 minutes)
You will either provide a presentation version of a short paper you have
written or a new application of a narratological principle for explanation to
the class. The main goal of this assignment is to get you to articulate to
the rest of us some interesting example of a narratological principle in a
text not studied by the class as a means to expand or reinforce our
understanding. You should try to target a principle (or related principles)
that is not too large in scope ("narrator") or sufficiently addressed in class. The use of the black board, handouts, overheads, tapes, or any other aids is
encouraged. Cross-Over Author/Text Study
(~7-10 pages)
Your large project for the semester is to choose one of two options:
1. Study a single author (some are listed below) who has written for both
children and adults. While you may draw upon any of the author's texts in
either category for your discussion, focus primarily on one book in each
category for your analysis. 2. Study a single book (or a couple of related books) that you wish to
explain as a text for both/either/neither children and/or/nor adults. Again,
you'll be using a narratological lens for viewing this. In either case your task will be to explain what narratological features figure
most prominently in your assessment of the status of the book(s) and what is
significant about that. A works cited page in MLA form is required. Some cross-over writers (of greater and lesser note):
Rudyard Kipling Christina Rossetti
Seamus Heaney Maria Edgeworth
Isaac Bashevis Singer Theodore Roethke
Salman Rushdie Tim Winton
Mark Twain Ted Hughes
Robert Louis Stevenson C.S. Lewis
Randall Jarrell Michael Dorris
Roald Dahl Maria Shriver
Madeline L'Engle Judy Schlessinger
Judy Blume Tom Clancy
E.B. White Bill Cosby
Russell Hoban
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