SYLLABUS: THE MODERN BRITISH NOVEL (FALL 2020)

ENGLISH 3753/4753

Final exam, covering all material from the class of October 14 through the end of the course. Exam will be accessible on Blackboard from 7:45 pm to 9:45 tomorrow, December 16. Same format as the mid-term. The multiple-choice exam will be open-book; you may consult your notes, the on-line textbook, etc. However, once you begin the exam, you will have 40 minutes to complete the exam, so you should prepare well. You can look up any answers you don’t know, but you won’t have time to look up all answers.

All students should check this syllabus daily for announcements and updates and to make sure you understand the schedule. All students will be responsible for being aware of any information or announcements presented in this syllabus.

Instructor:

Prof. M. Keith Booker

e-mail: m.keith.booker@gmail.com

Textbooks Required:

On-line textbook supplied free of charge. This syllabus provides links to the relevant sections.

The following novels will be needed in order to complete the class reading assignments. It will be helpful, though not essential, to have the specific edition of each text stocked in the bookstore. All texts are also available in digital versions (such as Amazon Kindle); most of them can be found on-line free of charge.

H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds.

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness.

Ford Madox Ford, The Good Soldier

Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse

Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children

Zadie Smith, White Teeth

Description:

This course is intended to provide an introductory survey of the modern British novel, including an investigation of what it means to be “modern,” as well as an introduction to the concepts of modernism and postmodernism. We will look at both “literary fiction” and “genre fiction” and will top off the course with an introduction to James Joyce’s Ulysses, widely regarded as the greatest novel ever written, but in many ways more of an “anti-British” novel than a “British” novel, though it was, technically, written by a British subject. We will also watch several film adaptations of novels in order to expand our coverage, using adaptations that are particularly faithful to the original.

Course Resources for Remote Delivery

Online textbook: Linked to the schedule below.

Facebook Group for Class Discussions: Click here.

Individual books and films: Books are available in the campus bookstore as usual. Physical books can also be ordered on-line via Amazon.com and other sites. E-books of all texts are available at Amazon and elsewhere. Many are available free of charge. Films are available for inexpensive rental on Amazon Prime Video, as well as other platforms. Make sure you get the right version of the film (check the year of release), as some of these have been remade one or more times.

Online video lectures: Most of these will be brief reviews of each class, pointing toward the most salient features of the information presented in the primary texts and the textbook writeup. A large amount of information will be presented in this class, and these lectures should help you to manage that information and to prepare for exams, etc. However, when we will be viewing a film adaptation of a novel, the lectures are designed to be viewed before watching the film or reading the on-line textbook assignment.

Essays, exams, and other major requirements:

Students will write one critical essay (5-7 pages, double-spaced) and have an on-line mid-term exam and an on-line final exam, delivered via Blackboard.

There will also be a class Facebook page where students may participate in discussions, ask questions, post relevant information, and so on. For each class for which you posts or comment on this page, you will be awarded 1-3 points, depending on the quality and substance of your contribution, up to a possible total of 15 points for the semester. (That means you only have to participate at a 33% level to get full credit for the semester.) Any crucial information posted by the instructor on the Facebook page will also be made available via this syllabus.

Note on participation in discussions on Facebook: To avoid spoilers, you should not discuss the material for a given class before the date of that class.

Grades and Grading

            Facebook Discussions: 15%

            Mid-term exam: 20%

            Final exam: 25%

            Critical essay: 40%

Course Schedule:

Wednesday, August 26

Introduction to the class. The Nineteenth Century and the Birth of the Modern.

  1. Read the on-line reading assignment.
  2. After you have read the on-line reading assignment, view the brief lecture summarizing the main points you want to make sure you know.

Wednesday, September 2

Modern British Literature Before World War II: From Realism to Modernism.

  1. Read the On-line reading assignment.
  2. View the summary lecture.

Wednesday, September 9

H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds (1898).

  1. To prepare for this class, you should first read the novel.
  2. Read the on-line reading assignment.
  3. View the summary lecture.

Wednesday, September 16

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1899).

  1. To prepare for this class, you should first read the novel.
  2. Read the on-line reading assignment.
  3. View the summary lecture.

Wednesday, September 23

Film viewing: Howards End. Adapted from the 1910 novel by E. M. Forster.

  1. To prepare for this viewing, you should begin by viewing the introductory lecture.
  2. You might also wish to read the on-line reading assignment before viewing the film. Alternatively, you might wish to read this assignment after viewing the film in order to avoid spoilers.
  3. View the film.

Wednesday, September 30

Ford Madox Ford, The Good Soldier (1915).

  1. To prepare for this class, you should first read the novel.
  2. Read the on-line reading assignment.
  3. View the summary lecture.

Wednesday, October 7

Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse (1927).

  1. To prepare for this class, you should first read the novel.
  2. Read the on-line reading assignment.
  3. View the summary lecture.

Wednesday, October 14

Mid-term exam, covering all material through the class of October 7. Exam will be accessible on Blackboard from 5:00 pm to 8:00 on this date (October 14). The multiple-choice exam will be open-book; you may consult your notes, the on-line textbook, etc. However, once you begin the exam, you will have 40 minutes to complete the exam, so you should prepare well. You can look up any answers you don’t know, but you won’t have time to look up all answers.

Introduction to Dystopian Fiction: Aldous Huxley, Brave New World (1932).

  1. To prepare for this class, you should first read the novel.
  2. Read the on-line reading assignment.
  3. View the summary lecture.

Wednesday, October 21

Film viewing: 1984 (1984). Adapted from George Orwell’s 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-four.

  1. To prepare for this viewing, you should begin by viewing the introductory lecture.
  2. You might wish to read the on-line reading assignment. Alternatively, you might wish to read this assignment after viewing the film in order to avoid spoilers.
  3. View the film.

Wednesday, October 28

Film viewing: Goldfinger (1964). Adapted from Ian Fleming’s 1959 novel.

  1. To prepare for this viewing, you should begin by viewing the introductory lecture.
  2. You might wish to read the on-line reading assignment. Alternatively, you might wish to read this assignment after viewing the film in order to avoid spoilers.
  3. View the film.

Wednesday, November 4

Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children (1981).

  1. To prepare for this class, you should first read the novel.
  2. Read the on-line reading assignment.
  3. View the summary lecture.

Wednesday, November 11

Film viewing: The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981). Adapted from John Fowles’ 1969 novel.

  1. To prepare for this viewing, you should begin by viewing the introductory lecture.
  2. You might wish to read the on-line reading assignment. Alternatively, you might wish to read this assignment after viewing the film in order to avoid spoilers.
  3. View the film.

Wednesday, November 18

Film viewing: Trainspotting (1996). Adapted from the 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh.

  1. To prepare for this viewing, you should begin by viewing the introductory lecture.
  2. You might wish to read the on-line reading assignment. Alternatively, you might wish to read this assignment after viewing the film in order to avoid spoilers.
  3. View the film.

Wednesday, November 25

Thanksgiving Break. No class.

Wednesday, December 2

Zadie Smith, White Teeth (2000).

  1. To prepare for this class, you should first read the novel.
  2. Read the on-line reading assignment.
  3. View the summary lecture.

Wednesday, December 9

Critical essays due for all students by midnight on this date. Essays should be submitted to the instructor at m.keith.booker@gmail.com by e-mail as a Word-compatible attachment.

Special Text: An introduction to James Joyce’s Ulysses (1922).

  1. For this class, begin by viewing the introductory lecture, as you would with a film.
  2. Read my annotated Chapter 1 of Ulysses in preparation for the class (and the exam). Or, you might find it more convenient to read this on-line version of that chapter, which includes excellent clickable links to the annotations, though there are fewer of them than in my own.

Wednesday, December 16

Final exam, covering all material from the class of October 14 through the end of the course. Exam will be accessible on Blackboard from 7:45 pm to 9:45 on this date, December 16. Same format as the mid-term. The multiple-choice exam will be open-book; you may consult your notes, the on-line textbook, etc. However, once you begin the exam, you will have 40 minutes to complete the exam, so you should prepare well. You can look up any answers you don’t know, but you won’t have time to look up all answers.

Miscellaneous Relevant University Policies:

Disabilities: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal antidiscrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities.  Moreover, the University of Arkansas Academic Policy Series 1520.10 requires that students with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact me privately at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through the Center for Educational Access (contact 479–575–3104 or visit http://cea.uark.edu for more information on registration procedures).

Discrimination and Sexual Harassment: Anyone experiencing discrimination and/or sexual harassment while at the university may report it to a complaint officer appointed by the Chancellor.  The complaint officer will discuss any situation or event that the complainant considers discriminatory or constitutive of sexual harassment. Reports may be made by the person experiencing the harassment or by a third party, such as a witness to the harassment or someone who is told of the harassment.  For more information and to report allegations of discrimination and/or sexual harassment, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 346 N. West Avenue (West Avenue Annex), 479-575-4019 (voice) or 479-575-3646 (tdd).

Academic Integrity: “As a core part of its mission, the University of Arkansas provides students with the opportunity to further their educational goals through programs of study and research in an environment that promotes freedom of inquiry and academic responsibility. Accomplishing this mission is possible only when intellectual honesty and individual integrity prevail.  Each University of Arkansas student is required to be familiar with, and abide by, the University’s ‘Academic Integrity Policy,’ which may be found at http://provost.uark.edu/academicintegrity/245.php

Students with questions about how these policies apply to a particular course or assignment should immediately contact their instructor.”

Attendance:  “Student absences resulting from illness, family crisis, University-sponsored activities involving scholarship or leadership/participation responsibilities, jury duty or subpoena for court appearance, military duty, and religious observances are excusable according to university rules. The instructor has the right to require that the student provide appropriate documentation for any absence for which the student wishes to be excused. Moreover, during the first week of the semester, students must give to the instructor a list of the religious observances that will affect their attendance.”

Emergency Procedures – Many types of emergencies can occur on campus; instructions for specific emergencies such as severe weather, active shooter, or fire can be found at emergency.uark.edu.  

Severe Weather (Tornado Warning):

Follow the directions of the instructor or emergency personnel

Seek shelter in the basement or interior room or hallway on the lowest floor, putting as many walls as possible between you and the outside

If you are in a multi-story building, and you cannot get to the lowest floor, pick a hallway in the center of the building

Stay in the center of the room, away from exterior walls, windows, and doors

Violence / Active Shooter (CADD):

  • CALL-  9-1-1
  • AVOID- If possible, self-evacuate to a safe area outside the building.  Follow directions of police officers.
  • DENY- Barricade the door with desk, chairs, bookcases or any items.  Move to a place inside the room where you are not visible.  Turn off the lights and remain quiet.  Remain there until told by police it’s safe.
  • DEFEND- Use chairs, desks, cell phones or whatever is immediately available to distract and/or defend yourself and others from attack.

ESSAY PROMPTS

The following suggested topics are intended to give undergraduate students an idea of the kinds of topics that are likely to make successful critical essays. These topics may be used directly, or they simply may be used as guidance for students who wish to develop their own topics.

  1. Making reference to at least three novels from our syllabus, discuss the ways in which these novels reflect a sense of crisis in Britain during the time they were written.
  2. Choose any novel from our syllabus and discuss the ways in which this novel is either modernist or postmodernist.
  3. Discuss the ways in which colonialism and imperialism are reflected in at least three novels from our syllabus.
  4. Compare and contrast Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-four as dystopian texts.
  5. Discuss the ways in which the issue of class is reflected in at least three novels from our syllabus.
  6. Discuss the representation of women in at least three novels from our syllabus.
  7. Compare and contrast Midnight’s Children and White Teeth, using whatever aspects of the novels help you to make your argument most effectively.