Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2017 - ENGL 436W E100

Topics in Literature of Transition (4)

Class Number: 5589

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 5 – Dec 4, 2017: Wed, 5:30–9:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Prerequisites:

    Two 300 division English courses. Strongly recommended: one of ENGL 330, 340, 347, or 354. Reserved for English honors, major, joint major and minor students.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines changes in society, culture and literature in the transition from the late-nineteenth to early-twentieth century, through a selection of works in a variety of genres and media from diverse geopolitical regions organized by various critical issues and approaches. The course may be repeated for credit if different topic is taught. Students with credit for ENGL 336 or ENGL 436 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.

COURSE DETAILS:


The End of the Century, the Limits of the Human  

In England in the latter half of the nineteenth century, advances in science and technology challenged preconceived notions of the limits of the human body. Psychologists debated whether the brain was responsible for all human action; evolutionists proposed the adaptability of the species; scientists attempted to discover the energetic potential of labouring bodies; and communication, transportation, and visual technologies like the telegraph, the railway, and the camera changed the body’s relationship to time and space. If human identity had perhaps previously seemed a categorical given, it was now anxiously or excitingly conceived of as unfixed and other. Literature at the end of the century experimented with notions of the human as animal, as machine, and as monster.  

This course will look at five novels and one short story from the last decade of the nineteenth-century that experiment with what humans are or might be. In looking at representations of human-ness, we will explore the way science and technology helped to define and challenge the limits of the human, using secondary readings about psychology, evolution, aesthetics, communication, and labour to complement our literary focus.

Grading

  • Participation (including discussion questions) 5%%
  • Presentation with summary and questions 20%%
  • Short Paper (4-5 pages) 25%%
  • Paper Proposal and Annotated Bibliography 5%%
  • Final Paper (10-12 pages) (Draft 10% + Revision 35%) 45%%

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

Corelli, Marie. Wormwood: A Drama of Paris. Ed. Kristen MacLeod. Broadview, 2004.
ISBN: 9781551114191

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Ed. Robert Mighall. Penguin, 2003.
ISBN: 9780141439570

Wells, H. G. The Time Machine. Ed. Nicholas Ruddick. Broadview, 2001.
ISBN: 9781551113050

Du Maurier, George. Trilby. Broadview, 2003.
ISBN: 9781551115740

Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Ed. Nina Auerbach and David J. Skal. Norton, 1997.
ISBN: 9780393970128

Department Undergraduate Notes:

IMPORTANT NOTE Re 300 and 400 level courses: 75% of spaces in 300 level English courses, and 100% of spaces in 400 level English courses, are reserved for declared English Major, Minor, Extended Minor, Joint Major, and Honours students only, until open enrollment begins.

For all On-Campus Courses, please note the following:
- To receive credit for the course, students must complete all requirements.
- Tutorials/Seminars WILL be held the first week of classes.
- When choosing your schedule, remember to check "Show lab/tutorial sections" to see all Lecture/Seminar/Tutorial times required.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS