World LiteratureTuesday/Thursday 8:00 a.m.
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Short Response Papers: PromptsN.B.: All response papers are due on the date the reading is due! Week One (8/28-8/30): Book of Job The reading from the Hebrew scripture is the first overtly religious text we will encounter this semester (but it is by no means the last). Is it possible or desirable for us to try to separate the religious context from the text (that is, can we read this as a secular piece of literature)? Is it a text solely for the Hebrew people, or does it have universal literary value? What examples can we find in the text that would mark it as religious text, literary text, or a mixture of both? Week Two (9/4-9/6): The Iliad (Due 9/6): In the Iliad, we read of two very different heroes, Achilles and Hector. Compare and contrast these two characters. You might consider their levels of humanity, why and how they attained their victories, or how much victory matters in our assessment of each. Alternate prompt: What do we make of Helen? Is she a traitor or is she a pawn? Consider the poem "Helen" by H. D. (Hilda Doolittle):
Does Helen deserve to be hated? By the Achaeans? By the Trojans? Week Three (9/11-9/13): Sappho's poetry Sappho is one of very few sources of insight into the inner world of Greek women. What do we learn about women's lives from her poetry? You might compare the women in the Iliad and their lives to what we see of Greek women in Sappho's poems. Week Four (9/18-9/20) Ovid, Metamorphoses What places does Ovid describe and how do these descriptions of the places relate to the actions that occur there? Do we see symbolic relationships between scenes and landscape and the plots or characters? Can you find patterns of connections between the settings and the actions? Week Five (9/25-9/27) Bhagavad Gita How does Arjuna understand the idea of honor and duty? Does he follow tradition? Is honor or duty synonymous (to Arjuna) with doing what is "right"? Or can doing what is "right" by some higher standard force Arjuna to commit a dishonorable (by tribal tradition) act? Week Six (10/2-10/4) Tao Qian Analyze the connections between place and setting and the poet's state of mind in these poems. You may choose to do an in-depth analysis of one poem or a broader overview of several. What are the different kinds of places he describes and how does he respond to them? How does "nature" relate to "the world" in these poems? The Tale of Genji Briefly explore the relationships between men and women in this selection. You may choose to discuss relationship between Genji and one woman, or you may choose to take a broader view. Keep in mind that though The Tale of Genji is written by a woman, the descriptions of women come mostly from a male (Genji's) viewpoint. Does that make a difference in how women are viewed in this text? Week Seven (10/11) Inferno What does it mean that Dante portrays a hell that is in many ways remarkably different from the hell the Church describes? Why does he place hell on earth? Why are some of the people in hell alive, rather than dead? For that matter, why is Dante allowed to enter hell while he is alive? Why are some allowed to leave hell? What do all of these differences mean and how is Dante trying to change our interpretation of hell, redemption, and sin? Week Eight (10/16) Decameron How does Boccaccio portray women in the narratives? What do we make of the fact that women (who would have been expected to stay home and care for the plague-ridden families) are there and participating at all? What about the women who show up as characters in the tales? Is the end result a positive or negative portrayal of women? Week Nine (10/23-10/25) Heptameron Identify the points where Florida remains silent rather than speaking out. What is the result of her silence? How does Florida use silence as a source of power, and conversely, how does it limit her power? Is this particularly feminine (or perhaps feminist)? Week Ten (10/30-11/1) Don Quixote The character whose delusions lead him or her into (mis)adventure originated with Don Quixote. Identify other characters in this vein (contemporary comedies, including movies or television, are good bets here). What are the delusions? What are the adventures that ensue? How do these characters compare to Don Quixote, who ends up suffering for his idealism? Do other versions of this character come to a happier end? Finally, why do we still find this character type so attractive after five centuries? Tartuffe What vices does Tartuffe represent? Are those vices present in other characters? Is he the only one to blame for the problems that occur? What would be different if he were out of the picture? Week Eleven (11/6-11/8) "A Simple Heart" Describe Flaubert's style. How does he describe things (find examples)? What effect does this style have on the reader's relationship with the characters and the story? Week Twelve (11/13-11/15) "The Grand Inquisitor" Why can't (or why doesn't) Ivan simply side with Christ against the Grand Inquisitor? What are the complexities of his position? Alternate prompt: Dostoevsky cited the Book of Job as his favorite book of the Bible. What influences of Job can you find in this selection? Week Thirteen (11/20) "The Dead" Who are/is the "Dead" in this story? Does the title refer to a dead character (literally or figuratively)? To a non-human thing, place, or ideal? Week Fourteen (11/27-11/29) "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" Is the old man an angel? What evidence in the text supports your interpretation?
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