Work with your group to answer the questions below.
Group A
Analyze the relationship of divine beings to humans in these two flood stories. How is divine authority and intervention represented and why are
these representations significant? What are some key differences between these two texts?
In the Gilgamesh flood story, there are several gods who perform different functions--one god is the destroyer,
while another reveals the plan to Utanapishtim so that he can survive, for example. In the Hebrew flood story, one god performs all of these roles.
How does this difference affect the narrative and the representation of divinity?
How might Gilgamesh function as part of the tradition of the Hebrew text?
Group B
In both of these stories, the protagonists are saved from floods that destroy the rest of humanity. Why are these specific characters saved? What do the
different criteria of worthiness in these two stories suggest about the world view of the cultures that created them?
Analyze the relationships between the protagonists of these stories and their society. How do these characters deal with conflict, or potential
conflict, between themselves and their society? How does this relationship significant in terms of the overall narrative of the flood?
How might Gilgamesh function as part of the tradition of the Hebrew text?
Examine the claims assigned to your group. Find specific passages in the reading
that are relevant to these claims (support, refute, something else). Identify where
you found your passages: be prepared to read them aloud and explain their relationship
to the claim.
Group A
Claim: When divine functions are performed by multiple characters, the
focus of the narrative becomes the relationships between the gods.
Claim: In the Hebrew Bible flood story, the point of the story is to
establish a broader social contract between the divine character and humans.
Group B:
Claim: When divine functions are performed by a single character, the
focus on the narrative becomes the relationship between the god and humans.
Claim: In the Gilgamesh flood story, cleverness is a valuable trait that
contributes to the survivial of the protagonist.
Group C:
Cliam: In the Hebrew Bible flood story, obedience is a valuable trait that
contributes to the survival of the protagonist.
Claim: In the Gilgamesh flood story, the point of the story is to examine
how a mortal can become immortal: it mostly affects the individuals involved.
Book 1 pp. 195-197, end at line 96 "a noble reputation for himself."
(Canvas) Book 2 pp. 52-59, end at "So he spoke and sat down."
Book 10 pp. 257-270
Book 11 pp. 270-276, end at line 229 "They thronged and clustered round the blood."
pp. 283 starting line 566 "Despite his rage..." to pp. 285
Introduction: Heroic Epic--Key Traits
Invocation of the Muse
In medias res (narrative structure)
Allusion (narrative tradition)
Epithet (connection to oral tradition)
Extended figurative comparisons
Hero (cultural context)
Cultural discourse (see definitions below)
Introduction: Cultural Discourse
discourse:
General term for spoken or written communication. More specifically, discourse can be thought of as the cultural conversation about a topic within a
discourse community.
discourse community:
A group of individuals that shares a common understanding based on systematic principles of communication and/or vocabulary within a specific discursive situation.
Discourse communities have traditionally been based on geography and a common language, such as English or French, but discourse communities can also be more specific
groups who share certain experiences and specialized vocabulary specific to their activities: e.g., video game players, members of a class in school, soldiers in the
armed forces, etc.
dominant discourse:
The prevailing view about a certain topic within a discourse community.
competing discourse:
Discursive situation where there is no dominant view and two or more opinions/ideas about a topic compete for dominance.
subversive discourse:
Type of discourse that represents a non-dominant position on a topic in a discourse community. A subversive discourse actively works to destabilize
the dominant discourse.
unconventional discourse:
Type of discourse that is set apart from the dominant discourse in a discourse community. Unconventional discourse may interact very little with the dominant
discourse and may represent a discourse community that is a subset of the dominant culture.
In-Class #2: Identifying and Epic Traits Week 2 (1/18)
Work with your group to complete the exercise below.
Part 1: Identification
Example:
Work with your group to identify the invocation of the Muse. Be prepared to cite specifically
where it can be found in the text, explain the substance of
the invocation, and analyze the significance of this trait. Explain how this feature connects to the
narrative element of beginning the plot in medias res.
Group A: Books 1 and 2
Group B: Book 10
Group C: Book 11
Work with your group to identify the traits of the heroic epic listed below. Classify each trait as form,
content, or both. Be prepared to explain your classifications.
representation of dominant cultural discourse (at least 2--identify the specific dominant discourse for each example):
extended figurative comparison (at least 2: identify whether each example is a simile or metaphor):
epithet (at least 3 distinct examples):
Part 2: Discussion and Presentation
Using your four strongest genre traits--1 form and 2 content--prepare a brief presentation:
Explain each of your traits.
Cite and explain a specific example from the text that illustrates it.
Explain why this trait/characteristic is a distinctive trait of the heroic epic.
calling on the authority of the muse for inspiration at the beginning of
an ancient epic. There were 9 muses in Greek mythology. Calliope is the muse
of epic poetry.
In medias res
Latin for "in the middle." This phrase describes the narrative structure
characteristic of (but not exclusive to) the ancient epic of beginning the story
in the middle. This structure works because the original audience would have been
very familiar with the story. In the Odyssey, for example, the text
begins when Odysseus is trapped on Calypso's island, approximately nine years
into his 10 year journey home.
Allusion
Reference in a literary text to another narrative or historical event.
The reference may be as brief as a name of a character or as legthy as a
summary of plot points of the narrative being referred to. Allusion is one
method of connecting multiple texts as part of a literary tradition.
Epithet
formulaic phrases used to describe characters that are repeated
throughout a text -- particularly used in oral-formulaic epic texts (that is,
epic texts that began as oral compositions).
Extended figurative comparisons
metaphor or simile where the vehicle (figurative comparison)
extends for multiple lines of extended, detailed description before a turn
(often translated in English as "so" or "thus") to the tenor (literal
reference). These extended figurative comparisons often rely on imagery that
would have been familiar to the original discourse community.
Hero
character who exhibits characteristics that reinforce dominant cultural discourse
about what is good or valuable, who engages in actions that promote social good, and
often completes quests or challenges that promote the hero's reputation or have
consequences for a broader social group.
Review: Cultural Discourse
discourse:
General term for spoken or written communication. More specifically, discourse can be thought of as the cultural conversation about a topic within a
discourse community.
discourse community:
A group of individuals that shares a common understanding based on systematic principles of communication and/or vocabulary within a specific discursive situation.
Discourse communities have traditionally been based on geography and a common language, such as English or French, but discourse communities can also be more specific
groups who share certain experiences and specialized vocabulary specific to their activities: e.g., video game players, members of a class in school, soldiers in the
armed forces, etc.
dominant discourse:
The prevailing view about a certain topic within a discourse community.
competing discourse:
Discursive situation where there is no dominant view and two or more opinions/ideas about a topic compete for dominance.
subversive discourse:
Type of discourse that represents a non-dominant position on a topic in a discourse community. A subversive discourse actively works to destabilize
the dominant discourse.
unconventional discourse:
Type of discourse that is set apart from the dominant discourse in a discourse community. Unconventional discourse may interact very little with the dominant
discourse and may represent a discourse community that is a subset of the dominant culture.
In-Class #3: Identifying ad Describing Generic Traits and Cultural Comparison
Work with your group to complete the prompts below. Be prepared to present your findings to the class.
Choose 2 different heroic epic traits, one form and one content. Find examples of each in each
of the heroic epics we have studied so far (so, 2 traits, example of each from the Odyssey and
and example of each from the Aeneid. List them below, and be sure to cite where your examples
can be found in each text. (If you don't remember all of the traits we discussed, check out the definitions
page.)
Explain how each of your traits is recognizable as a trait of the heroic epic in each text. Then analyze the
simiarities and differences in the representation of the traits you have identified across the two texts. Consider
how these similarities and differences might be related to different cultural perspectives. Explain.
series of self-contained stories connected by some overall organizing principle
in ancient examples of these texts, stories often explain why things happen or exist; in
Renaissance/early modern examples, stories often explain or parody cultural discourses and conventions
typically use a frame narrative structure to introduce a storytelling occasion
personify or deify abstract concepts like rumor, war, death, sleep, etc
Definitions
apotheosis
the transformation of a mortal or object to a god. Sometimes this transformation means the continued
existence of the person in a divine realm; in other cases the person/object is "written in the start" --
i.e. becomes a constellation.
taboo
prohibited or restricted social custom
frame narrative:
A literary technique where one narrative is nested within another. The frame narrative is often provides the occasion for telling the nested narrative
and is frequently connected thematically to the inner story.
Discussion
All: Examine the first lines of this poem here. How does this invocation of the muse
compare to others we have seen in texts studied so far?
All: How does the flood story in Metamorphoses compare to the other flood stories we read? -- choose 1 specific
element to focus on
Group A: Explain the main plot points of [Tereus, Procne, and Philomela] and [Iphis and Isis]
Group B: Explain the main plot points of [Pygmalion] and [Venus and Adonis]
Summarize the basic meaning of the passage--how would you say it in a sentence or two to explain it
to someone who had not read the story?
Mark the parts of the passages that are meant to represent the same ideas but convey them in different words. Mark
as many as you can. If necessary, look up words that you don't know the meaning of)
Discuss how cultural differences at the time the text was translated are reflected in the texts; consider
also the formal constraints chosen by different translators and how these affect meaning.
Analyze the passage based on your work in 1-3 above, considering specific word choices and conceptual
choices. Be prepared to present your findings to the class.
Bhagavad-Gita appears in the 6th parva, and 63rd minor
book of that parva
Narrative context
conflict and then war between the Kauravas and Pandavas
Arjuna (a Pandava) is speaking to Krishna (a form of the diety Visnu,
the preserver god)
Discussion
Work with your group to analyze the traits listed below in terms of the similarities and differences between
this text and the Greek and Roman epics we have studied so far. Indicate whether the trait is a form or
a content trait. Indicate whether your sim/diff are in relation to heroic or episodic
epics.
interaction between humans and divine beings
logic of the afterlife
use of the epithet
use of figurative language
significance of reputation (how is it built/lost, for example)
use of a frame narrative
reinforcement of dominant cultural discourse (id the specific dom dis)
use of subversive cultural discourse (id the specific subversive dis)
art of persuasion, and the ability to choose the most appropriate argument to suit the audience and situation.
logos:
logical component of an argument.
ethos:
credibility of the speaker/writer of an argument and the strategies used to cultivate credibility.
pathos:
emotional appeals in an argument and the strategies used to target a specific audience.
kairos:
the occasion for an argument, including time, place, and other contextual details
In-Class #5: Philosophy and Narrative
Work with your group to answer the questions below using your assigned chapter.
Group A: Chapter 1
Group B: Chapter 2
Outline the key points of the argument in your assigned chapter: identify in the text where
specific points are made.
How is this argument connected to narrative? Give specific examples.
Analyze the significance of the interaction between philosophical positions and narrative:
do you think that the story elements add to or detract from the effectiveness of the argument
(or something inbetween/else)? Explain.
The highest caste in the Hindu caste system. Brahmans are priests.
Ksatriyas
The second caste in the Hindu caste system. Ksatriyas are warriors.
Vaisyas
The third caste in the Hindu caste system. Vaisyas are traders.
Sudras
The lowest csst in the original Hindu caste system; after the 4th century BCE,
it becomes the fourth caste. Sudras are servants.
Untouchables
The lowest cast in the Hindu caste system. This caste was added in the 4th
century BCE after Alexander the Great established a colony of Greeks in
the Indian subcontinent. Foreigners were automatically classified as
"untouchables." Members of this caste can be employed at tasks that are
considered impure.
godhead
"god beyond god" is the absolute undifferentiated original matter of the universe,
and it divides itself into everything else that exists (625 in our textbook)
atman
the soul. In the Hindu tradition, the soul is a part that has broken off from
the godhead. The atman is indestructable and the goal of the atman is to rejoing
the godhead. If a person does not achieve this joining in one lifetime, they
rejoin the living world in a different physical form and continue the process of
purification. This process of continual rebirth until returning to the godhead
is known as reincarnation
(recommended background reading) "Murasaki Shikibu" pp. 1231-1235
(required) Chapter I. Kiritsubo: The Lady of the Paulownia-Courtyard Chambers pp. 1237-1247
(required) Chapter V. Wakamuraski: Little Purple Gromwell pp. 1265-1288
(recommended reference) "Main Characters of The Tale of Genji" pp. 1235-1236
Background: Culture
Japan, because of the geographical separation, emulated China,
the main power in the area, voluntarily, learning of cultural
institutions and practices mainly from books
Japan adopted the Chinese writing system, but there were
complexities to adopting this system because of fundamental differences
between Japanese and Chinese:
Chinese is logographic, uninflected,
and structured subject-predicate-object
Japanese is alpha-syllabic,
highly
inflected
, and structured subject-object-predicate
Japanese functionaries who could read and write
Chinese could not actually speak or understand spoken Chinese. They used
brush talk when visiting the Chinese court: writing
back and forth rather than speaking.
Heian Court (794-1185): Period where The Tale of Genji falls
This was a golden age of Japanese literature
Two styles:
"high" style: Chinese-style texts written in
Chinese script, used for official court recordings and formal
poetry and scholarship; typically "a male domain"
"vernacular style" of writing and texts that
was dominated by women. These texts took different forms, like
prose romances (such as what we're reading) and poetry
Cultural practices
in the court class, people were married at
12-14 years old, usually for political reasons. The married
couple would live with the girl's family.
typical for the husband to accumulate additional
wives over time, though the first wife was always considered the
prinipal and her male children would be first in the line
of inheritance.
wives would often also seek other partners,
but unlike men, they could not marry more than once.
women remained indoors most of the time, and
if they were in a room of mixed gender, they were required to
stay behind a screen.
Background: Murasaki Shikibu
Not the actual name of the author
Shikibu "refers to the appointment her father held at
the Ministry of Ceremonial" – typical to refer to women
after the office held by a male relative
Murasaki means "lavender" or "purple" and is a
nickname based on the name of a character in her famous
text or the "emblematic flower of her clan"
She was widowed in her 20s and moved into the
court of the Empress Shōshi where she composed
Genji (1006-1014)
Background: The Tale of Genji
Structure: 3 parts
Chs 1-33: Genji's career from his birth through
his exile and his eventual glorious return to the capital; focus
on various amorous adventure
Chs 34-41: waning years of Genji's life:
concluding with the death of Murasaki and Genji.
Murasaki is his great love...
Chs 41-54: Uji chapters that focus on
descendants of Genji
Text is approximately 1000 pages
Discussion
Group A: Chapter I
Group B: Chapter V
Describe the main plot points of your assigned chapter.
Identify at least 1 cultural practice* in your chapter (cite)
Identify and explain at least 1 example of a dominant cultural discourse
in your chapter (cite).
Originally, the content in Chapter V was the beginning of the story. Discuss and explain
how the narrative and characters would be affected if the story started with Chapter V instead
of Chapter I
Definitions
*cultural practice
A culture-specific activity that carries a specific meaning. Cultural practices may be formal,
such as those that are part of religious or social rites with prescribed steps and requirements, or
they may be informal, reguarly observed, but through habit triggered by circumstance
rather than strict prescription.
Bildungsroman
A text that tells the story of its protagonist chronologically starting with the birth
of the protagonist.
Chapter IX. Aoi: Leaves of Wild Ginger pp. 1299-1318
Student Directed Discussion
Student leader: Mallory
Close Reading Practice
Examine the pairs of short poems used for communication. Explain in plain language
what is being communicated by both parties. Identify how the imagery of the poem adds
emotional nuance to the message of the communication.
Communication between Gengi and Murasaki's family on 1273
Communication between Gengi and Murasaki's family on 1282
1066: Norman Conquest--William
the Conqueror attacks England from Northern France
approx. 1150-1500 Middle English
develops; Old English is transformed through contact
with Scandanavian languages, Middle French
During most of this period, French is spoken at
court: it was the prestige language.
Middle English was spoken by commoners: it was the
vernacular language.
compare this to language use
in 1000-1100s Japan
Background: Marie de France
Her name is Marie and she's "from France"--this
info given in the Prologue is about all that is known
about her for sure
Lived in the English court in the 1100s
Readings are from her collection of Lais
There are 12 lais
A lai is a short lyrical
poem. Marie's lais are written in rhyming couplets
and record Celtic stories that she heard sung by
English scops and translated into French for
the court of Henry II. The lais are stories of
courtly romance.
Definitions
prestige language
in a culture where more than one language is spoken, the language
of power or the group in power.
vernacular language
in a culture where more than one language is spoken, the language
of the common people; generally considered by prestige speakers
as inferior or incorrect.
lai (plural: lais)
short lyric poem often written in rhyming couplets. Extant examples
of this form are often romances.
scop
oral performer in the middle ages and Renaissance who sang and told
stories.
courtly romance
narrative genre from the middle ages that depicts a romanticized
past (8th-11th century) in the age of knights and ladies in Europe and
England. Courtly romances promote the chivalric code for
defining appropriate behavior, particularly for men in the prestige class.
chivalric code
behavioral norms for men in the prestige class in Europe and England
in the 8th to 11th centuries. Values include honesty, sacrifice, obedience
to the king/authority, respect for women [**], and maintaining a good
reputation through brave deeds and completing quests. In later written versions
of the original oral stories, Christianity is added as an additional
cultural norm. The traits of masculinity defined by the chivalric code assume
traits of proper femininity as well: women were expected to be chaste until
marriage, demure, obedient to men, and to conform to standards of dress and
beauty.
Discussion
Group A: Bisclavret pp. 915-921
Group B: Laüstic pp. 921-924
Describe the plot of your assigned lai
The chivalric code functions as a dominant discourse in these texts.
Identify examples in your assigned lai where the dominant discourse is reinforced. Identify
examples of subversive discourse that challenges or undermines dominant ideas.
Work with your group to use your assigned story to answer the questions below.
Group A: Bisclavret
Group B: Laüstic
Identify means of direct power in your story; be sure also to identify who uses means of direct power.
List as many as you can:
Identify means of indirect power in your story; be sure also to identify who uses means of indirect power.
List as many as you can:
Choose one example of direct and one of indirect power from your lists in 1 and 2 above to examine in more
detail. Explain with suppot from the text how each example of power functions as and what cultural logic
is at play. Be sure to identify any dominant, subversive, or competing discourses that are revealed in the
power examples you choose.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the expressions of power you analyzed in 3 above within the
context of the narrative. Explain whether these attempts to exert power were effective or not and why.
Started as oral tradition, pre-Islam: started
as a collection of tales in Middle Persian
called the "thousand stories" that had been
translated or adapted from Sanskrit.
First written down in the 1300s.
Because it was written down after
Islam was a dominant cultural force in Arabic
cultures, this new world view was incorporated
into the older stories creating a
combination of Muslim values and pre-Islamic
past (e.g. supernatural)
Two branches of written transmission
conservative:
copied from the earliest surviving 14th century
manuscript
Egyptian:
departs widely from the original source; subsequent
copyists added additional stories such as
Sinbad (one of the earliest additions) and
Aladdin and the magic lamp (one of the most
recent additions).
Background: Decameron
Written in Italy between 1350-1353
10 storytellers participate in a tale-telling game
Each story teller tells 1 story over 10 days (10 x 10 = 100 stories)
The "Queen" or "King" for a day sets the theme for the day's stories
Third Day: "Queen" = Neiphile; Theme = Those who have painfully acquired a much-coveted thing
or having lost what they desired, regained it.
Fourth Day: "King" = Philostrato; Theme = Loves that had a disasterous end.
Discussion
Group A: How is love represented in the Prologue of the
Decameron? Give examples.
Group B:How has the way the narrator says love
functions contributed to his purpose in relating
the stories to come?
Group C: How do gender roles contribute to both
the social value of storytelling as represented
in the Prologue?
Group A: Analyze the representation of disease and
its social effects in the frame narrative: e.g.
How does disease erode common social structures
and customs? How does the disease function as
an equalizing force? What are different strategies
used by the people ot avoid disease?
Group B: What rhetorical strategies does Pampinea use
to convince the other six ladies to leave the city?
What was the argument used to persuade the women to
invite the three gentlement to join their party? (Pay
particular attention to propriety and the threat of
scandal and gossip.
Group C: Analyze the representation of the group's
country retreat and the establishment of authority
within this retreat. Consider the contrast between
the city and the country.
All: Describe the main plot points of [Third Day: 9th Story] and [Fourth Day: 5th Story]
Explain the logic and system of storytelling within your assigned text.
How does that system reflect cultural values (and this might mean reinforcing dominant
discourses or challenging them--or some elements of each of these). Explain with examples.
What cultural work does storytelling perform: explain with examples. Evaluate the effectiveness
of these functions.
What other systems intersect with storytelling (e.g., gender conventions), and how are these
interactions significant? Explain with examples.
Brainstorming I: Freewrite about the possible theme areas for this essay (see Homework #2
description below). If you know which one you want to use, focus your efforts there. If you're not sure yet, work on both and
see which you have more to say about.
Brainstorming II: Freewrite/list as many examples of the theme as you can from texts we've read in this unit:
The Tale of Gengi
Lais of Marie de France: Bisclavret
Lais of Marie de France: Laüstic
The Thousand and One Nights: outer frame
Decameron: outer frame
Decameron: III.9 [Gilletta and Bertrand]
Decameron: IV.5 [Lisbetta and her Pot of Basil]
Focus: Narrow down your list to identify 2 texts that you will work on. Make more notes on these two
and how the theme is represented. If you have specific examples, write down the page numbers now to save time later.
Draft Thesis: Now that you have identified your idea and determined some elements/passages of the texts
that are particularly relevant, think about why your idea is significant. This will lead you to your analytical
framework. What you want to focus on here is how the representations in the text are significant to meaning. Stay away from speculating
about the feelings of the reader when thinking about significance: remember that every reader will have a different response to the text,
so you can't really build an analytical thesis on the foundation of reader response. Instead, think about the consequences within the text
for the specific type of representation you are thinking about. Although you might not get to your final thesis here, write
some notes about the significance of the representation in the literary texts you plan to analyze. Check in with me when you are
ready to discuss/refine.
Decameron Web from Brown University: includes both full versions of the Decameron in English and Italian as well as background information and period texts.
Humanism: new ideas about teaching and learning
that affect notions of class.
Neoclassicism: rediscovery of ancient Greek
and Roman texts and ideas.
Cultural dominance of Christianity
Great Chain of Being: ordering the universe
Paradigm shift from received knowledge
to scientific method
Age of invention (e.g.: the printing press)
Background: Divine Comedy
3 parts:
Inferno
Purgatorio
Paradisio
each part has 33 Cantos
verse form was created by Dante and is
known as terza rima, which rhymes
in sets of 3 lines: aba bcb cdc etc. The
groups of 3 lines are called "tercets" and
are interlocked by a repeated line.
each line contains 11 syllables so the total
syllables in each tercet is 33.
Question: Why do you think
so much emphasis on 3?
Question: Why is this story
called a "comedy"? (Hint: has to do with form
rather than our idea of content)
Discussion
List as many representations of the afterlife or philosophies of the afterlife that we've see
or discussed so far this term:
Compare this representation of the afterlife to others that we've read/learned about
Format: Essay in MLA format; minimum length: 500 words
Due: midnight, Friday 3/17
Work from your notes for In-Class #7 or In-Class #8 to develop a focused, analytical thesis
that engages with representations of power or representations of stroytelling. Analyze
your idea in relation to at least 2 of the texts studied in this unit. Write a short essay
(minimum 500 words) supporting your thesis with analysis of the texts. Be sure to include specific,
cited textual support.
Evaluation Criteria
Homework #2 will be evaluated using the following criteria:
clear analytical thesis that is responsive to the prompt
well-organized argument in support of your thesis
specific analysis of 2 texts from part ii in support of your thesis
textual support for analysis of texts
correct MLA format for the essay layout, in-text citations, and Works Cited section
written in Edited American English and free of errors
Be sure to use specific examples from your texts to support your claims.
In-Class #9: Transformation of the Epic Form Week 10 (3/15)
1. Examine the invocation of the muse section of the heroic epics we've studied and discuss the framing of
key ideas in the texts; then consider the differences between the ancient and the Renaissance epics.
Odyssey
Aeneid
Tell me about a complicated man.
Muse, tell me how he wandered and was lost
when he had wrecked the holy town of Troy,
and where he went, and who he met, the pain
he suffered on the sea, and how he worked
to save his life and bring his men back home.
He failed, and for their own mistakes, they died.
They ate the sun God's cattle, and the god
kept them from home. Now goddess, child of Zeus,
tell the old story for our modern times.
Find the beginning.
Wars and a man I sing--an exile driven on my Fate,
he was the first to flee the coast of Troy,
destined to reach Lavinian shores and Italian soil,
yet many blows he took on land and sea from the gods above--
thanks to cruel Juno's relentless rage--and many losses
he bore in battle too, before he could found a city,
bring his gods to Latium, source of the Latin race,
the Alban lords and the high walls of Rome.
Tell me, Muse, how it all began. Why was Juno outraged?
What could wound the Queen of the Gods with all her power?
Why did she force a man, so famous for his devotion,
to brave such rounds of hardship, bear such trials?
Can such rage inflame the immortals' hearts?
Divine Comedy (was not part of reading)
O good Apollo, for this last task, I pray
you make me such a vessel of your powers
as you deem worthy to be crowned with bay [leaves].
One peak of cleft Parnassus hertofore
has served my need, now must I summon both
on entering the arena one time more.
Enter my breast, I pray you, and there breathe
as high a strain as conquered Marsyas
that time you drew his body from its sheath.
O power divine, but lend to my high strain
so much as will make clear even the shadwo
of that High Kindom stamped upon my brain,
and you shall see me come to your dear grove
to crown myself with those green leaves which you
and my high theme shall make me worthy of.
2. Now look across all three extended comparisons in 2. and identifying similarities and differences between the way this form is used
in antiquity and in the Renaissance epic.
Ideas of order were very important during the early-modern period. One of the dominant and most enduring images was the "Great Chain of Being" that demonstrated how everything in the universe was ordered hierarchically and connected:
Great Chain of Being (image) a model for ordering the universe that also expressed cultural ideas about authority structures (posted by D. Christopher Gabbard at Stanford University)
Sunjata pp. 1424-1441: end just before the "Departure for Exile" section
Background: the Islamic World in the 1300-1500s
Islam did not seek converts, so in many places in
the Middle East and Northern Africa, there was
religious pluralism.
Rather than imposing a homogeneous culture (as the
Roman Empire attempted to do), Islamic cultures sought
trade with other cultures.
In Africa, oral traditions remained robust; singers
of these stories began incorporating Islamic ideas
(as in 1001 Nights).
jeliw or jelilu: bards
or singers. This is a significant role in Mande culture: the
jeliw is a hereditary position passed down through families,
with some singers today able to trace their lineage back to when
Sunjata was first sung in the 1300s. These singers
are regarded not just as storytellers, but "genealogists, musicians,
praise-singers, spokespersons, and diplomats" (1422).
Background: Sunjata
Epic. Question: heroic or episodic?
Chronicles the Mali Empire, both the pre-Islamic past, but also reflects
Islamic influence through added references.
sung in kuma koro or "ancient speech"--a form
of language that includes more formal diction
when sung by a jeli, the epic song would be
accompanied by music
the version in our text was documented by an anthropologist
in the late 20th century
who listened to an oral recitation of Sunjati sung
by Djanka Tassey Condé, a jeli who traces
his ancestry back to the pre-Islamic period (before 640CE)
Discussion
Identify the main plot points in the sections
read for today
Find as many parenthetical statements as you can ( ).
Note what page they are on, and then classify the function(s)
of these statements relative to the content of the text.
Identify and explain some similarities and differences between this
epic and others we have read.
Work with your group to answer the questions about The Sunjata below.
Identify elements of domestic plots in the selections we studied. List as many as you can:
How do domestic elements intersect with other plots--civic/political, economic, etc: choose 2 specific examples
based on your list above and examine in more detail. Be sure to cite your textual examples.
Identify other domestic plots from other texts we have read this term. List as many as you can, and identify
whether the domestic elements are subplots or main plots.
Analyze how domestic plots are represented in similar and different ways across these texts--identify as
many of these as you can.
Work with your group to synthesize ideas across texts as indicated below.
Part I: Example
Examine Laüstic and "Story 3" from the Heptameron. These texts have
a similar theme--identify as specifically as you can what that is. Then, examine how each portrays this theme.
How might the differences be related to differing cultural discourses?
Part II: Synthesis
Identify as many specific themes from "Story 8" as you can. List them here:
Identify other texts we've studied that share similar themes to any of those identified in 1 above. You can
identify more than 1 additional text per theme as needed.
Choose one theme from 1-2 to examine in more detail: how is the theme expressed across the different texts in
similar and different ways? How is this significant? Create the strongest (clear, specific) statement of this significance that you can:
Part I: [I know who I am...] Chapters 1-5 pp.1545-1564
Part I: [Fighting the Windmills...] Chapters 7-9 pp. 1565-1575
Background
Cervantes (the author) fought in the crusades
and was held prisoner for 5 years in Algiers.
Part 1 was published in 1604
Part 2 was published in 1615. Cervantes
wrote Part 2 mainly because an imposter
wrote a "false sequel."
Don Quixote is often characterized
by scholars as a transition from the dominant
form of the romance to the emerging form of the
novel
Conceived of as a parody
of romantic chivalry
by combining a character with chivalric
values and a modern, naturalistic context, he created
something new.
Discussion Questions: Themes
All: Identify as many chivalric romance tropes referred to in the text as you can:
Group A: Analyze the representation of violence in this text. Give examples of specific violent scenes and
analyze the motives and the consequences of violence. Consider violence in relation to power as well as the social function (positive, negative,
why?) of these specific examples.
Group B: Analyze the representation of madness in this text. What are some of the various reactions to Don
Quixote? In what ways does his madness act as a protection and as a source of vulnerability (give specific examples). How do Quixote's niece
and friends attempt to contain his delusion?
Part II: [Homecoming and Death] Chapters 73-74 pp. 1685-1693
In-Class #12: Authors' "Intentions"
Work with your group to analyze Don Quixote as indicated below.
Identify moments of direct address of the reader in the Prologue. Describe the characteristics of the
implied reader based on evidence from these moments. Describe the implied reader as
thoroughly as you can based on this textual evidence.
Group A: Part I Prologue
Group B: Part II Prologue
Identify moments where the narrator relies on dominant discourse--whether supporting or refuting/challenging.
Explain how these engagements with cultural discourse are designed to shape reader response: give at least 2 specific examples from your
assigned section of the narrative.
Group A: Part I: Chapters 1-5 (pp. 1545-1564)
Group B: Part I: Chapters 7-9 (pp. 1565-1575) and Part II: Chapters 73-74 (pp. 1685-1693)
Examine other examples of author comments from forwards or prologues of texts we've studied (e.g.: Marie de France in the Lais,
Marguriette de Nevarre in the Heptameron, Boccaccio in the Decameron). How do these comments frame
the texts and engage with cultural discourse to affect perception? Explain and give examples.
Given the highly constructed nature of author comments, why do scholars and teachers caution that we should not create
arguments based on authorial intention?
Option 1: The texts studied in part iii can be seen as innovations on clasical forms. Choose
ONE of the texts from weeks 11-13 and explain how the form is related to
a genre from antiquity--the heroic epic or the episodic epic. Then, explain how the form
innovates or transforms the classifcal form. Be sure to use specific examples from your
part iii text and examples from classical texts as needed. Finally, address the significance
of the transformations of form you identify in relation to content.
Option 2: The texts studied in part iii have thematic resonances with earlier works.
Choose ONE of the texts from weeks 11-13 and identify a clear, specific theme that is
related to another text studied in weeks 1-10. Explain how the theme functions in both works and significant
similarities and differences between the representation of your theme in the two texts. Then, in your
conclusion, explain
how the representation of the theme in each is related to at least 1 specific cultural discourse.
Evaluation Criteria
Option 1: clear thesis that describes how a texts from part iii transforms a classical genre
Option 2: clear thesis that identifies a thematic connection between a text from part iii and one from earlier
in the semester.
organized argument in support of the thesis
analysis of the part iii text in relation to at least 1 classical example of the
genre that we have studied previously
textual support from at least 2 texts
correct MLA format for the essay layout, in-text citations, and Works Cited section
written in Edited American English and free of errors
Option 1: The texts studied in part iii can be seen as innovations on clasical forms. Choose
ONE of the texts from weeks 10-13 and explain how the form is related to
a genre from antiquity--the heroic epic or the episodic epic. Then, explain how the form
innovates or transforms the classifcal form. Be sure to use specific examples from your
part iii text and examples from classical texts as needed. Finally, address the significance
of the transformations of form you identify in relation to content.
Texts from part iii (weeks 10-13)
Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy, "Inferno"
Sunjata
Marguerite de Navarre, Heptameron
Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote
Option 2: The texts studied in part iii have thematic resonances with earlier works.
Choose ONE of the texts from weeks 10-13 and identify a clear, specific theme that is
related to another text studied in weeks 1-8. Explain how the theme functions in both works and significant
similarities and differences between the representation of your theme in the two texts. Then, in your
conclusion, explain
how the representation of the theme in each is related to at least 1 specific cultural discourse.
Texts from part iii (weeks 10-13)
Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy, "Inferno"
Sunjata
Marguerite de Navarre, Heptameron
Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote
Evaluation Criteria
Option 1: clear thesis that describes how a texts from part iii transforms a classical genre
Option 2: clear thesis that identifies a thematic connection between a text from part iii and one from earlier
in the semester.
organized argument in support of the thesis
analysis of the part iii text in relation to at least 1 classical example of the
genre that we have studied previously
textual support from at least 2 texts
correct MLA format for the essay layout, in-text citations, and Works Cited section
written in Edited American English and free of errors
(Canvas) John Keats, "Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil" [1820] pp. 184-98
(Canvas) Matthew Arnold, "Philomela" [1853]
(Canvas) Jeannine Hall Gailey, "Philomel, at the End" [2006]
In-Class #13: Allusion Part I: Example
Work with your group to answer the questions below.
Whole Class: Gailey, "Philomel at the End"
Work through these steps with the whole class example, and then with your group's assigned text.
Summarize the content of your poem.
Analyze the meaning of the poem, including identification and explanation of significant examples of
figurative langauge and other formal features.
Summarize the core allusion in your text: what elements of the mythical story
referenced are important to this work?
Analyze how the mythical antecedant is significant to the meaning of the poem.
Analyze how the myth has been repurposed in a new cultural context--for example, what elements are emphasized?
How is the myth framed in the more modern context? How are these features responsive to new cultural conventions?
Work with your group to answer the questions below.
Group A: Arnold, "Philomela"
Group B: Keats, "Isabella"
Work through these steps with the whole class example, and then with your group's assigned text.
Summarize the content of your poem.
Analyze the meaning of the poem, including identification and explanation of significant examples of
figurative langauge and other formal features.
Summarize the core allusion in your text: what elements of the mythical story
referenced are important to this work?
Analyze how the mythical antecedant is significant to the meaning of the poem.
Analyze how the myth has been repurposed in a new cultural context--for example, what elements are emphasized?
How is the myth framed in the more modern context? How are these features responsive to new cultural conventions?
Close reading is the basic builiding block of literary analysis.
In this exercise, we will practice close reading and show how it can be used for
a variety of tasks.
Part 1. Comprehension
Work with your group to write a prose version of your assigned stanza below.
Write it for an audience of fellow students. You should include every idea from the stanza.
If there is something in the original you do not understand, use strategies like reading for
context clues and looking up terms in the dictionary.
Group A: Stanza 10
Parting they seem'd to tread upon the air,
Twin roses by the zephyr blown apart
Only to meet again more close, and share
The inward fragrance of each other's heart.
She, to her chamber gone, a ditty fair
Sang, of delicious love and honey'd dart;
He with light steps went up a western hill
And bade the sun farewell, and joy'd his fill.
Group B: Stanza 18
How was it these same ledger-men could spy
Fair Isabella in her downy nest?
How could they find out in Lorenzo's eye
A straying from his toil? Hot Egypt's pest
into their vision covetous and sly!
How could these money-bags see east and west?--
Yet so they did--and every dealer fair
Must see behind, as doth the hunted hare.
Part 2. Building a Claim
Return to Boccaccio's original story in The Decameron. Develop a claim based on your
close reading above as indicated in the prompt below.
Group A
Re-read the section of the original story that describes the develping relationship between the
lovers (p. 283-top of 284).
List some of the details from the original
What does Boccaccio choose to emphasize?
What does Keats choose to empahize?
Draft a claim based on this comparison analysis:
Group B
Re-read the section of the original story that describes how the brothers discovered the lovers
were having an affair (p. 284). You may also consider other descriptions of the brothers (283, 286).
In-Class Viewing: G. Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion [1912, 1938]
Discussion
Shaw's play clearly references the ancient myth in its title, but does not
obviously engage with the myth like an adaptation such as Keats's "Isabella."
Explain how the play does engage with the myth. Use specific examples from the film.
How do the conventions of the film genre modify the presentation of content significantly
compared to the original genre? Give examples.
Analyze the characters of Eliza Dolittle and Henry Higgins in relation to their mythical
counterparts. How does the modern representation function as a commentary on the myth? Is the reverse
true?--explain.
choose 2 passages from the same text that illustrate a significant difference--transition
in the plot, character development, repitition of a symbolic representation, etc.
choose 2 passages from different texts that illustrate a similar theme, type of imagery,
use of figurative language or some other rhetorical feature, etc.
Homework #4: Extending Tradition--Allusion or Adaptation
Format:
Direct response to a-f below. Answers should be thorough and clear, and
should include direct quotations as needed. Quotations should be
cited with parenthetical MLA citations
Due: due by midnight Friday 4/21
Find an example of an extension of tradition in contemporary society.
Your example can be from
any medium--literary text, song, image-based medium, film, etc. Your example
should demonstrate allusion or adaptation. It may not simply be a translation
of an ancient text, but should be an allusive reference or a clear adaptation.
Once you have found your example, do the following:
Identify your example--title, creator, year published/produced
Identify the genre of your example
Explain the allusion(s) in the work or how the work is an adaptation
Explain why the reference to the earlier tradition/narrative/text
is significant to the work--be specific, give examples
Explain how the reference / narrative from the earlier tradition
has been repackaged and repurposed for contemporary culture.
Evaluate the significance/effectiveness of this use of
tradition.
Evaluation Criteria
Homework #4 will be evaluated on the following criteria:
identification of a substantive allusion or clear adaptation of
one of the texts we have studied this semester
correct identification of the genre of the found exapmle
clear and substantive explanation of how the example functions
as an allusion/adaptation
clear and substantive explanation of the significance of the
alllusion or adaptation
analysis of the relationship between representation and culture
clear explanation of the significance/effectiveness of the
allusion/adaptation in its cultural context
