The Soul of the West

[BentonGrey]

Howdy folks.  I'm fairly excited, as I'm finally getting to teach a literature class this semester!  I'm teaching "Western Letters," which is effectively a one semester version of the two semester Brit. Lit. course I took in my own undergrad experience.  It's a core class, meaning I'll have students of all stripes, not just English majors.  I know a lot of folks dread teaching the core, but I am really excited about the chance to introduce a class full of these young whipper-snappers, these uncultured philistines to the creme of Western Civilization's oh-so-beautiful literary crop.  However, as I sit down to prepare my syllabus and make my plans, I am struck with the enormity of my task.  I'm forced to fit what filled two semesters, fit-to-bursting, into a single semester of time.  I find myself making very difficult choices.  What troubles me most is what I must bring in of the 20th century, wasteland of literature though I find it.  I have no illusions about the importance of Postmodernism, and I know I cannot simply ignore it, yet I find myself forced to choose between works I do not care for, each of which must inevitably replace an earlier text I love. 

To make matters even worse, our text, the Norton Anthology of World Literature is filled to the brim with all kinds of awesome stuff that I haven't really explored before.  There are such diverse works as ancient Egyptian poetry, excerpts from Indian and African epics, Chinese and Japanese poetry, and Islamic literature.  It kills me that I don't have more time and that I am going to be forced to give short shrift to the 'World' part of this anthology. 

Yet, it strikes me that some of the most important aspects of this class are its ability to give students an understanding how their culture and art came to be and to provide them with something of a common frame of literary reference with others who have received college educations (at least those with a liberal arts leaning).  To accomplish those purposes I feel like I have to focus more or less on the traditional canon.  I find myself cursing our culture for downplaying the role of literature and the humanities.  If we could just accept the benefits of a literary education, there would be a bit more room to play with, not to mention that a more rigorous approach to education across the board could allow us to start earlier.  Ahh, c'est la vie, though, I suppose. 

Here is what I am considering, and what pieces refuse to fall into place:

Spoiler

Greece=

Definitely-

• Homer, Parts of The Illiad
  
  • Aristotle, "Poetics"
  • Plato, "The Apology of Socrates" OR excerpts from The Republic
  
  Maybe-
  
  
  
  • Euripides Medea
  • Sappho, various
  • Homer, excerpts from The Odyssesy (This is a more accessible story for most students, I think, but the Illiad is perhaps more interesting in context of other epics that we'll be reading and discussing.)
  
  
  
  Rome=
  
  Definitely-
  
  
  
  • Virgil, excerpts fromThe Aeneid
  
  Maybe-
  
  
  
  • Catullus, various
  • Augustine, excerpts from Confessions
  • Ovid, excerpts from Metamorphosis
  
  Medieval=
  
  Definitely-
  
  
  
  • Beowulf
  • Marie de France, "Lanval" or "Bisclavret" (If it is the latter, I'll have to give them a handout, as it isn't included in the anthology.  While it's my favorite, it doesn't really illustrate the uniqueness of Marie as well as some of her other stories.)
  
  Maybe-
  
  
  
  • Chaucer, ??
  • Dante Alighieri, excerpts from Inferno
  • Mallory, excerpts from Le Mort d'Arthur
  
  Renaissance=
  
  Definitely-
  
  
  
  • Petrarch, various sonnets
  • Niccolo Machiavelli, excerpts from The Prince
  
  Maybe-
  
  
  
  • Miguel de Cervantes, excerpts from Don Quixote (While very important, I doubt I'll have enough time to make an attempt to cover this one worthwhile.)
  • William Shakespeare, ?? (While it is almost impossible to conceive of a discussion of Western Literature that didn't involve Shakespeare, he looms so large that I fear the limited time will see me sarifice multiple works in an attempt to do him justice.)
  
  Enlightenment=
  
  Definitely-
  
  
  
  • ?????
  
  Maybe-
  
  
  
  • Voltaire, excerpts from Candide
  • Rousseau, ???
  • Swift, "A Modest Proposal"
  I'm torn here, because Voltaire is very indicative of the Enlightenment, but also very anti-Enlightenment in a way.  I'm not sure what might be better, so I'll probably end up going with him anyway.
  
  Romanticism=
  
  Definitely-
  
  
  
  • Tennyson, "Ulysses," ???
  • Keats, "Nightingale," "Grecian Urn," MAYBE "Eve of St. Agnes"
  
  Maybe-
  
  
  
  • Browning, ???
  • Blake, "The Lamb," "The Tyger"
  • Wordsworth, "Tintern Abbey"
  • Shelly, "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty"
  • Coleridge, various
  I'm REALLY torn here, as the Romantics are where my heart lies.  I'd love to teach all of these and more.
  
  Modernism/Postmodernism=
  
  Definitely-
  
  
  
  • Yeats, various
  • Eliot, either "Prufrock" or "Wasteland" or both
  
  Maybe-
  
  
  
  • Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" (He's so foundational, so very, utterly indicative of everything that is 20th Century Lit., that I feel like I really need to include him, but at the same time, he's not someone I can cover quickly.
  • ???
  I'm not sure what else I should include in this last section.  Check out the list of texts in this anthology here:
  http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail-contents.aspx?ID=4607

So, what do y'all think?[/list]

I also need some advice about the film series I'm going to start running:

Spoiler

So guys, the semester is going swimmingly, and I am having an absolute blast teaching this class!  I've had several students tell me variations of 'I was really dreading this class, but I am really loving it!'  That is immensely gratifying.  Anyway, so things are going well, and we're having great discussion in class.  I've been thinking about starting a movie series on evenings once every week or two, watching films that compliment or expand on the themes we've discussed in class.  There is some interest from my students, so I am thinking I'm going to put this into practice.  I've been brainstorming movies to go along with our readings, and while I've got some that I'm pretty pelased with, I'm having trouble finding others.  I could use suggestions!  My plan is to choose one movie per section/text.

We've been reading Plato's "The Apology of Socrates," which deals with a great deal, but among the myriad ideas he raises are questions of justice and the ability of righteous men to participate in political life.  I've been thinking Mr. Smith Goes to Washington would be a good film to explore that idea.  He also deals with questions of perception and reality, so I thought this might be a good time to shoehorn in Inception, which I just plain want to watch again.

Next up we're reading the Aeneid, and I am having a hard time finding a complimentary film for this one.  One of the most fascinating themes of the poem, to me at least, is the idea of duty versus happiness, especially in Aeneas' decision to leave Dido.  I know there are some great movies out there that trade heavily with the idea of the cost of duty and honor, but I can't think of any that fit well.

Afte that we're hitting the Middle Ages, and they're reading Beowulf.  Needless to say, we're not watching that awful new-ish movie.  Instead, I thought that 13th Warrior might be worth watching.  Does anyone have any other suggestions?

After that we'll eventually reach Machiavelli and The Prince, which has tons and tons of possibilities.

Well, what do y'all think?

[BentonGrey]

Help!  The day is almost upon me!

[laughing paradox]

I prefer a major focus on Greek literature, due to it truly being the basis of nearly everything we read now.

I'm curious as to why you chose the Illiad, as opposed to the Odyssey. I understand the epic concepts referencing other works, but that can be said of both stories. The Odyssey does a great job in showing the reader different customs of regular life: how Odysseus would meet other people, how he was treated, how his gift of words and cunning wit was his most powerful weapon and truly revered (ie. the battle with the Cyclops).

The Republic is a given, so great choice there. If you are doing the Illiad, and covering Agamemnon, I would maybe suggest The Oresteia by Aeschylus. I love the difference of interpretations of Clytemnestra (was it the Illiad or the Odyssey that she was mentioned in?), and how she was one of literature's first femme fatales. However, she was not an evil person.. far be it, I had great compassion for her character. It would be a great little writing exercise to tell the story from Clytemnestra's point of view.

For the Roman literature, The Aeneid is definitely the go-to. I personally found it boring and such a stolen creation. But I digress... I definitely recommend Metamorphosis by Ovid. It has so many different stories that you could complete the Roman ideologies from there.

Definitely include some Chaucer. The greatness of The Canterbery Tales is that you don't need read everything and you still gain a good sensibility of how things were in that time period.

You have to include Shakespeare. It would be an abomination otherwise. However, maybe you can stick to his sonnets.

I personally am not as involved with the Romanticism period of literature, but since you have an obvious love for it, I would suggest taking a little more time to teach it. Nothing is greater than having a teacher who's really passionate about their subject. It's inspiring.

Totally use Kafka's Metamorphosis. The story is not that long and I find it's such a remarkable book on existentialism. I think it makes the point better than Camus or Sartre. It would be interesting to see the lightbulbs flash over the students' heads when they realize it's the family that's undergoing the metamorphosis.

I wholeheartedly recommend using Emily Dickinson. I find it fascinating that she was an agoraphobic and had little contact with people, and yet was able to convey so many human plights and feelings in her work. I also find her work to be an interesting practice in personification and punctuation. It also wasn't nearly as smug as ee cummings. Granted, she's not British.. but it's still fantastic work!

This class seems fun, by the way! It's my kind of class.

[BentonGrey]

Thanks LP, that was immensely helpful!  I really appreciate you taking the time to read over my list and share your thoughts.  I'll post more soon, at the moment frantic preparation is the order of the day...and the night.  However, your suggestions have certainly not fallen on deaf ears!

[BentonGrey]

So guys, the semester is going swimmingly, and I am having an absolute blast teaching this class!  I've had several students tell me variations of 'I was really dreading this class, but I am really loving it!'  That is immensely gratifying.  Anyway, so things are going well, and we're having great discussion in class.  I've been thinking about starting a movie series on evenings once every week or two, watching films that compliment or expand on the themes we've discussed in class.  There is some interest from my students, so I am thinking I'm going to put this into practice.  I've been brainstorming movies to go along with our readings, and while I've got some that I'm pretty pelased with, I'm having trouble finding others.  I could use suggestions!  My plan is to choose one movie per section/text.

We've been reading Plato's "The Apology of Socrates," which deals with a great deal, but among the myriad ideas he raises are questions of justice and the ability of righteous men to participate in political life.  I've been thinking Mr. Smith Goes to Washington would be a good film to explore that idea.  He also deals with questions of perception and reality, so I thought this might be a good time to shoehorn in Inception, which I just plain want to watch again.

Next up we're reading the Aeneid, and I am having a hard time finding a complimentary film for this one.  One of the most fascinating themes of the poem, to me at least, is the idea of duty versus happiness, especially in Aeneas' decision to leave Dido.  I know there are some great movies out there that trade heavily with the idea of the cost of duty and honor, but I can't think of any that fit well.

Afte that we're hitting the Middle Ages, and they're reading Beowulf.  Needless to say, we're not watching that awful new-ish movie.  Instead, I thought that 13th Warrior might be worth watching.  Does anyone have any other suggestions?

After that we'll eventually reach Machiavelli and The Prince, which has tons and tons of possibilities.

Well, what do y'all think?

[Panther_Gunn]

We've been reading Plato's "The Apology of Socrates," which deals with a great deal, but among the myriad ideas he raises are questions of justice and the ability of righteous men to participate in political life.  I've been thinking Mr. Smith Goes to Washington would be a good film to explore that idea.

How about Dave or Man of the Year?

Afte that we're hitting the Middle Ages, and they're reading Beowulf.  Needless to say, we're not watching that awful new-ish movie.  Instead, I thought that 13th Warrior might be worth watching.  Does anyone have any other suggestions?

I would agree that 13th Warrior would be a better representation.  Any plans on mentioning Eaters of the Dead as the source material for the movie, and how it relates back to Beowulf?

[BentonGrey]

How about Dave or Man of the Year?

Hmm, Dave might work.  I don't think I've seen Man of the Year.

I would agree that 13th Warrior would be a better representation.  Any plans on mentioning Eaters of the Dead as the source material for the movie, and how it relates back to Beowulf?

Yep!  I definitely enjoyed the book myself, and I think it's a great example of the enduring nature of these archetypes. 

[Panther_Gunn]

I don't think I've seen Man of the Year.

I liked it.  It even had an SNL segment with Tina and Amy on Weekend Update.

[Mr. Hamrick]

My first thought is why isn't Dante's Inferno's on the list then I reread the list.

To not include Shakespeare would be blasphemous.  I may be a bit biased after the wonderful class I had back in college but not by much. 

I definitely would include Chaucer, too. 

[BentonGrey]

My first thought is why isn't Dante's Inferno's on the list then I reread the list.

To not include Shakespeare would be blasphemous.  I may be a bit biased after the wonderful class I had back in college but not by much. 

I definitely would include Chaucer, too.

Urg....I know, I know, there needs to be a Shakespeare play....but you need and he desreves so much time!  I just keep thinking I don't have space enough...but maybe it would give me an excuse to cut more modern stuff...

:EDIT: Alright, Shakespeare's of monumental importance, and I'm well aware of this.  It also just occured to me, that most of my students are going to be taking any more lit classes, so this is likely their one chance to be exposed to him, assuming they don't have a natural inclination for reading and drama.  I suppose I'll simply have to sacrifice two or three other works.

[Mr. Hamrick]

My first thought is why isn't Dante's Inferno's on the list then I reread the list.

To not include Shakespeare would be blasphemous.  I may be a bit biased after the wonderful class I had back in college but not by much. 

I definitely would include Chaucer, too.

Urg....I know, I know, there needs to be a Shakespeare play....but you need and he desreves so much time!  I just keep thinking I don't have space enough...but maybe it would give me an excuse to cut more modern stuff...

:EDIT: Alright, Shakespeare's of monumental importance, and I'm well aware of this.  It also just occured to me, that most of my students are going to be taking any more lit classes, so this is likely their one chance to be exposed to him, assuming they don't have a natural inclination for reading and drama.  I suppose I'll simply have to sacrifice two or three other works.

Well, a few suggestions since you are going to go for it. 

Comedy - This will arguably be the easiest to get through.  I'd suggest Midsummer's Night Dream or Much Ado About Nothing.  They seem to be the most accessible.  And well, the lessons I had on them are the most memorable ones from a class I had over 10 years ago.

Tragedy - If you the time for it, I'd almost challenge you to go for "the Scottish play" aka "MacBeth" but there is some bias here on my part.  However, "Romeo and Juliet" is probably the most accessible and I would imagine easy to teach of the tragedies follow by "Hamlet".

History - Most of my knowledge of Shakespeare's history plays are Henry IV pt 1 and 2 and Henry V.  I have read through Richard III but the former ones are much more ingrained in my mind.  This is mostly because it seemed every Shakespeare or Lit class that I have had has covered one of those plays.

One of my college mentors, A.J. Hartley, is practically an expert on Shakespeare.  The class that I had with him had a very interesting beginning to it.  He played the song "Amnesia" by Chumbawamba.  After the song was over, he proceeded to explain how the meaning behind that song wouldn't be gotten by people who were not familiar with certain social and political elements of the time period in England.  By the same measure, there are a lot of things in Shakespeare's writing that often get overlooked for various reasons included a lack of focus on what was going on during the time period the play was written historically. 

[laughing paradox]

Aeneid - O Brother Where Art Thou?

Since it's based on the Odyssey anyway.. it handles several of the themes perfectly.

[Tawodi Osdi]

I used Norton's in my Intro to Lit class.  I wish I had kept it, but that was my first semester, and I was hard up for every buck I could get.

[thalaw2]

wow!  How big is that Norton book?  I can see where you would have trouble getting through a book like that to teach your course.  I'm surprised you haven't given it defenestration....maybe it's too heavy.