Section outline

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    In the Spotlight: A Survey of US-American Literary History (DEMO-Version)

    Lùghdaich na h-uile Meudaich na h-uile

    Attention: this in the demo version of the online course "In the Spotlight: A Survey of US-American Literary History"!

    This means that visitors can see the first few sessions for informational purposes only. Consequently, access to some of the material is restricted. Full access to all sessions and materials is only possible after registration for the online seminar via the vhb.

     

    • ANNOUNCEMENTS Forum
      This forum will be used by the instructor to post messages for all participants of this class.
    • QUESTION FORUM / FAQ

      Use this forum to post course-related questions. This is an open forum, and you are encouraged to give answers and help each other. The instructor will also be there to answer your questions smile

    • Weekly Chat with the Instructor Còmhradh
      Not available unless: Your Seòladh puist-d is nicole.konopka@uni-bamberg.de
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    Welcome in the Spotlight!

    Welcome! My name is Dr. Nicole K. Konopka and I am delighted to be your instructor for this class. I am passionate about distance learning and look forward to working with you this semester. This course focuses on the literary history of the United States of America and we will read and discuss fiction, poems, and plays that illustrate the development of US-American literature from its Puritan beginnings in the 17th century until the 1990s.

    Directly below you will find a general introduction that summarizes organizational information and introduces you to the structure of the class. Further down you find a number of PDF-files that provide you with even more information: the detailed syllabus (contains deadlines!), the reading list, a list of reference texts, and netiquette guidelines. At the bottom you will find a folder that contains master copies for your own contributions to this class and instructions on how to label the files you hand in.

    At the very top of the website, you will find a QUESTION FORUM to post course-related questions to everyone who is enrolled in this course. In addition, I am always pleased to receive personal emails with updates, questions, or concerns. Don’t hesitate to use email to notify me of any problems that you are having. I should be able to reply within two work days.

    Have a wonderful semester!

    ~Nicole Konopka


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    Session 01: How to Do Literary Studies

    In this session you will learn about:

    • Your fellow classmates
    • Tools to analyze and interpret texts
    • Reading strategies

    Required reading:

    • Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper" (1892)

    Activities:

    • Forum
    • Guiding Questions
    • Multiple Choice Quiz
    • Worksheet

    • 1. Getting to Know Each Other

      After you registered for the class, you were assigned a key word.

      • Please go to the forum immediately below.
      • Before presenting the definition for your key word, tell the other participants of this course about yourself:
        (a) Let them know your name! Since remembering names is hard, help your classmates by linking your name through alliteration (e.g. "Hi I am Caroline – a climber" OR "Hi, I am travel-loving Tom" etc.).
        (b) Furthermore, share with the other participants in our class the other subject(s) you are studying and the university you are studying at.
        (c) Introduce your key word – be brief in your explanation!
      • After every participant has introduced him-/herself and their keywords, please complete the following short quiz. The quiz may include terms that have not been introduced by one of your fellow course participants. Do, however, try to guess the right answer - you will encounter all of these terms again during the semester!

    • Place Holder - Forum "Introduce Yourself and Your Key Term"
      Students must
      Mark as done
    • Place Holder - Task A: "Key Word Quiz"
      Students must
      Mark as done

    • 2. How to Read a Text - Basics of Literary Analysis and Interpretation


    • Place Holder - Presentation: "Basics of Literary Analysis and Interpretation" File
    • Place Holder - Glossary I: Prose File
    • Place Holder - Glossary II: Poetry File
    • Place Holder - Glossary III: Drama File

    • 3. Literary Analysis & Interpretation – Practice

      Analyzing and interpreting literature needs constant practice. Please read Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s "The Yellow Wallpaper." This is a story about a woman who is forced to take a “rest cure,” a treatment offered in the 19th century for postpartum depression. The protagonist of the story is isolated on the top floor of a house and is not allowed to do any work.

      Fact Sheet "The Yellow Wallpaper" (1892)
      • Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935)
      • Central themes: gender inequality, isolation, patriarchy, class
      • Central symbols: wallpaper, room, names
      • Good to know: The idea for the story originated in the author’s own experience as a patient undergoing S.Weir Mitchell's rest cure.


      In order to guide your analysis, please follow the following four steps while reading the excerpt:

      Structure

      • How is the plot structured?
      • What is the framework of the story?
      Style

      • How is the narration carried out?
      • What is the function/effect of the choice of narration?
      • Is there any character development? If so, what is the development like?
      Symbols

      • Are there words that have meaning beyond the obvious ones?
      • Do you find repeating images with heightened meaning?
      • Can you detect other stylistic devices?
      Conclusion

      • What does the story add up to?
      • What do your findings in style, symbol and structure tell you about the overarching meaning of the piece?

      Please complete the reading and the quiz. 


      TASK B:

      Select the best answers to the following multiple choice questions. Attention: for several questions more than one choice (e.g. two or more) is correct and all the correct ones are required to be picked!

    • Place Holder - Task B: Quiz "The Yellow Wallpaper"
      Students must
      Mark as done

    • 4. Defining Your Individual Learning Objectives

      Before we start off with the first literary history session next week, please use the following table (TASK B) to define your individual learning goals for this course.

    • Task B: Worksheet "Defining Learning Objectives" File
      Students must
      Mark as done

    • 5. Evaluation

      Please complete the following evaluation after you have finished all the readings and assignments of this session.

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    Session 02: Puritan Literature

    In this session you will learn about:

    • The beginnings of American literature
    • The Puritans and their literature
    • Plain style poetry and the captivity tale

    Required reading:

    • Anne Bradstreet, “To My Dear and Loving Husband” (1678)
    • Mary Rowlandson, excerpts from The Sovereignty and the Goodness of GOD, Together With the Faithfulness of His Promises Displayed; Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson… (1682)

    Activities:

    • Reading Questions
    • Discussion Forum
    • Worksheet
    • Multiple Choice Quiz

    • 1. The Early Colonial Era - Historical Context


    • Place Holder - Presentation "Early Colonial and Puritan Literature" File

    • 2. How to Adress Religious and Domestic Bliss

      Fact Sheet Anne Bradstreet (ca. 1612–1672)
      • born in England to a well-connected family
      • received a very good education
      • married at the age of 16
      • moved to New England at the age of 18 with her husband and father
      • raised eight children in several homes that were gradually removed towards the remote frontier of the colony, while both her father and husband served as governors of Massachusetts
      • first published poet in America (poetry collection The Tenth Muse, 1650)
      • central themes: family, love, nature, sorrow, faith, daily life, and resignation
      • Involuntary publicity: The book was published in England by her brother-in-law without her explicit consent. She later revised and republished it on her own.

    • 3. The Puritan Captivity Tale

      Fact Sheet Mary Rowlandson (ca. 1637-1711)

      • born in England and moved to New England with her parents and nine siblings
      • settled in Lancaster, Massachusetts
      • married in 1656 at the age of 19
      • was captured by Native Americans in 1676 during King Philip’s War and remained with them for eleven weeks, during which one of her three children died
      • story is told in “20 Removes”, beginning with a scene of carnage when the Natives attack her village while her husband is away in Boston to raise aid for its defense
      • was ultimately released on ransom, a few weeks before her children
      • is the only woman author who wrote her captivity tale on her own
      • central themes: hardship of captivity, motherhood and endurance, divine providence, daily life of her captors, and the feeling of alienation during and after her captivity
      • Immediate success: The book was so popular when it was first published (1682) that it had to be reprinted four times in one year.

    • 4. Comparing Bradstreet and Rowlandson

      The following study questions are designed to guide your reading of the two texts. For this purpose, please do the following:

      (1)  Read the questions carefully.

      (2)  Then re-read the texts by Bradstreet and Rowlandson, while thinking of possible answers to the questions.

      (3)  Finally, answer at least two questions per forum in brief bullet points. The instructor will also join the discussion and comment on the entries.

      This task is meant to encourage you to share your initial thoughts about each text individually and the two of them together. Remember: just provide us with brief notes! A closer analysis will be the next step.

    • Place Holder - Task A: Study questions for Anne Bradstreet and her text Forum
      Students must
      Mark as done
    • Place Holder - Task B: Study questions for Mary Rowlandson and her text Forum
      Students must
      Mark as done
    • Place Holder - Task C: Study Questions for both authors and their texts Forum
      Students must
      Mark as done

    • 5. Homework: The Writings of Puritan Women Authors

      After the previous brainstorming sessions, it is now time to have a closer look at both texts. For this purpose, open the pdf-file below and complete the worksheet.

      Once you are finished, upload the file here. The instructor will then provide you with model answers.

    • Place Holder - Task D: Handing in the Worksheet "The Writings of Puritan Women Authors" Assignment
      Students must
      Mark as done

    • 6. Final Summary

      Select the best answers to the following multiple choice questions. Attention: for several questions more than one choice (e.g. two or more) is correct and all the correct ones are required to be picked!

    • Place Holder - Task E: Multiple Choice Quiz "Final Summary"
      Students must
      Mark as done

    • 7. Evaluation

      Please complete the following evaluation after you have finished all the readings and assignments of this session.