1. English 101: Comp & Lit IIWeek 2: January 28, 2010 Thursday, 6:00-8:40 PM Professor Melinda Roberts

2. Today’sAgenda Review Syllabus Exploring Fiction Literature: Personal Response and Critical Thinking Preparing a First Response Paper Using the Class Blog / Website Homework Assignment 6:00 PM: Class Begins 7:20-7:30 PM: Break 8:40 PM: Class Ends

3. Exploring Fiction: The Reader as Participant The exploration of literature begins with YOU Your engagement with the literature creates the literary experience A piece of literature is only words on a page until YOU read the words, bring them to life, and give them meaning YOU give meaning to the literature background (national origin, race, creed, gender, etc.) personality prior experiences with literature knowledge of the world

4. Exploring Fiction:The Reader as Participant Literature demands our attention, our reflection, our examination Literature requires an investment of emotion and the connection of knowledge and experience When we learn to appreciate the nuances of literature, we develop the ability to think and to write critically about it

5. Exploring Fiction:The Methods of Fiction Tone: the “mood” of the story tone depends on the reader’s delicate emotional responses to language and situation Plot: the series of events that create the fictional world of the story the arrangement of connected sequence of narrative events beginning, middle, end Characterization: the process by which the characters are rendered to make them seem real to the reader round character flat character short story writers develop characters rapidly and limit number of round characters (rarely more than three)

6. Exploring Fiction:The Methods of Fiction Setting: a single geographical location within a short period of time (time and place) historical setting social setting Point of View: who is narrating the story? first person (“I”) third person: narrator does not appear as a character in the story; story told from outside (“he,” “she,” “they”) “omniscient narrator” knows thoughts, feelings, actions of all characters “limited omniscient narrator” knows thoughts, feelings, actions of a single character

7. Exploring Fiction:The Methods of Fiction Irony: the gap between what is expected and what occurs Theme: underlying idea, statement the work makes about its subject look to the protagonist (main character) what is he/she “striving” for? what is the protagonist’s “epiphany”? sudden flash of recognition that signals the awareness / understanding of moral complexity the passage from childhood to adulthood (coming of age)

8. Exploring Fiction:Criticisms for Analysis Biographical: how does the author’s life experiences influence his/her writing? Historical: how does the historical setting of the story affect/influence the behavior of the characters? Sociological: how does the sociological setting of the story affect/influence the behavior of the characters?

9. Exploring Fiction:Criticisms for Analysis Psychological: Freud What are the underlying conscious and unconscious motives of the author? the characters? Oedipus Complex / Electra Complex Mythological: Jung the “collective consciousness” symbols, allegories, hidden meaning

10. Personal Response and Critical Thinking To think critically about literature, we build on our personal responses – record our responses review our responses discuss our responses with peers support our responses with valid evidence Critical thinking does not mean searching for one right answer. There may be as many answers as there are readers. Your best answers are those that analyze and articulate your response in light of supporting evidence.

11. Personal Response and Critical Thinking: Written Response A written response IS NOT: a summary of a particular literary work that you’ve read A written response IS: a short essay that expresses your personal reaction to a particular literary work a short essay that conveys your thoughts and feelings about an aspect of a particular literary work a short essay that discusses how a particular literary work affectedyou as you read it

12. Personal Response and Critical Thinking: Written Response A written response DOES NOT: require you to do outside research A written response DOES require a careful reading of the literature, clear thinking about what the author has written, and honest writing in response to the what you’ve thought, felt, questioned, disagreed with, agreed with, were touched by – i.e., how you were affected by / how you connected to the particular piece of literature present your point of view in a clear and organized manner

13. Responding to Literature From the surface level to the core “Surface” Level Evaluation / Response “Meat” Level Evaluation / Response “Core” Level Evaluation / Response

14. Responding to Literature “Surface” Level Title (consider its import) Narrator (point of view) First person (“I”) Third person (“he,” “she”, “they”) Character Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist? Who are the minor characters?

15. Responding to Literature Comments at the Surface Level From the title, I thought the story was about . . . When I first met _____, I thought he/she/it was . . . __________ (someone or something) reminded me . . . I don’t understand . . . I want to learn more about . . .

16. Responding to Literature “Meat” Level Character Goals Motives Behavior Dialogue Inner thoughts Who says what to whom? Who says what about whom? Flashback(s) Have there been any?

17. Responding to Literature “Meat” Level Mood What is the psychological “feeling” of the literature? Does the setting contribute to the “feeling” of the literature? Irony Have there been any surprises? Outcomes that were the opposite of what you expected? Symbols What has more than one meaning?

18. Responding to Literature Comments at the Meat Level I liked / I didn’t like . . . because . . . I understood / didn’t understand why . . . because . . . I felt ___ when ___ said, “. . .,” because . . . I was surprised . . . I thought ____ should / should not have . . . The story made me feel . . . I liked / didn’t like when the author used _____ to symbolize . . . because . . .

19. Responding to Literature “Core” Level: Has the author “met” you with his/her writing? Have you had a change of attitude? Has the writing challenged your beliefs? Has the writing reinforced your beliefs? Has the writing affected you in any other way?

20. Responding to Literature Comments at the Core Level The story made me feel . . . I don’t understand why . . . I could relate to . . . I could not relate to . . . __________ reminds me of . . . This story compares with . . . I felt _____ when . . .

21. Back to you . . . Think about the last piece of literature you read. What was the title? Who is the author? Why did you read it? Choose 3-5 adjectives to describe your experience with the literature. Discuss your responses with a partner. When I read a good book . . . I wish that life were three thousand years long. Ralph Waldo Emerson

22. “The Kiss” Kate Chopin (February 1850-August 1904) Work with a partner. What do you know about the lives of women in the late 1800s? What was expected of them? What was important to them? How did a woman choose her husband? How did a man choose his wife? With your partner, jot down five things you know about women’s lives in the late 1800s. Be prepared to share with the class.

23. “The Kiss” Kate Chopin (February 1850-August 1904) Which is more important – to marry for love, or to marry for money?

24. “The Kiss” Read / listen to the story (10 minutes) Make notes / highlight passages / circle new vocabulary words Read the story a second time (10 minutes) Make additional notes Write a first response paper (you will have 20 minutes) Share your first response with a partner (you will have 10 minutes)

25. Personal Response and Critical Thinking A response paper IS NOT: a summary of a particular literary work that you’ve read A response paper IS: a short essay that expresses your personal reaction to a particular literary work a short essay that conveys your thoughts and feelings about an aspect of a particular literary work a short essay that discusses how a particular literary work affectedyou as you read it

26. Personal Response and Critical Thinking A response paper DOES NOT: require you to do outside research A response paper DOES require a careful reading of the literature, clear thinking about what the author has written, and honest writing in response to the what you’ve thought, felt, questioned, disagreed with, agreed with, were touched by – i.e., how you were affected by / how you connected to the particular piece of literature present your point of view in a clear and organized manner

27. Class Blog / Website http://english102wcc02.blogspot.com/ Log on Sign up to follow Review homework assignments Respond to “post a comment” activities (participation / non-participation affects your grade)

28. First Response Paper:Guidelines 8.5x11-inch paper 1-inch margins typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font Short Story: minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages Poetry: minimum three-quarter (3/4) page; maximum one (1) page IMPORTANT NOTE: Papers that do not meet these guidelines will not be accepted. See your syllabus/class website for further specific details.

29. First Response Paper:Guidelines Upper left-hand corner of the paper, single-spaced: FIRST AND LAST NAME February 4, 2010 Professor Melinda Roberts English 102: Spring 2010 Centered Title (all caps and bolded): RESPONSE PAPER: ”YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN” RESPONSE PAPER: “THIS BE THE VERSE” IMPORTANT NOTE: Papers that do not meet these guidelines will not be accepted. See your syllabus/class website for further specific details.

30. Homework: Due February 4, 2010 @ 6:00 PM Purchase class texts Log on to class website sign up as “follower” response to “post a comment” prompts Readings from Literature: The Human Experience Chapter 1: pages 1-21 Chapter 1: pages 38-42 “Young Goodman Brown,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne (pages 81-91) check class website for first response writing prompt “This Be The Verse,” by Philip Larkin (pages 159-160) check class website for first response writing prompt Archetypes in Literature check class website for link to handout