English 285: Spring 2004, 11:30 MWF, 340 Brooks
Instructor: Carolyn Nelson
Office: 329 Stansbury. OfficeHours: 10:30-11:15 MWF
Email: cnelson2@wvu.edu

Images of Women in Literature

Required Texts:
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (Broadview)
George Gissing, The Odd Women (Broadview)
G. B. Shaw, Plays (Penguin/Signet)
Cicely Hamilton, Diana of Dobson's (Broadview)
Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees (Viking)
Glennis Stephenson, ed., Nineteenth-Century Stories by Women (Broadview)

Readings and Assignments

The stories listed are in Nineteenth-Century Stories by Women. Novels & plays are listed by title on the syllabus.

Week 1

1/12 Introduction to the course I
1/14 Living Within Boundaries Freeman, "A New England Nun," 231; Jewett, "A White Heron," 333
1/16 Chopin, "The Storm," 105; Dunbar-Nelson, "SisterJosepha," 183

Week 2
1/19 Martin Luther King Holiday
1/21 Oliphant, "A Story of a Wedding Tour," 403
1/23 Davis, "Anne," 165

Week 3
1/26 Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Volume I, Chapters 1-9
1/28 Austen, Volume I, Chapters 10-17
1/30 Austen, Volume I, Chapters 18-23

Week 4
2/2 Austen, Volume II, Chapters 1-9
2/4 Austen, Volume II, Chapters 10-15
2/6 Austen, Volume II, Chapters 16-19

Week 5
2/9 Austen, Volume III, Chapters 1-5
2/11 Austen, Volume III, Chapters 6-12
2/13 Austen, Volume III, Chapters 13-19

Week 6
2/16 Test#1
2/18 ResistingConvention Shaw, Mrs. Warren's Profession, Acts 1 & 2
2/20 Shaw, Mrs. Warren's Profession, Acts 3 & 4

Week 7
2/23 Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper," 311
2/25 Gaskell, "Lizzie Leigh," 249
2/27 Cicely Harnilton, from Life Errant 150-1 & Marriage as a Trade 152-9 in Diana of Dobson's

Week 8
3/1 Harnilton, Diana of Dobson's, Acts 1 & 2
3/3 Harnilton, Diana of Dobson's, Acts 3 & 4
3/5 Gissing, The Odd Women, Chapters 1-4

Week 9
3/8 Gissing, Chapters 5-7
3/10 Gissing, Chapters 8-12
3/12 Gissing, Chapters 13-16

Spring Vacation March 13 - 21

Week 10
3/22 Gissing, Chapters 17-21
3/24 Gissing, Chapters 22-25
3/26 Gissing, Chapters 26-28

Week 11
3/29 Gissing, Chapters 29-31
3/31 Test #2
4/2 Making Independent Choices Shaw, Arms and the Man, Acts 1 & 2

Week 12
4/4 Shaw, Arms and the Man, Act 3
4/7 Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees, Chapters 1 & 2
4/9 Easter holiday

Week 13
4/12 Kidd, Chapters 3-5
4/14 Kidd, Chapters 6 & 7
4/16 Kidd, Chapters 8 & 9

Week 14
4/19 Kidd, Chapters 10 & 11
4/21 Kidd, Chapters 12 & 13
4/23 Kidd, Chapter 14

Week 15
4/26 Gothic Stories: Braddon, "Good Lady Ducayne," 71
4/28 Montgomery, "The Red Room," 385
4/30 Alcott, "A Whisper in the Dark," 23

Final take home exam: Bring exam to my offce during exam time, 8-10 a.m. Wednesday, May 5, or put it in my mailbox in 231 Stansbury any time before Wednesday. You may hand in your paper early. No late papers will be accepted.

Policies and Requirements

The focus of this course will be on the representation of women in fiction and drama of the 19th, and 20th centuries. We will examine the conditions under which women lived at various times in the past in order to understand better the limitations of their lives, thereasons for the choices they made, and the personal and social consequences of defiance.

Attendance: In order to get the greatest benefit from the class, it is important to read the assigned material for the day before coming to class. Always bring your book to class with you. You are permitted to have 4 absences. After that, 2 points per absence will be subtracted from your final grade. If some crisis comes up in your life, you need to notify me as well as the university immediately, not at the end of the semester. If you have any questions about the assignments or your progress in the course, please see me during office hours or send me an e-mail message. Please do not come late to class or use cell phones during class.

Class Discussions: Students are expected to contribute in a meaningful way to the class discussion. Class participation does not mean that you simply need to talk a lot in class. Rather, it means contributing ideas and insights that have taken into consideration the class readings and other students' contributions.

Reading/Discussion Papers: You are required to write discussion papers for each of the readings for any 8 weeks of the semester. Hand these in on Friday. Include a brief discussion and analysis of some of the ideas that interested you in the reading, looking closely at the role of women and the choices they make. Don't just provide a plot summary of the material or make remarks such as "I found this story to be boring." Such responses will receive low grades. The responses should be typed, with appropriate headings, and will receive from O to 5 points. They cannot be made up or rewritten at a later date. Do not send these papers or any others by email or attachment. They may be misdirected and there will be no record that they were submitted.

Presentation: Students who would like to make a presentation to the class or lead the discussion on one of the readings for the day are encouraged to do so. This presentation should be about 10 minutes and can take a variety of forms, such as handing out discussion questions or discussing a passage or topic related to that day's reading with the class. Don't just read notes to the class. The main goal is to get the class involved. Depending on the quality of the presentation, you will get from O to 5 points added to your total final grade. This is the only opportunity to get extra-credit.

Grades: Your grade will be calculated on the basis of the points seen below. Any late papers or tests will have 4 points a day subtracted from the grade.

Reading Responses: 8 x 5 points each 40 points
Tests: 2 x 20 points each 40
Final Exam: 20