ENGLISH 693: Writing and the Visual Arts

Monday 4-6:50 pm 46C Stansbury Hall

Mary Ann Samym

Office: 463 Stansbury, 293-3107 x453

E-mail: MaryAnn.Samyn@mail.wvu.edu

Office Hours: T 10-12 on even dates, 1-3 on odd dates, W 1:30-2:15 and by appt.

Texts

Ashbery, John. Girls on the Run

Coover, Robert. The Grand Hotels (of Joseph Cornell)

Doty, Mark. Still Life with Oysters and Lemon

Graham, Jorie. The End of Beauty

Howe, Susan and Susan Bee. Bed Hangings

Simic, Charles. Dime-Store Alchemy

Wright, Charles. The World of the Ten Thousand Things

handouts

Course Description

This exploratory course will consider the relationship between writing and the visual arts in several ways: by reading the "creative" and "critical" work of writers who acknowledge and have demonstrated this connection; by viewing visual art both on campus and at exhibits in the area; by actually creating some rudimentary (or not, depending on your skills) visual art; and, most importantly, by discovering how art (either viewed or created by the writer) might inform/ enliven/ challenge the student's own writing and/or critical understanding of another writer's work. We will consider what each writer has/had to say about his/her relationship to visual art, what our own intuitive tell us, and, lastly, what critics might have to contribute this field of inquiry.

Course Requirements

In addition to the usual reading and discussion expectations, course requirements will include participation in any and all art-making experiences, attendance at some visual art exhibits, responses to each of the writers/ artists discussed, a series of creative and/or critical pieces, and a final project (critical, creative, or, preferably, a combination) of the student's own design. We will workshop both creative and critical writing and we will enjoy ourselves: not worrying about "good" product, per se, but investigating a (perhaps) new process.

Attendance I take attendance seriously; so should you. You should let me know, preferably ahead of time, if you must, for some unavoidable reason, be absent. I do grade down for absences and tardiness. We only meet once a week. Be there, on time, ready to participate. Yes? Yes.

Some Deadlines Please read all materials for the date listed More details to follow re: responses, final project, all other writing assignments.

September 8 Charles Simic's Dime-Store Alchemy and Robert Coover's The Grand Hotels (ofJoseph Cornell and handouts + response due September 15 Charles Wright's The World of the Ten Thousand Things + response September 22 Mark Doty's Still Life with Oysters and Lemon + response October 6 John Ashbery's Girls on the Run + response

October 13 Jone Graham's The End of Beau~ + response October 20 F1nal Project proposal due October 27 S=san Howe/Susan Bee's Bed Hangings + response November 17 Final Project presentations December 1 Final Projects finally due

Questions' Please ask me.