Eng 262-004 Professor Marcus Embry
Spring, 1998 L-30 Michener, 351-2111
MWF 10:10-11:00 membry@bentley.unco.edu
Cand. 209 http://web.unco.edu/eng/latina/

Literature of the Americas:

Mapping Boundaries

In this course we will read various literature from the Americas. We will explore these texts in three groups -- history, community, and desire. We will develop intertextual readings of these various authors, and we will map the various histories and desires that structure the narratives. How do these maps we develop redefine the Americas? Students are expected to independently research each author in available biographical references in Michener Library. I will provide a historical overview for each novel.

Note: some of these texts deal explicitly with sexual relations between men. If this offends you, then drop this course.

Texts:
Available at The Book Stop (916 16 St., Greeley):
María Luisa Bombal. House of Mist and The Shrouded Woman: Two novels.
Monserat Fontes. Dreams of the Centaur.
Gabriel García Marquez. Of Love and Other Demons.
Clarice Lispector. Family Ties.
Gregorio Lopez y Fuentes. El Indio.
Cormac McCarthy. The Crossing.
Manuel Puig. Kiss of the Spiderwoman.
Silviano Santiago. Stella Manhattan.
Thornton Wilder. The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

Assignments:

History: What are the similarities between Wilder, a canonical US writer, and García Marquez, a canonical Latin American writer? How do we develop an intertextual reading of these two books in order to structure a reading practice across the national and historical boundaries of various nations in the Americas? How does Fontes fit into the interpretive framework we constructed between Wilder and García Marquez? How does the idea of history work in all three texts?


1/14 Introduction
1/16 Wilder


1/19 Wilder
1/21 Wilder
1/23 Wilder


1/26 García Marquez
1/28 García Marquez
1/30 García Marquez


2/2 Fontes
2/4 Fontes
2/6 Fontes


2/9 Fontes
2/11 Fontes
2/13 Test

Community: How are these communities similar; how are they distinct? What role does history play in establishing the boundaries of these communities? What other boundaries are evident or established? Were we to map the lines of desire, attraction, and/or love in these novels, how would such a map compare with a similar mapping of the history grounding these narratives?
2/16 Lopez y Fuentes
2/18 Lopez y Fuentes
2/20 Lopez y Fuentes


2/23 Bombal -- House of Mist
2/25 Bombal -- House of Mist
2/27 Bombal -- House of Mist


3/2 Bombal -- The Shrouded Woman
3/4 Bombal -- The Shrouded Woman
3/6 Bombal -- The Shrouded Woman


3/9 Lispector
3/11 Lispector
3/13 Lispector


Spring Break


3/23 Test

Desire: How do we define desire as we find it in these novels? How can we map desire on the geopolitical spaces these novels encompass? Is there another mapping available, a mapping of internal versus external space or location? How does this mapping compare to a historical, national, or hemispherical mapping? Where does history fit into this comparison and/or contrast?
3/25 McCarthy
3/27 McCarthy


3/30 McCarthy
4/1 McCarthy
4/3 No Class


4/6 Puig
4/8 Puig
4/10 Puig
Research Papers due


4/13 Puig
4/15 Puig
4/17 Puig


4/20 Santiago
4/22 Santiago
4/24 Santiago


4/27 Santiago
4/29
5/1 Conclusion


Final Exam


Course Requirements:

Grading:
15% First Exam
15% Second Exam
15% Final Exam
10% Attendance and participation
45% Research Paper

Research Paper:
Ten page research paper examining one of the assigned texts or, with my specific approval, a text or theme of your choice. You must cite at least five references in the form of articles or books; neither internet web sites, encyclopedias, dictionaries, nor class texts count toward the five reference requirement, although if you use information from these sources, you must cite them correctly. Your paper must be written in MLA format.
Plagiarism will result in a failing grade.


Important Note:
If you cannot successfully write, reread and correct, and submit a research paper that merits a passing grade, you will fail this course.
I will deduct one point for each circled mistake, and these points will be deducted from the score your paper merits for content. Thus, even on the best possible ten page paper (A+, which is as rare as hen's teeth), if you average four mistakes per page, you will fail this course. UNC has extensive resources to assist students with writing. Use them.
Also note that I specify that you submit papers in MLA format. If you do not use MLA format, then I will deduct twelve points from your overall score immediately.
Read and remember this note. It is my experience that UNC students are good students who can successfully write in the English language. However, it is also my experience that often some students do not reread and correct their papers before submitting them. If this is your practice, change it. Now.
If you fail the research paper, you fail this course. Period.


Attendance and Participation:
Unfailing attendance 5%
Frequent relevant comments 5%
Frequent attendance 4%
Occasional pertinent comments 4%
Spotty attendance 3%
Couple, three-four good comments 3%
Crawling in bleeding 2%
Timid silence 2%
Name is mystery 1%
Outbursts, irrelevant comments -1%
Death in class 0%
Reading other texts or newspaper -2%
Rotting in class -1%
Chatting, disrupting neighbors -3%

Yes, Virginia, it is entirely possible to obtain negative points for your behavior. Don't.


Que les vaya muy bien.