Genre Theory
ENGL 355
Spring 2008
| Section:
01
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Aristotle classified genres, or the types of literature, into three major categories: lyric, epic or narrative, and drama, mirrored in our modern categories of poetry, novel, and drama. But we also have a proliferation of other literary kinds: epic, tragedy, comedy, satire, biography, essay, pastoral, and so on. What are the rules, the conventions, of the different genres? How do authors and readers use genre to create and either fulfill or flout the expected reading experience? Literary genre has been studied extensively by some literary critics and theorists - the neoclassical critics, the American Chicago critics or neo-Aristotelians, Northrop Frye and his theory of archetypes, structuralists such as Roland Barthes. Our contemporary literary discussions have focused on questions of social, historical, and political contexts, and genre has consequently moved into the background. This class asserts that genre theory remains an important part of literary study in general. We will examine some of the historical discussions of genre and analyze some particular generic types. |
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Essential Capabilities:
None |
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA ENGL |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: ENGL201 |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Duff, David, ed. MODERN GENRE THEORY
Aristotle, Watt, Frye, Bakhtin, Jameson, and others.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Two essays, midterm, final, and research paper option. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course meets the English Department's Theory and Research Option requirement. |
| Instructor(s): Karamcheti,Indira Times: ..T.R.. 02:40PM-04:00PM; Location: JUDD113; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 40 | | SR major: 20 | JR major: 20 | | |
| Seats Available: 18 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 0 | JR non-major: 0 | SO: X | FR: X |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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