| COURSE NUMBER: |
ENGL 399D |
| COURSE TITLE: |
Special Topics in English -2011/12 Fall - Fantasy
Literature |
| NAME OF
INSTRUCTOR: |
Dr Anita Helmbold |
| CREDIT WEIGHT
AND WEEKLY TIME DISTRIBUTION: |
credits 3(hrs lect 3 - hrs sem 0 - hrs lab 0) |
| COURSE
DESCRIPTION: |
A course on a topic of figure of special interest to a
member of the English faculty and offered on a non-recurring
basis.
Prerequisites: ENGL 204, 205
2011/12 Fall
This 3-credit course (3-0-0) will examine the tradition of fantasy
literature, from its roots in the Middle Ages to its present-day
forms. Our focus will be on close readings of the texts, with
special attention given to their moral and spiritual
dimensions. We will also inquire closely into the reasons for
the deep and enduring popularity of the genre.
|
| REQUIRED TEXTS: |
- C.
S. Lewis, That Hideous
Strength
- C.S.
Lewis, The Lion, the
Witch, and the Wardrobe
- J.
K. Rowling, Harry
Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
- William
Shakespeare, The
Tempest
- J.
R. R. Tolkien, The
Hobbit
- Course
Packet for English 399
|
| MARK DISTRIBUTION IN PERCENT: |
| Reading
quizzes |
10% |
| Roundtable
discussion |
25% |
| Research
paper (10-12 pages) |
35% |
| Final Examination |
30% |
|
|
|
100% |
|
| COURSE OBJECTIVES: |
Upon completion of this course, the student should be
able to:
- define fantasy literature as a genre
- understand and articulate the ways in which fantasy
literature both reflects and differs from real-world life and
experiences
- assess the moral and ethical underpinnings upon which
these fantasy works are built
- demonstrate, both orally and in writing, an ability
to synthesize material studied and to draw, support, and defend
appropriate conclusions arising from his or her study and research
|
| COURSE OUTLINE: |
INTRODUCTION
- September 7: introduction to course
- September 9: “Prolegomena to Mythopoeic
Fantasy,” CP 1-14
MEDIEVAL BEGINNINGS
- September 12-16: legends of the Holy Grail
- “The Quest for Wholeness,” CP 15-18
- “The Quest of the Grail,” CP 19-23
- “Perceval, by Chrétien de Troyes,” CP 24-29
- “The History of the Holy Grail,” CP 30-43
- September 19, 23, 26: legends of the magician Merlin
- “Medieval Merlins,” CP 59-65
- Merlin
and the Grail (selections), CP 67-100
- “J. R. R. Tolkien’s Merlin” (CP 101-11)
- “That Hidden Strength: C. S. Lewis’ Merlin as
Modern Grail” (posted on Moodle)
- September 28: Roundtable 1
THE FANTASTIC IN THE RENAISSANCE
- September 30, October 3: Spenser: The Faerie Queene
(selections)
- The
Faerie Queene (selections): Book 1, Cantos 1-2; Book 3,
Cantos 2-3 (CP 113-58)
- October 5: Roundtable 2
- October 7, 12, 14: The Tempest
MODERN FANTASY
- October 17. 19, 21: The Hobbit
- October 24-26: readings on fantasy (course packet)
- “On Fairy Stories” (CP 159-85)
- “The Fantastic Imagination” (CP 187-90)
- “Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to Be
Said” (CP 191-92)
- “On Three Ways of Writing for Children” (CP 193-99)
- October 28: Roundtable 3
- October 31, November 2-4: Harry Potter and the
Philosopher’s Stone
- November 7: Roundtable 4
- November 9: Roundtable 5
- November 14-16: The
Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
- November 18: Roundtable 6
- November 21-23: The
Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, continued
- November 25, 28, 30; December 2, 5: That Hideous Strength
- December 7: Roundtable 7
- December 9: review and wrap-up
|
