Course goals for the Modern European Novel:
Authoring the Experimental Self
- Genre: Focus on the
development of the novel during the period of European
Modernism
- Period: European Modernism
(ca. 1910-1930) and its roots in the late nineteenth century
(Dostoevsky)
- Philosophical themes: Existentialism, Nihilism, and Surrealism
(“Authoring the Experimental Self”)
- Student Writing: Be able to demonstrate a
sophisticated level of discourse about the emergence of the novel
by articulating its relation to late nineteenth-century and late
twentieth-century issues
Course thus addresses 3 main questions:
1) How did the Modernist novel (Hesse, Kafka, and Breton)
influence the contemporary novel (Kundera)?
2)
How can one challenge past traditions and
conventions and still retain a sense of self?
3) Yet what is so wrong with
modern life that the tyrannies of the past--bourgeois family,
gender inequality, and oppressive laws--still seem to haunt
the present?
What is the novel?
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, new, from
Latin novellus, from
diminutive of novus
new (adjective); Italian novella
(noun)
Definition: an invented prose narrative that is usually long
and complex and deals especially with human experience through
a usually connected sequence of events
Started as epistolary (Richardson, Clarissa)
18th century: the loss (and reclamation of) virtue (Defoe, Moll Flanders);
19th century: orphan rediscovers noble heritage /
inheritance (Bronte sisters); the Bildungsroman (literally,
novel of education; journey of protagonist from imprisonment of childhood
toward mature freedom
Additional vocabulary: exposition, turning point(s), climax,
and denouement
What is modernity?
- Etymology: Late Latin modernus, from
Latin modo (just now), from modus (measure)
- Self-conscious break with the past and a search
for new forms of expression
not quite the same as Modernism . . .
- Modernism (1910-1930s/before WWII): Literary,
artistic, and intellectual movement associated with many other
ones (Dada, Surrealism, Futurism, etc.)
QUOTES:
1. "Modernity exists in the form of a desire to wipe out
whatever came earlier, in the hope of reaching at least a point
that could be called a true present, a point of origin that marks
a new departure." -- Paul De Man (1919–1983), Belgian-born U.S.
literary critic.
2. “'Modernity' signifies the transitory, the fugitive, the
contingent, the half of art of which the other half is the eternal
and the immutable." Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867), French poet,
critic.
3. "By Modernism I mean the positive rejection of the past and the
blind belief in the process of change, in novelty for its own
sake, in the idea that progress through time equates with cultural
progress; in the cult of individuality, originality and
self-expression." -- Dan Cruickshank (b. 1949), British
architectural critic.
1. An assumed character or role, esp. one
adopted by an author in his or her writing, or by a performer.
Also: a dramatic or
literary character (obs.).
2. a. The aspect of a person's
character that is displayed to or perceived by others.
b.Psychol. In Jungian
psychology: the outer or assumed aspect of character; a set of
attitudes adopted by an individual to fit his or her perceived
social role. Contrasted with anima.
French
or French Swiss: Female: Albertine, Amélie, Anne,
Camilia, Caroline, Charlotte, Christiane, Córnelie, Denise,
Eléonore, Elisabeth, Elisabeth-Louise, Françoise,
Hélène, Héloïse, Joséphine,
Justine, Louise, Madeleine, Marianne, Marie,
Marie-Françoise, Marie-Hélène, Marie-Justine
Choose
your
nationality
and name for your fictional persona, and then write a short
description of your origins. What’s your family like? Who are
your friends and acquaintances? Why do you get up in the
morning?
The Benefits and Trials of Online Learning
Positives:
- You will learn to communicate quickly and effectively in
writing, a skill that is key for the modern workplace;
- Sometimes you can complete work at your own pace (although not
always: see Online FAQ on Blackboard);
- Learn new technologies and build confidence in learning new
tools;
- Less commuting to campus (and frustrations with traffic,
parking)
Negatives:
- Difficult for struggling students: It is very important that
you keep up with the work! Students who complete their work on
time seem to have very little problem adjusting to online
learning. Students who procrastinate and have a difficult time
keeping to a schedule, however, often fail to complete
coursework. So if you tend towards the latter, please consider
ways to become more diligent about deadlines this semester. I am
more than willing to talk to you about how to become a more
efficient learner.
* Another way we will combat the issue of keeping up is that
there will be no make ups of
missed online classes. The only way not to fall behind
is to keep moving forward!
- Difficulties in absorbing the material: Some students report
learning more during our live class days. It's very important to
participate in all activities I give you for our online class
meetings. Not only does incomplete participation count as an
absence, I feel you might not be learning all the knowledge I
aim to share with you.
- Technology: I am very understanding about any problems with
technology you might encounter. Just email me about what's going
on, and we will try to find a solution.
Why does Raskolnikov murder the pawnbroker and her sister?
FAMILIAL
First
born; treated especially well (see mother’s doting letter)
Pawns sister’s ring and sister’s watch
ECONOMIC
Murders
a usurer
Weapon (axe) evokes peasants, and the lower classes
PHILOSOPHICAL
Follows
ideas
of scientific rationalism
Scene w/students in the tavern: "Kill her, take her
money, on condition that you dedicate yourself with its help
to the service of humanity and the common good" (Dostoevsky
56); influence of Engl. Utilitarianism and French Utopianism
(see p.572)
Later:
Napoleon / Extraordinary Man theory
PSYCHOLOGICAL
His
name means schism, and he has "two separate
personalities" (182); one side is ruthless
(Nihilistic), while the other is more philanthropic (Utopian
Socialist).
Lives
in his own moral universe
"monomania" (175)
Raskolnikov's
"two separate personalities" (182)
Philanthropic, generous
Murderer
Utopian Socialist
Nihilist
Cares about humanity
hates everyone (misanthrope)
Highly intelligent
Not
always thinking lucidly
Dostoevsky's Question
throughout the novel: Who or what is criminal in society?
Mrs. Zarnitsyna's (183)
Mrs. Lippewechsel's
Raskolnikov and his
visitors: Razumikhin, Zosimov, mother (Pulkheria
Alexandrovna), sister (Dunya)
Marmeladov's family:
Katerina Ivanovna, Sonya, the kids
Luzhin and his ward Andrey Semënovich Lebezyatnikov
(125)
Review of 9/22:
Philosophical reason Raskolnikov commits murder
- One of 2 classes: Napoleon /
extraordinary man / Superman (Übermensch)
vs. the masses
2. Svidrigaylov/Raskolnikov
- murderers, haunted, disobey, generous and selfish at
the same time 3. Motifs to follow: - Lazarus (208, 216ff, 218, 221, 275)
- the man with the long robe? (148, 230-31, 249) Review of 9/27:
1. The Woman Question:
- Are women human like men? (J. S. Mill, The Subjection of Women,
1869); see Dostoevsky 94-5, 309
- Debated at the same time as Socialists were considering
life in communes, and the consequences of free love (Dostoevsky
318).
- Significance: Are the women in Crime and Punishment human like men?
2. Raskolnikov and Sonya
- Does she represent wisdom as her name implies?
- Why is he attracted to her?
- religious allusion: Mary Magdalene
3. Lazarus motif
- rebirth
- Raskolnikov's (ambivalent) faith
- To what extent might Raskolnikov resemble a Christ figure?
Lecture notes 9/29:
1. Are the women in Crime and
Punishment human
like men? *
(Debatable question)
- Women who are property: "'She's my property,' yelled
Mikolka, and with a might swing let the shaft fall. There was
a heavy thud" (Dostoevsky 49, Pt. I, Ch. V).
- Women who own property: Mrs. Zarnitsyna, Alëna
Ivanovna, Amalia Ivanovna Lippewechsel
- Afrosinyushka's attempt at suicide (Dostoevsky 145, Pt. II,
Ch. VI)
- Luzhin frames Sonya for theft in order to undermine
Raskolnikov's credibility (Dostoevsky 339, Pt. V, Ch. III).
- "I only killed a louse, Sonya, a useless, vile, pernicious
louse" (Dostoevsky 351, Pt. V, Ch. IV). See Svidrigaylov's
repetition of this term, p. 368 (Pt. V, Ch. V).
2. What makes the
extraordinary man superior to all others?
- Like Napoleon, he does not "shrink" from "monumental" deeds
even when they are sinful (Dostoevsky 350, Pt. V, Ch. IV).
- He has "the courage" to kill without remorse (Dosteovsky
353, Pt. V, Ch. IV).
- He is "capable of stepping over the barriers" that hinder
other men (Dosteovsky 354, Pt. V, Ch. IV).
3. Does Raskolnikov prove
himself to be extraordinary? * (Debatable question)
- He never used the profits from the murder to advance his
circumstances (Dostoevsky 351, Pt. V, Ch. IV).
- He has not been able to reclaim his identity since the
murder (Dosteovsky 352, Pt. V, Ch. IV).
- "I killed myself, not that old creature . . . but it was the
devil who killed the old hag, not I . . . " (Dosteovsky 354,
Pt. V, Ch. IV).
Dostoevsky as Drama:
What is the role of the narrator? To what extent does the
action depend (or not) on the narrative voice?
Review
Middle Class Identity
2. Narrative Structure of the novel: landlady's nephew;
Haller's first-person narration; (part of the
novel's pretense of realism in
parts); Treatise on the Steppenwolf
2. Why does the pursuit of knowledge hamper the imagination?
3. Is Hesse trying to go beyond dualism?
4. Why does Haller join the funeral march?
5. Why does Haller stop caring about things anymore in the
conversation with the professor?
6. What's the significance of him having tea with his
landlady?
Why does
Haller want to be the Steppenwolf?
- dissatisfaction with the bourgeois identity of middle-aged
Harry Haller (towards an edgier, scarier persona that is
divorced from the rest of society)
- Facets of Haller's identity, distorted mirror for the
protagonist's journey of the self (see also: Jane
Eyre/Bertha Mason)
- Women: mother/lover
- Pablo: Like Mephisto/Mephistopheles in Goethe's Faust, a
tempter and magician
Women in Steppenwolf: Gina
Consider: Does Haller need
women in order to be reborn? Is that what Raskolnikov
needed Sonya for?
Men in Steppenwolf: Ashley, Evan, Jillian, Kam, Lauren,
Mike, Nadya, Pam, Travis
Wiki: Doorways, Flowers, Narcotics (file under
Alchemy/Magic?), Water Review of 10/18
I. Discussion Topics:
- Magic Theater, Mozart, Immortals
- Why does Haller kill Hermine?
II. Journals:
Is Haller really concerned with distinctions between
"so-called reality" and fantasy (Hesse 215)? If his
experiences are, in fact, hallucinations, does that make
them any less important to his spiritual journey?
Conventional thinking: Our
experiences in the waking world are more valid than those we
have in the dreamworld. The two concepts are divided by a
vertical hierarchy:
waking world,
conscious thoughts, thinking
dreams,
hallucinations, messages from Beyond (ghosts)
Surrealism: Dreams
have just as much impact on the human psyche as experiences
in the waking world. The two spheres
share horizontal equality:
dreams,
hallucinations, messages from Beyond (ghosts)
waking world,
conscious thoughts, thinking
>> Therefore, readers should analyze (and take
seriously) actions in the fantasy world with as much care as
if they took place in "so-called reality" (Hesse 215).
Harry Haller's journey:
Who am I? A cultured European? A Steppenwolf? Either of
those? Any of those?
What do facets of Haller's identity, his multiple selves,
reveal about himself?
III. Emerging Qualities of the
Modern European Novel
- Open-ended
- Multiple narrative perspectives,
unreliable narrators
- Experimental use of space and time
- Skeptical about and apt to write
ironically about “sincerity” and “authenticity” in art
- Use of dream, trance, and fantasy to
express the ineffable (limits of language)
- Demands a critical eye/I from the reader
(and a good sense of humor)
- Subject matter: the construction of the
self, suicide, love and infidelity Review
1. Why is Josef K. arrested?
>> unclear, but probably for some moral crime or sin
that he may have yet to commit; the Law does not correspond to
civil law
2. In what ways does Josef K.
behave less than morally?
11: "Committing suicide . . . "
20: "a young woman named Elsa"
33: attack of Fr. B.
40: "he invented a carpenter named Lanz"
52: "back off or I'll hit you"
3. Significance of The Trial
- Complicity (shared responsibility for a crime)
- Mittäterschaft and fascism, which thrived because the
masses complied with dictators like Mussolini and Hitler
- Corruption and cruelty of the judicial system
Review
How is our
Law unjust?
- favors the rich
- cruel and bloody
- inflexible (difficult to appeal)
- about rules and not right
- time consuming
- morally ambiguous
- overly bureaucratic
In what ways is the Law in
Kafka even more unjust?
- no written rules
- bribery
- no justification for arrest
- soley dependent on lawyer
- no closure
- not speedy or fair
- higher authorities seem out of reach
How is the Law like (a)
religion?
- lawyer / priest / rabbi: need for an intermediary
- corruption
- violence
- everything is part of it
- not clear how you will be judged, or why
- the judges cannot be truly represented in painting
- brotherhood of the accused
Also discussed: Leni vs. other women in the novel, why he
fires his lawyer Review of Nadja Discussions
- Why does Breton need
Nadja in order to answer "Who is [Andre Breton]"? (11).
muse who helps him understand himself, gives him
material to write a novel, and considers him a "god"
(Breton 111)
access to the childlike, possibly insane,
mystical, and working-class joy of life (joie de vivre)
she offers
She embodies (Surrealist?) "hope" (Breton 66),
and seems like a "free genius" (111).
- Structure / Arc of the
Novel
He walks around Paris seeing objects juxtaposed
to his random thoughts, but he's not quite a believer in
the unseen/unproven/irrational (cf. dream on p. 50).
He meets Nadja but remains skeptical about her
clairvoyance ("red curtains" 83).
Nadja starts to seduce him with her premonitions
(restaurant 98).
How does this perspective shift in the final
part of the novel?
KI: "Could it be seen that in a way Tereza is part of Tomas'
Oedipal Complex?"
EL: Tereza's perversion
TK: "If Oedipus brings up the idea of incest, could the
relation between Tomas and Tereza be incestuous if they are
together as “one” becoming like a hermaphrodite together?"
What do you think a truly
modern idea of gender identity for men and women would be?
Journal Portfolios:
Share what you learned about close literary analysis; your
own strengths and weaknesses as a writer; and your favorite
journal (your own or other students').
Final Review:
a) How does the narrative style of Nadja compare to ULB?
b) How does Breton's use of Nadja compare to Kundera's use
of female characters in his novel?
c) What does Breton's stance towards Communism seem to be?
and Kundera's?
d) Explain your understanding of what Surrealism is, and
what purpose it serves in the two novels.
e) What role do animals play in Nadja?
How do you define the modern European
novel?
minimal plot development
not many characters
protagonists dissatisfied with life
function as social commentaries of the time
protagonists ask who they are
protagonists question value of the future
influenced by existentialist philosophies
male protagonist emphasize their individuality
in response to mass culture
experiments with traditional form (narrative
style)
a