ENLT 206: Coming of Age



Student Introduction:

Interview your neighbors and be ready to report someone else’s:
-    name
-    major
-    favorite travels



Introduction to World Literature


What is the “coming of age” experience after 1945, which marked the end of several global atrocities (the Atom Bomb, the Holocaust) and the beginning of new revolutions for individuals, communities, and nations? How does fiction from East and West represent these changes? In this introduction to World Literature course, we will read books in pairs (from a Western and non-Western perspective) on the aftermath of World War II; the postcolonial experience and the revolutions of the 1960s; and magical realism. Literature from Africa, Europe, East Asia, and South America--including a few Nobel Prize winners, Kenzaburo Oe, Pablo Neruda, and Gabriel García Márquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude)—will help students appreciate the way literature reflects and shapes global issues.  


1c (other literature); 3: genre (fiction); 4a (multinational); 4e (women writers); GER 1983/2002: F1 (World Literature)


UNIT I: Post-WWII (the Atom Bomb)


1.    Oe

2.    Duras


UNIT II: Postcolonial / Gender


3.    Ba


4.    Churchill


UNIT III: Magical Realism


5.    Marquez


6.    Murakami



Requirements:


# Participation, attendance, and discussion questions--25%

# Midterm Exam--25%

# Formal Writing Project--25%

# Final Exam--25%


Course Objectives:


Satisfies--1c (other literature); 3: genre (fiction); 4a (multinational); 4e (women writers); GER 1983/2002: F1 (World Literature)


-    to appreciate the interconnectedness of 20th-century world literature

-    to deepen knowledge about global politics and culture and their centrality in literature

-    to learn to analyze literary elements in short stories, novels, and dramas

- to consider any differences and similarities between the way male and female writers represent experiences

-    to synthesize writers’ representation of difference, or the relationship between East and West, woman and man, black and white


Coming of Age:


Dictionary definitions: 1) reaching maturity, respectability, or prominence; 2) losing one's virginity; also written coming-of-age

Examples of coming-of-age stories: Usually found in young adult literature (Fairy tales, Catcher in the Rye, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Their Eyes Were Watching God)

Main question we address:

In what ways does the coming-of-age story depict the unspeakable 

of countries’ struggles to mature in the post-WWII era?


Review of L. 1

Course Objectives:


Satisfies--1c (other literature); 3: genre (fiction); 4a (multinational); 4e (women writers); GER 1983/2002: F1 (World Literature)


-    to appreciate the interconnectedness of 20th-century world literature

-    to deepen knowledge about global politics and culture and their centrality in literature

-    to learn to analyze literary elements in short stories, novels, and dramas

- to consider any differences and similarities between the way male and female writers represent experiences

-    to synthesize writers’ representation of difference, or the relationship between East and West, woman and man, black and white



Paul Celan, "Death Fugue," and future reading/writing assignments:

In what ways does the coming-of-age story depict the unspeakable 

of countries’ struggles to mature in the post-WWII era?



Skills students will sharpen over semester:


- Deductive reasoning

- Becoming producers, not just consumers, of knowledge


L. 2: to learn some techniques of dissecting text using literary analysis


Groups 1-2: What does the recurring motif of paper mean? (30, 31, 34)


Groups 3-4: What does the “crazy iris mean”?


Group 5 / Bonus Question: Why do Paul Celan’s poem, “Death Fugue,” and “The Crazy Iris” both focus on ash? What are the literal and symbolic meanings of ash?
REVIEW of L. 3

Your Questions:

1.    Does “love” play a factor in this story? How do you describe his sexuality?
2.    On p. 68: Since this is Oyamada’s “coming of age,” is the destruction of everything around him considered irony?
3.    Why doesn’t the narrator think of his family until the end of the story? Why does Oyamada get concerned about his aunt at the end of the story?
4.    What role does “God” play in “Human Ashes”?
5.    What role does conformity play in the story?
6.    White smoke / white ashes?
7.    What does his dream signify (84)?

Last Week:

- Introduction to Literary Analysis: Symbols, Motifs, Narrative Structure, Narrative Voice

- “The Crazy Iris” by Masuji Ibuse (narrator = Masu)


- “Human Ashes” by Katsuzo Oda (narrator = Oyamada)
>> How do any of these details impact your reading of the short story in question?

Sample Midterm Questions:

Goal of ENLT 206: World Literature—Coming of Age:

- to understand and appreciate the interconnected nature of world literatures
- In what ways does a combined Western/non-Western perspective change the way we read and understand cultural, political, and literary issues? (ENLT 207: World Literature—Tradition and Challenge covers differences in Western/non-Western literature.)
- to develop sophisticated approaches to reading world literature, both individually and as a genre

1) In his introduction to The Crazy Iris, editor Kenzaburo Oe writes that his “anthology of A-bomb short stories is an effort to make the original A-Bomb experiences a part of the shared experiences of peoples throughout the world” (10). In what specific ways does a short story we read succeed in this endeavor? Why or why not? What hurdles must the Western reader overcome to make the A-Bomb truly a “shared” experience (e.g., language barrier, cultural differences, narrative techniques such as realism and detachment, etc.)?

2) Compare two narratives about the A-Bomb. What are their common traits? What do their differences suggest?

3) Why do love and sexuality intersect with narratives centering on destruction? What do coming of age stories offer writers and readers of the A-Bomb?

4) How do male Japanese writers (Ibuse and Oda) narrate their experiences with the A-Bomb differently than female writers (Sata and Hayashi)? Is the experience of the A-Bomb “gendered”?

5) How does reading “Human Ashes” from a modern Western perspective influence its impact? The volunteer to whom Oyamada speaks calls the bombing “the tyranny of human beings who had no fear of God” (78); many victims believe that the rain is an American gasoline attack (75). How can a Western audience explain or justify the atomic bomb when confronted with this point of view?

Review of L. 4


Differences between male and female writers of the A-Bomb

Male Writers

Female Writers

Events-centered

Narrators have names, identities

Sexuality part of story (coming of age story)

Immediate composition, childish perspective

Solo narrators

Emotions not events-centered

Anonymous narrators

Past coming of age in pubescent sense: emotional growth

Postponed composition / mature perspective

Community of friends and stories

Review of L. 5

-    Renais = documentary filmmaker

-    Duras = famous French playwright born in Indonesia

-    Allegory = story told through pictures in order to convey a moral (blind justice holding scales)

-    Hiroshima My Love = an allegory for the impossibility of understanding catastrophes like the A-Bomb

-    Woman (Riva) attempts to reconcile her shameful past with the West’s shame in dropping the bomb by having a love affair with a Japanese architect


Review of L. 6


1. In Part IV: Why are they speaking as if “he” is there? Why is he interchangeable with the German? Why does she refer to him as Hiroshima?

How does the theme of remembrance effect the present?

2. Why are they telling each other stories?

3. What is the meaning of the sexual explosion/A-Bomb explosion? What does “love” mean in this screenplay? Is this a story about love or loneliness? Is the screenplay more about love and desire or the suffering of war? 

4. Does the screenplay have the same effect as the film? 

5. Does it change our viewpoint that we know Riva’s name?


Review of L. 7

Mireille

Ousmane

Respect for elders

20: love more important


27: selfish

Respects parents more than anything


Sefless

Community and tradition

from the bourgeois elite


vs. tradition

from the urban poor


protects traditions


Review of L. 11


1. Anti-Aristotelian Drama: vs. unity of time, place, and plot; postmodern in character

2. Victorian Age


-1837-1901

- woman as wife and mother; division between public (male) and private (female) life; patriarchy

- ostensibly: family values and “empire”

- children raised by nannies


3. Colonialism / Gender Relations

- Clive’s family views natives as the enemy (Mireile’s father)

- Women’s bodies are colonized in a fashion (Mrs. Saunders, Betty) and are mere puppets (Victoria)

- Joshua really has not choice but to go in the barn with Harry (who explores more than just the Continent)

Review of L. 12


1. Does Clive really get shot?


2. Why does Edward try to defend his masculinity in the ball-catching scene but not the doll one? What is Churchill trying to say about why his sexuality comes about?


>> How does the sex scene between Clive and Mrs. Saunders explain the sexual politics of the Victorian era?


3. On p. 36 in Act I, Joshua mentions creation stories. What’s the importance of this?


4. Why doesn’t Clive blame Betty for her ‘infidelity’?

5. What’s the significance of all the songs?


6. What does Act II have to do with colonialism? How are colonialism and homosexuality alike? In what ways do gender relations parallel colonialism?


>>> Why is Betty played by a woman in Act II?

Other student questions not yet addressed:


-    What is the significance of the game ‘hide and seek’ the characters play in scene 2? (Elizabeth)


-    Does colonization contribute to the characters’ sexuality? Would they behave this way if they were not in a foreign land and away from home (Elizabeth)?


-    Why does Joshua slice open Victoria’s doll? (Amanda)


-    How does each character’s struggle with his or her identity and refusal to accept his or her identity (esp. Joshua, Betty, Edward) relate to colonialism? (Jessica N.)

Study Questions for Midterm (R 10/24):


Part I = 50 points: Identification of Quotes (See Blackboard: Assignments)

Bâ, Scarlet Song
Celan, “Death Fugue”
Duras, Hiroshima mon Amour
Hayashi,  “The Empty Can”
Ibuse, “The Crazy Iris”
Oda, “Human Ashes” 
Oe, “Introduction” to Crazy Iris
Sata, “Colorless Paintings”

Part II = 50 points: Short Essay Response


-    Write about one Western, one non-Western work

-    Western: Duras, Churchill

-    Non-Western: authors from The Crazy Iris, Bâ


Questions to consider:


-    How do these works respond to a similar “coming of age” issue (the Holocaust, Atom Bomb, postcolonialism, feminism) in different ways?


-    What do non-Western authors attempt to teach Western readers? What morals and values does post-1945 world literature teach us?


-    What are common (or disparate) features of women’s writing?


-    Be prepared to make clear interpretive points about each work such as: a) its value to Western readers in terms of post-1945 political issues; b) its use of symbols, motifs, and other literary elements to impact a reader’s response.  


Evaluation:


-    clarity of purpose and focus (interpretation)

-    ability to succinctly state main point(s) gleaned from the reading

-     sophistication of literary analysis

-    understanding of world politics after 1945 and their relation to literature

In-class Review:

How do you define and understand these terms? In addition to a definition, give examples from the books we have read.

1) coming of age

2) feminism

3) postcolonialism

4) Atomic bomb (nuclear proliferation)

5) Holocaust

Bâ, Scarlet Song
Celan, “Death Fugue”
Duras, Hiroshima mon Amour
Hayashi,  “The Empty Can”
Ibuse, “The Crazy Iris”
Oda, “Human Ashes” 
Oe, “Introduction” to Crazy Iris
Sata, “Colorless Paintings”









Review of L. 15-16


-    One Hundred Years:


•    Circular (as opposed to linear) time frame of narrative

•    Genre: novel; epic family romance; fantasy/supernatural

•    3 generations of José Aracadio/Aureliano Buendías


-    Solitude:


•    not necessarily a negative mode (but can be)

•    Macondo established in obscurity in order to leave behind the memory of murder.

•    Solitude = detachment from outside reality


•    Moments of magical realism / solitude: the “plague of insomnia”

•    What underlying emotions / taboos do these events attempt to communicate?


The Writing Portfolio Project helps to answer many questions about Marquez’s text that are not easily answered, such as: What is magical realism? How does the world of Macondo resemble (or not) Latin and South American experiences? What perspectives do literary critics provide about this intriguing novel?


-    Oral component graded on a Pass / Not Pass basis

-    Minus 20 points off of Writing Portfolio if you don’t do it

-    Adds points to your participation if you do it well

-    Group production suggested in order to ease the stress of oral presentation and in order to learn collaborative teamwork skills

-    A way to provide a paper trail for your Writing Portfolio (e.g. danger of plagiarism)

-    Share a unique perspective of Marquez’s work with classmates

-    Present information about an aspect of One Hundred Years of Solitude in a meaningful way

-    You can also do a ‘provocation’ of group discussion: write a one-page interpretation of the work (from the perspective of your research topic) and solicit students’ opinions and responses


Carol Nurse


•    Reference 655-4291

•    Circulation 655-4288


Reference / 1st floor:


-    Look under Garcia Marquez, not Marquez!

-    World Literature and Its Times (PQ 7081 .M625 1999)

-    Hispanic Writers

-    Latin American Literature in the 20th Century (PQ 7081 .L36 1986)

-    Latin American Writers

-    Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature (PQ 7081 .A1 E53)

-    Concise Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature (PQ 7081 .A1 C66 2000)


Searching for books:


-    Catalogue browse

-    JSTOR advanced search: all of these [solitude]; exact [ggm]; article only

-    Project Muse : all fields except text

-    Country Watch (Colombia)

Party Game—

Play 20 questions to find out which character you are (yes or no answers only). You are only allowed to ask point-blank if you are a certain character 3 times. Sit down when you find out your identity and prepare to tell the class 3 important facts about your character and ways to identify this character in the text. The purpose of this exercise is to help familiarize you with different names and stories in the novel.

Sample Questions:
-    Am I a Buendía?

- Was I born in the Buendía household?
-    Am I still alive?
-    Am I a man?
-    Do I still live in Macondo?

There may be more than one of these characters on the floor at the same time:

José Arcadio Buendía (Sr.)

Melquíades

Úrsula Iguarán

Aureliano Buendía

Rebeca

José Arcadio (Jr.)

Macondo

Pilar Tenera

Amaranta

Arcadio

Remedios

Pietro Crespi

Amparo


Father Nicanor

Review of L. 19-20:


Question to think about for final: In what ways does Garcia Marquez suggest that colonialism affected Colombia?


-    synonyms for colonialism: imperialism, settling, (global) capitalism

-    conquistadores (Sir Francis Drake, skeleton)

-    lost Indian language and royalty

-    the banana company


Similarity between Colombia’s civil war and incest:


-    both between relatives

-    both an abomination


CIVIL WAR // INCEST


“’Can a person marry his own aunt?’ [Aureliano José] asked, startled.


’He not only can do that,’ a soldier answered him, ‘but we’re fighting this war against the priests so that a person can marry his own mother’” (García Márquez 163).


“’It’s the same as if you’d been born with the tail of a pig’” (García Márquez 184).


Works Cited


García Márquez, Gabriel. One Hundred Years of Solitude. New York: Perennial, 1998.


>> Cite material when:


-    you include four or more words (or key phrases not of your making) from another author


-    you include ‘uncommon’ knowledge


Interpretive Questions

1: Who or what does Fernanda del Carpio represent? (224-28, 271-72, 277)


2: What do Remedios the Beauty, the banana plantation, and Fernanda have in common in the second half of the book? (244-55)



>> Writing Exercise : Write an obituary for José Arcadio Buendía, Sr. or Colonel Aureliano Buendía for the Macondo Times or for the Church newsletter.