Bishop's University COURSE OUTLINE Eng. 111 Canadian Short story Fall 2005

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1 Bishop's University COURSE OUTLINE Eng. 111 Canadian Short story Fall 2005 Instructor: Catherine Campbell This course will be a basic introduction to Canadian literature from the early 18th century to the present and some of the cultural and theoretical issues involved. The process of literature. ie. how the reader s perception and understanding are moved from one point to another (development of mood, character, theme, etc.). This will be achieved through close, active reading of various Canadian short stories, short lectures, and especially in-class group workshops and discussions. Some of the questions we will explore during this course are: What makes a Canadian story Canadian? How does one write a Canadian story? Is it possible to create a unified national identity without creating camps of us and them? Evaluation: Written assignments (2) 15% Mid-term tests (2) 15% Final essay 20% Final exam 20% Workshops / participation 30% Required text: Ondaatje, Michael. From Ink Lake Course pack available at Book Store Recommended text: MLA Handbook Week One -- Sept. 13 Introduction READING SCHEDULE Eng. 111 Canadian Short Story David Adams Richards Dane

2 Week Two Sept. 20 Our History Colonialism Frances Brook from The History of Emily Montague Letters 1, 10, 11, 49, 80, 123, 127, 131, and 169. Susanna Moodie Brian the Still Hunter Week Three Sept 27 Our History Portrait of the Artist Joe Rosenblatt Mordecai Richler The Lake Some Grist for Mervin s Mill Week Four -- Oct. 4 Our History A Canadian Identity Thomas Haliburton Stephen Leacock Morley Callahan TEST The Trotting Horse The Clockmaker The Whirlwind Campaign in Mariposa Now That April s Here Week Six -- Oct. 18 Our History Post Colonialism Robert Kroetsch Margaret Atwood ESSAY DUE That Yellow Prairie Sky Death by Landscape Week Seven Oct 25 Mystery / Science Fiction P. K. Page Unless the Eye Catch Fire Timothy Findley Dreams Week Eight Nov. 1 Mythology or Legend Buhkwujjenene Ella Elizabeth Clark Alistair MacLeod Rudy Wiebe * Nanaboozhoo Creates the World * Coyote and the Salmon As Birds Bring Forth the Sun The Naming of Albert Johnson

3 Week Nine Nov. 8 Memories - Coming of Age Raymond Knister Joyce Marshall TEST The First Day of Spring The Accident Week Ten Nov. 15 Memory and Postmodernism Alice Munroe Carol Sheilds Miles City, Montana Scenes Week Eleven Nov. 22 Postmodernism Brian Fawcett George Bowering 2 nd ESSAY DUE Malcolm Lowry and the Trojan Horse Bring Forth a Wonder Week Twelve Nov. 29 Relationships / Identity Dionne Brand Alastair Macleod Photograph The Closing Down of Summer Week Thirteen Dec. 6 Multiculturalism Other Voices Joy Kogawa Bharati Mukherjee FINAL ESSAY DUE from Obasan The Management of Grief Noticing, Exploring and Integrating or The What, Why, and So What of Literature The process of literature is simply the fact that a reader starts with his/her mind, beliefs, understanding in one place, and through reading (or listening), these things are moved to another place.. We might believe a character to be honest, and in one simple line, he/she tells a lie that brings us to another understanding. Noticing the What of literature.

4 How is language being used in a specific sentence or paragraph? Does the narrator suddenly change tense or point of view? Does the wording evoke a comparison between here and there then and now? Exploring the Why of literature. What reason might the author have for using this language? Does this help to create atmosphere? Does it help to develop a character? Integrating the So What of literature What is the relevance of this small part to the work as a whole? Does it introduce or accentuate the theme? Does it make a social or moral statement? Does it explain character motivation? For written assignments a fourth category is needed. This is Presentation. This simply refers to the formal essay style. Group Workshop Information Everybody is to prepare for group work by reading the assigned works and also writing down his or her initial impressions of each work. This does not have to be lengthy. Four or five sentences is enough. Nor does it have to be complicated. Simply record any comments, observations and / or questions that come to mind while you are reading. The idea is to have a basic starting ground for group discussions when you come to class. Students who are unprepared for discussion will lose one point. Each group will include five people. The various jobs within the group should be assigned by the group on a rotating basis. The points for this activity are not equal for each job. In order to receive full points for the workshops, each member must perform each job three times. Taking extra turns at jobs with higher points will not result in extra marks. The maximum number of points is 45. The jobs are as follows: Reporter: (5 points). Reports the group s findings to the rest of the class. Recorder: (4 points), Takes notes on the group s discussion to be given to the reporter and handed in at the end of class. Facilitator: (3 points). Responsible for keeping the discussion on track. Monitor: (2 points). Fills in Group Worksheet also to be handed in at the end of class - and checks that all members are prepared.

5 Wildcard: (I point). Takes part in the discussion and takes the place of any absent member of the group. The 1 st week is a trial. You will not be marked for this workshop. For the 2 nd week, you should organize into permanent groups for the sake of consistent marking. BIBLIOGRAPHY Atwood, Margaret. Death by Landscape. Wilderness Tips. Toronto. McClelland & Stewart Inc Buhkwujjenene. Nanaboozhoo Creates the World Canadian Short Fiction: From Myth to Modern. Ed W. H. New. Scarborough, Ont. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc Brooke, Frances. The History of Emily Montague Callahan, Morley. Now That April s Here. An Anthology of Canadian Literature in English. Eds. Russell Brown and Donna Bennett. Toronto. Oxford University Press Clark, Ella Elizabeth. Coyote and the Salmon. Canadian Short Fiction: From Myth to Modern. Ed. W. H. New. Scarborough, Ont. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc Fawcett, Brian. Malcolm Lowry and the Trojan Horse. Likely Stories: A Postmodern Sampler. Eds. George Bowering and Linda Hutcheon. Toronto. Coach House Press Haliburton, Thomas Chandler. The Trotting Horse, The Clockmaker. The Clockmaker. Knister, Raymond. The First Day of Spring. Canadian Short Fiction: From Myth to Modern. Ed. W. H. New. Scarborough, Ont. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc Kroetsch, Robert. That Yellow Prairie Sky. Creation. Ed. Robert Kroetsch. Toronto. New Press Leacock, Stephen. The Whirlwind Campaign in Mariposa Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. Moodie, Susanna. Brian the Still Hunter. Roughing it in the Bush. Page, P. K. Unless the Eye Catch Fire. Canadian Short Fiction: From Myth to Modern. Ed. W. H. New. Scarborough, Ont. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc Richards, David Adams. Dane. Canadian Short Fiction: From Myth to Modern. Ed. W. H. New. Scarborough, Ont. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc