170b

English 170--Middle Age Crazy: Carver, Beattie and Updike

Room: CLA 205 Time: MWF 9-9:50 a.m.

Instructor: James Plath Office: CLA 143 Phone: 556-3352

Hours: 10-11 a.m. MWF, and by appt. URL: http://sun.iwu.edu/~jplath

Email: jplath@iwu.edu

Required Texts: Where I'm Calling From (Raymond Carver); The New Yorker Stories (Ann Beattie); The Maples Stories (John Updike)

Course Goals: To introduce students to literary analysis and criticism; to discuss and explore issues raised in the fiction, many of which can be linked to mid-life crises . . . or simply mid life. Students are warned that some of the material has sexually explicit language and descriptions. Anyone who has a problem with that would be advised to find another course.

Course Requirements:

To attend class regularly. More than THREE unexcused absences will affect your grade.
To faithfully read all assignments and contribute to class discussions.
To complete a 1 page response paper for each reading assignment and as additionally assigned.
To write two formal essays, 4-6 pages in length.
To take a cumulative final exam--essay style. Note: Students have the option of writing a third formal essay instead of taking the final.

Grades Determined on the Following Basis:

Class participation (attendance, discussion, response papers)------------25 percent
Two formal essays (25 percent each)-----------------------------------------50 percent
Final exam (or third formal essay)--------------------------------------------25 percent

Tentative Calendar:

Week 1 (-, Jan 8, 10) Carver: Read "They're Not Your Husband" for Aug 24, "Fat" for Jan 8, "Neighbors" for Jan 10

Week 2 (Jan 13, 15, 17) Read "Put Yourself in My Shoes" for Jan 13, "Gazebo," and "One More Thing" for Jan 15, "A Serious Talk" and "Mr. Coffee and Mr. Fixit" for Jan 17

Week 3 (Jan 20, 22, 24) Read "Why Don't You Dance" for Jan 20, "What We Talk About . . ." for Jan 22, "So Much Water So Close to Home" for Jan 24

Week 4 (Jan 27, 29, 31) Read "Chef's House" for Jan 27, "Where I'm Calling From" for Jan 29, "Feathers" for Jan 31

Week 5 (Feb 3, 5, 7) Read "Cathedral" for Feb 3; Beattie: Read "Weekend" and "Coney Island" for Feb 5, "Tuesday Night" and "Shifting" for Feb 7

Week 6 (Feb 10, 12, 14) Read "The Lawn Party" for Feb 10, "Secrets and Surprises" for Feb 12, "Distant Music" for Feb 14

Week 7 (Feb 17, 19, 21) Read "A Vintage Thunderbird" and "Lofty" for Feb 17, "Heaven on a Summer Night" and "In the White Night" for Feb 19, and "The Burning House" and "Girl Talk" for Feb 21

Week 8 (Feb 24, 26, 28) Read "Summer People" for Feb 2, "Janus" and "Skeletons" for Feb 26 and "Where You'll Find Me" and "Horatio's Trick" for Feb 28

Week 9 (Mar 2, 4, 6) Read "Where You'll Find Me" and "Horatio's Trick" for Mar 2, "The Rabbit Hole As a Likely Explanation" for Mar 4; Updike: Read "Snowing in Greenwich Village" for Mar 6; First paper due Mar 6

Week 10 (Mar 9, 11, 13)--SPRING BREAK

Week 11 (Mar 16, 18, 20) Read "Wife-Wooing" and "Giving Blood" for Mar 16, "Twin Beds in Rome" for Mar 18, "Marching through Boston" for Mar 20

Week 12 (Mar 23, 25, 27) Read "The Taste of Metal" for Mar 23, "Your Lover Just Called" for Mar 25, "Waiting Up" for Mar 27

Week 13 (Mar 30, Apr 1, 3) Read "Eros Rampant" for Mar 30, "Plumbing" for Apr 1, "The Red-Herring Theory" for Apr 3; Second paper due Apr 3

Week 14 (Apr 6, 8, 10) Read "Sublimating" for Apr 6, "Nakedness" for Apr 8, "Separating" for Apr 10

Week 15 (Apr 13, 15, 17) Read "Gesturing" for Apr 13, "Divorcing: A Fragment" for Apr 15, and "Here Come the Maples" for Apr 17

Week 16 (Apr 20, 22, -) Read "Grandparenting" for Apr 20; wrap-up

FINAL EXAM: Monday, Apr 27, 1:15-3:15. Students can opt-out by doing a third paper instead.

Plath Country