Monday, September 29, 2008

eng 272: transcendentalism



walden pond, from wikipedia



This week we're reading some of the most critically acclaimed and famous American authors of the nineteenth century, and arguably of all American literary history. These writers are considered ground breaking, as well as key members of the American Renaissance because they established distinct American literary and philosophical traditions rooted in individual experience and a kind of Idealism. The Transcendentalist writers not only created philosophical, political prose pieces but also poetry and first person non-fiction narratives.

For an extended discussion of Transcendentalism, see the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. PBS includes a less technical discussion of Transcendentalism here

Emerson's landmark essay Nature, first published in 1833, is a challenging read. For help understanding his philosophical musings on the relationship between humans and Nature, check out the Cliff Notes.

You can also check out Professor Eric Steinhart's commentary on the text; he looks at specific sections of Nature through a philosophical approach. 

Emerson famously stated in an 1841 speech that transcendentalism "is Idealism," as it was defined at the time. How do we define Idealism today? Can we trace our understanding and definitions of Idealism back to Emerson?

Friday, September 26, 2008

eng 272: dr. j's quick writing tips

For any piece of writing, you should:

1. Consider your APPM (audience, purpose, persona, and message)
2. Err on the side of specificity rather than generality
3. Use concrete, vivid, specific language
4. Avoid empty words (got a lot, good bad, just, really, very...)
5. Use MLA format for your essay
6. Use MLA citation
7. Use quote sandwiches for ALL quotations
8. Begin with a clear, engaging intro: catchy opening, mention whatever text you're analyzing by full title and full author name, thesis statement
9. Create a specific, focuse thesis statement
10. End with a rather traditional conclusion

eng 272: william apess and the indian removal act of 1830


frontispiece from Apess' book Native of the Forest, 1831, from wikipedia

William Apess' impassioned "An Indian's Looking-Glass for the White Man," published in 1833, three years after the Indian Removal Act was passed by the United States Government. This act effectively removed most Native Americans living East of the Mississippi to designated lands West of the Mississippi.
Let's explore Apess writing in terms of his APPM (audience, purpose, persona, and message). Let's also read his work in the context of the Removal Act. Is Apess' argument effective? What does history tell us about this moment in time and its long-term ramifications for American culture?

Thursday, September 25, 2008

in the mood for love: everything you want to know about popular romance fiction

A Colloquium Presentation, Friday, September 26, 2008

What is Popular Romance Fiction?

Harlequins? Formula Fiction? Beach Reads?

How would you complete the following sentences?
a romance novel is...
a romance novel contains...
a romance plot is...


The Kiss, Gustav Klimt, 1907-1908
courtesy of wikipedia

The Romance Writers of America defines romance fiction as a work of fiction "with a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Popular romance novelist Jenny Crusie chronicles the arduous journey to develop this single sentence.

In her highly acclaimed critical book A Natural History of the Romance Novel, scholar Pamela Regis defines a romance novel as "a work of prose fiction that tells the story of the courtship and betrothal of one or more heroines" (22). She helpfully outlines the "eight essential elements" of romance fiction:
1. Defined Society
2. First Meeting
3. The Barrier
4. Attraction
5. Declaration of Feelings
6. Point of Ritual Death
7. Recognition of Beloved
8. Betrothal

Romance fiction can be further categorized by format and sub-genre. There are two main formats: Category and Single Title. As for sub-genre, one only need look in your local romance-friendly bookstore or at eHarlequin.com to see a great diversity in romance fiction.

The Swing, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 1767, courtesy of wikipedia

Romance fiction is immensely popular, as these statistics from the RWA illustrate. Crusie, who abdicated a PhD in English to write smart, sassy romance fiction, explains the appeal of this genre.

Serious critical reception of popular romance fiction has been virtually non-existent. Janice Radway's groundbreaking ethnographic study of a small group of romance readers, published in 1979, brought critical attention to the genre. However, much of the criticism, including Radway's, operated under us/them and high/low culture dichotomies that served to only "damn with faint praise" these contemporary works. Much of the criticism leveled at romance novels echoed earlier sentiments about women's fiction: it was dangerous because it was seen as escapist and about frivolous topics. Echoes of Nathaniel Hawthorne's derision of 19th century women authors as "the damned mob of scribbling women" can be heard in early romance criticism, not to mention early criticism of the novel genre itself back in the 18th century.

Since the late 1990s, a new generation of romance critics has attempted to approach romance fiction as a legitimate genre deserving serious consideration and criticism. Regis links popular romance fiction to a much larger tradition of romance writing, stretching back into the earliest of times. However, many scholars use Jane Austen as a clear point of connection for the familiar romance plot. I have argues for 18th century author Eliza Haywood as another early mother of the genre--her plots and characters and intrigues are more openly subversive and decidedly sexual in nature.

Romance novelists themselves are actively writing criticism on the genre; Crusie is one such author who bridges the gap between creative writing and criticism. And, various blogs and listservs and professional organizations serve to bring this genre the kind of attention it deserves.

For savvy readers looking for reviews and book suggestions, check out these popular blogs:

Where does my research fit into this? I usually study chick lit, considered by some romance scholars as a sub-genre and by others as a separate genre. And, I write chick lit too! I'll speak more about both of these in the presentation itself...





Wednesday, September 24, 2008

eng 272: phillis wheatley

frontispiece to Wheatley's poetry collection, Poems on Various Subjects, by Scipio Moorhead, courtesy of wikipedia, and in the public domain


Phillis Wheatley, according to acclaimed scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., "launched two traditions at once--the black American literary tradition and the black women's literary tradition. It is extraordinary that not just one but both of these traditions were founded simultaneously by a black woman--certainly an event unique in the history of literature--it is also ironic that this most important fact of common, coterminous literary origin seems to have escaped most scholars" (qtd. in The Norton Anthology of American Literature, shorter 7th edition 420).


Wheatley's legacy is huge--she started two important, intersecting traditions. She also challenged the idea that women's writing was strictly confined to domestic concerns.


Check out this PBS website on Wheatley and her writings.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

eng 272: salem witch trials


Cotton Mather, portrait by Peter Pelham, around 1700

The rest of this week, we're reading selections that deal with the infamous Salem Witch trials.


What exactly is the definition of a witch and/or witchcraft? Surprise--there's not just one definition.
Cotton Mather was a famous preacher in Boston, and much of his writing chronicles the history of the early Puritans. According to our anthology, the Norton Anthology of American Literature, shorter 7th edition, "He is often blamed for the Salem witchcraft trials...but he never actually attended one. His greatest crime was in not speaking out against those who he knew had exceeded the limits of authority. Mather saw the devil's presence in Salem as a final campaign to undermine and destroy religious community" (143). In the selections we're reading, Mather's stated goal is to chronicle the events as a historian rather than a theologian.


The woman in question is Martha Carrier. Examining her trial, as reported by Mather, in conjunction with bits of her biography, might help us question why she was accused of being a witch. Was it because she was an outspoken woman who questioned her place in the Puritan hierarchy? Was it because she was unjustly blamed for a smallpox outbreak? And, we might also ask why women in general were more likely to be accused of practicing witchcraft.


To see the progression of the witchcraft trials, check out this interactive website that shows the people involved over the entire month of March 1692. This website includes a variety of primary texts related to the trials. And this site includes useful narrative along with a timeline of events.

This National Geographic website includes a freaky interactive trial to simulate being part of the Salem witchcraft hunt and trial.

To plan a trip to modern day Salem, Massachusetts, look no further than the official tourist guide. Make sure to check out the Salem Witch Trial Memorial.


Tuesday, September 9, 2008

eng 272: will the real columbus please stand up?

posthumous portrait of CC by Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, 1520


"In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue," or so we learned in elementary school.

Check out this website made by elementary school kids--what vision of Columbus do they have?

Click through this cute cartoon at the BBC website, also geared towards children.

And here's a "history" website that gives a brief account of CC's voyages. How does this account compare to CC's letters in our Anthology?

On the other end of the spectrum, we find websites such as this, claiming that CC and his missions participated in genocide.

Here's the MSN Encarta account of CC, and here's the ever popular wikipedia.
Historian James Loewen notes that "When Columbus and his men returned to Haiti in 1493, they demanded food, gold, spun cotton--whatever the Indians had that they wanted, including sex with their women. To ensure cooperation, Columbus used punishment by example. When an Indian committed even a minor offense, the Spanish cut off his ears or nose. Disfigured, the person was sent back to his village as living evidence of the brutality the Spaniards were capable of" (Lies My Teacher Told Me 61).
Columbus' missions took on a religious zeal, as this excerpt from a letter he sent Isabella and Ferdinand in 1496: "In the name of the Holy Trinity, we can send from here all the slaves and brazil-wood which could be sold" (Loewen 62).
Loewen also cites population statistics: "Estimates of Haiti's pre-Columbian population range as high as 8,000,000 people...by 1555, they were all gone" (63). Loewen cites a letter by Pedro de Codoba to King F. (1517): "As a result of the sufferings and hard labor they endured, the Indians chose and have chosen suicide. Occassionally a hundred have committed mass suicide. The women, exhausted by labor, have shunned conception and childbirth...Many, when pregnant, have taken something to abort and have aborted. Others after delivery have killed their children with their own hands, so as not to leave them in such oppressive slavery" (63).
How do all of these diverse texts compare to CC's own words? Why do some of the stories overlook CC's ethnocentrism, enslavement of "Natives" and sexploits? And, why overlook CC's despair about being "alone" in a strange land that we read in the excerpt from our anthology?
How does the whole of "American" history, and, more importantly for our class, literature, shift when we account for the darker truths of Columbus and the first European contact?

Monday, September 1, 2008

happy back to school!

Welcome (back) to my blog! I'm excited to start a new school year full of possibilities for discovery, greatness, insights, and fun. 

This summer I redesigned all of my classes to match our campus theme, Blue Devils Go Green! I'm so happy that we're going to approach green issues on our campus and especially in our classes. In my classes you can look forward to eco-themed readings, green research projects, and some experiential lessons (think haiku walks and Thoreauvian exercises in simplicity).

This year we're also starting a multi-cultural student club, the UW-Manty Multi-Cultis, to celebrate the cultures on our campus and learn more about world cultures. 

And, because I've been giving green eating some thought over the summer, I've worked with a group of folks on campus to plan the Port Cities Locavore Challenge. Sign up, pledge to eat locally grown/produced foods, and join the fun. The challenge runs from September 15-30, and will include some fun campus events. 

And, if you're interested in supporting a more veggie friendly campus and you're on facebook, join the group UW Manitowoc Veggie Friends. 

One more invitation: If you'd like to chat more with me, I'm devoting Wednesdays from noon to 1:00 pm to lunch with students. Email me or just stop by my table in the Commons (or the Patio if it's nice out!) and pull up a chair. 

As always, the chocolate bowl in my office is full!

Welcome!