ETS 153 Interpretation of Fiction: American Melodrama
In this course, we will study the narrative and generic conventions of melodrama in 20th century American fiction, film and pop culture. Our focus will be on the racial melodramas that have preoccupied American culture since Stowe galvanized her readers against slavery with Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Reading selections from literary criticism, literary theory and film studies alongside novels and non-fiction will help us develop a working definition of melodrama. We will then use this definition to study melodrama’s transmutations through history and in varied media. In so doing, we will ask what melodrama, as a genre, has to do with American Culture, especially how it addresses and uses issues of race.
Some of the questions we will address together include:
What does it mean to read melodramatically? What strategies does melodramatic interpretation require? What does a melodramatic lens privilege? How can reading melodramatically challenge the dismissal of “low-brow” cultural forms? What happens when the melodramatic is translated from page to screen? How can reading melodramatically highlight the problematic and oppressive racial, gender and class politics still at work today? How prevalent are racial melodramas today?
Required
Texts
1. Fannie Hurst Imitation of Life (IOL)
2. Stephen King Different Seasons (DS)
3. Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM)
4. Harriet Beecher Stowe Uncle Tom’s Cabin (UTC)
5. Alice Walker The Color Purple (TCP)
6. Linda Williams Playing the Race Card: Melodrama of Black and
White from Uncle Tom to O. J. Simpson (PRC)
7. Course Reader # 1048. Abbreviated as R in the syllabus.
Books are available at Follett’s Orange bookstore in Marshall Mall. The course reader is available at Campus Copy Center in Marshall Mall.
Screenings
The
films to be studied are listed on the syllabus and will be shown on
Wednesday nights. These screenings are required and comprise the content
of the course just as much as the reading does.
You will need to take notes at the screenings for specific reference in class discussion, formal papers and the final exam. Do not try to write a transcription of the film. Instead, keep brief notes of the characters’ names, settings, events in the plot and notable quotations, so that you develop the habit of thinking about film with specificity. As a starting point, keep track of repeated elements, of surprises, key scenes and, because we are watching melodrama, especially your initial emotional and intellectual responses to them. Also, as you watch, keep in mind where we are in the syllabus and where we are going since the syllabus is designed to begin making connections flow from week to week , and from text to text. It is important to relate the different screenings to each other, and to begin to understand how they complement and/or challenge each other.
Note: Important information (cast lists, dates, production info) about films is available at www.imdb.com. The screenings are held in a darkened room, so you should get in the habit of bringing a pocket flashlight or LED pen with you.
Class Participation
The format of the course will rely primarily on class discussions of the
reading assignments (in conjunction the screenings when applicable).
Accordingly, 20% of your course grade will be a participation grade
which evaluates your sustained participation in class.
In preparation for discussion, all the readings and screenings listed on the syllabus are required and each assignment must be completed by the date listed. Attendance does not equal participation. Come to class prepared to establish connections between the readings and critical material. It is important that you read the text closely (I will show you how to do this in the second week of class) so that, as a class, you can develop a comprehensive understanding of the text.
NOTE: If you miss a class, you are responsible for work assigned, and you should contact a classmate to find out what you missed. Do not e-mail me to find out what you missed.
Groups
In the first week
of class, you will be divided into five groups.
Your group will be responsible for performing a close reading of chapters of a novel.
Your group number will determine two things:
1) Which day you will help me lead class discussion about the chapters/film.2) Which day your passage analysis is due.
This is not a group project. You are not required to work as a group; instead, your group number will determine which day you are responsible for certain chapters.
On your group day, you must be able to: raise questions about the reading, summarize what happened, struggle with the novel, figure out the importance of the section to the whole of what you have read and establish connections for your classmates.
| Formal Assignments | |
| Chapter Analysis................... | 20% |
| Page to Screen Analysis......... | 20% |
| Final Paper........................... | 20% |
| Final Exam........................... | 20% |
| Participation......................... | 20% |
Special
Needs and Situations
Students
who need special consideration because of any sort of disability or
situation must make an appointment to see me. Please be aware the letters
from Student Services are not retroactive. In order to receive accommodations
you must inform me before the assignment is due or the exam is taken.
Plagiarism
Please
see the university handbook for the policy on plagiarism. Plagiarism
is a serious academic offence. Consequences include a 0 in the course,
can include expulsion and will definitely entail a very uncomfortable
phone call to your parents.
If you are unsure if what you are doing is plagiarism, ask me.
Use
of Student Writing
It
is understood that registration for and continued enrollment in this
course constitutes permission by the student for the instructor to use
any student work constructed as a result of said enrollment in course
and/or handed in to me.
Format
of Work
Anything
handed in must be word-processed, double-spaced, and follow proper MLA
format as outlined in the MLA handbook. This includes one inch margins,
Times New Roman font in 12 point, proper pagination and a creative and
informative title.
Late
Work Policy
Work
is due at the beginning of class on the specified due date. You will
be penalized 10% per day for every day that it is late (weekends included).
Writing
Consultants
Writing
Consultants are available in the Writing Center on an appointment and
drop-in basis for assistance with any stage of your writing. I strongly
recommend you visit the writing
center for your major papers.
Cell Phone Policy