Academic Writing and Literary Theory

doc. Blanka Knotková-Čapková, PhDr., Ph.D.

Mgr. et Mgr. Tereza Jiroutová Kynčlová, Ph.D.

FAIR ACADEMIC CONDUCT: Failure to acknowledge and properly reference sources of any kind used in assignments, papers and/or presentations is a breach to academic integrity and ethics. At all times, avoid plagiarism of any sort as it is a disciplinary offence and – upon the Faculty of Humanities Disciplinary Committee ruling – may result in termination of study. Presenting some else’s work or ideas as your own and failure to provide credits, acknowledgement, and references to all relevant sources falls under the definition of plagiarism. Should you experience uncertainty about correct ways of quoting and referencing, consult any citation manual and feel free to contact your teachers for advice. We are ready to help you. Also, be advised that the necessity to reference other people’s work and ideas applies equally to published texts (journals, books, articles, newspapers etc.) as well as unpublished texts (lectures, presentations, seminars, student papers, diploma theses etc.). Further, other forms of conveying information besides text are also subject to crediting and referencing, such as video material, audio material, computer code, photographs, graphs, illustrations, sheet music, web sites etc.

AIMS: The aim of the course is to familiarize students with feminist views on literary theory, means of feminist literary criticism, language as a means of representation, and relevant examples of feminist literary schools. The course will sensitize students to gender as an analytical tool of literary analysis and teach them how to dissect literary texts employing gender and feminist theories.

ALL REQUIRED READINGS ARE UPLOADED ON THE SIS. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE OTHER READINGS OF INTEREST. ENJOY EXPLORING!

SESSIONS:

Oct 7 / Introduction. Gender as an analytical tool in literary studies. Critical concepts: interpretation, feminism, literature, representation. A gender-informed analysis of a short story.

For Oct 14 session read the following: Pam Morris, Literature and Feminism, pg.11-90 + Barthes's and Showalter's essays - to be found in Twentieth Century Literary Theory + Fetterly's Introduction on the Politics of Literature.

Oct 14 / Feminist literary theory and the development of modern literary theory. Fair academic conduct. Literary cannon, representation of women in literature. Literature and politics. Judith Fetterly, Roland Barthes. Feminine, feminist and female writing. Elaine Showalter.

For Oct 21 read Ponce's short story "The Jewelry Collection of Martha la Guera" and an excerpt from Pierre Bourdieu's Masculine Dominance.

Oct 21 / Practical exercise in gender sensitive literary analysis. Short story by M. H. Ponce. Critical concept. Interpretation, social context, un/reliable narrator, symbolic violence.

Oct 28 / NO CLASS. NATIONAL HOLIDAY.

Nov 4 / Annis Pratt, literary archetypes, fairy tales and gender. Critical concepts of archetype and stereotype. Practical exercise in feminist archetypal literary analysis. Fairy tales. Analysis of a short animated movie (V. Neubauer – Woolly Woolf; to be screened in class).

For Nov 4 read Introduction and Chapter 9 from Annis Pratt's book Archetypal Patterns in Women's Fiction.

Nov 11 / Psychoanalysis and literature. French psychoanalytic feminism: Irigaray, Kristeva, Lacan, Cixous. Deconstruction. Écriture feminine.

For Nov 11 read Pam Morris, Literature and Feminism, pg. 90 till end.

Nov 18 / Feminist narratology. Susan Lanser. Practical exercise - analyses of textual and visual material.

For Nov 18 read Lanser's essay Towards Feminist Narratology.

Nov 25 / Class taught by Blanka Knotková Čapková: Postcolonial feminist criticism. Chandra Talpade Mohanty. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Critical concept: Strategic essentialism. Subalterneity and voice. Analysis of a short story Draupadí by Mohashveta Debi.

For 25 read Mohanty's text Under Western Eyes and Debi's short story Draupadí.

Dec 2 / Postcolonial feminist criticism. Afro-American literary criticism, Chicana criticism.

For Dec 2 read Loomba's text Situating Colonial and Postcolonial Studies and a chapter of your choice from bell hook's book Where We Stand: Class Matters.

Dec 9 / Queer theory. Practical exercise: short stories, language and gender identity.

For Dec 9 read excerpts from Eugenides's novel Middlesex and prepare responses from the excerpt worksheet.

Dec 16 / Practical exercise: gender sensitive and postcolonial literary analyses of short stories: Sunday in the Park, The Yellow Wallpaper.

For Dec 16 read short story Sunday in the Park and Gilman's short story The Yellow Wallpaper + Treichler's critical text Escaping the Sentence.

Jan 7 /Final test.

REQUIREMENTS:

Active participation in discussions – 20%

Final essay – 30%

Final test (open questions, answers written in full sentences) – 30%

Short student presentations – 10%

Reaction papers (TBA) - 10%

EVALUATION

The final grade is decided on jointly by both teachers. You must complete ALL assignments to be awarded a grade for the course.

100% - 90% - excellent, 1

89% - 75% - very good, 2

74% - 60% - good, 3

Requirements and suggestions on writing final essay: Final essay (evaluated by TJK) is to present a thorough gender-sensitive analysis of a chosen short story, fairy tale or a newspaper article. Please have the source text approved by TJK by December 18 in person or via email. Due date: Midnight of January 20, 2019. The academic essay must be 6 to 7 pages in length (12 Times New Roman, 1.5 spacing) INCLUDING references but EXCLUDING bibliography. Follow the structure of academic text: Introduction, theoretical background, analysis (avoid descriptive approach), conclusion, bibliography. Theory employed and analysis conveyed need to form an integral whole. Their mutual interconnectivity is vital. Theoretical concepts/texts used in the theoretical part of the essay need to be connected with relevant outcomes of the presented analysis. The minimum requirements for bibliography: besides the source text, use AT LEAST 8 academic sources from academic databases, monographs, journals and/or books. Avoid plagiarism, make sure your referencing is competent. You are responsible for proofreading and editing your essay so that it complies with grammatical rules of correct English. Failure to adhere to correct English may result in a lower grade. Follow the academic style of writing and make sure your language corresponds with academic style.

What questions can you ask when employing gender-sensitive literary analysis?

Note: The following questions are recommended guidelines ONLY that serve to trigger your thoughts about the analyzed text. As such, they DO NOT represent the required or obligatory structure of the final essay. Not all texts may correlate with the provided list of questions, neither may they relate to all of them.

1. Discuss the construction of gender. Is gender a given? Is it essentialist, dichotomous, fixed, internally homogenous, or is it otherwise?

2. Discuss the construction of sexuality, sexual identity, and sexual relations. Do representations of sexuality comply with heteronormative imperatives?

3. Discuss the representations of femininity and masculinity in literary characters.

4. Discuss the modes in which power is manifested.

5. Discuss gender relations generally and individually. What do the relations within given groups look like and why? What are the consequences of such relations?

6. Discuss the construction of the plot and the narration of the story from a gender-sensitive perspective.

REQUIRED READINGS:

All mandatory readings/sources are available through the SIS. Then, you may consult the following:

Fetterley, Judith. 1978. The Resisting Reader. A Feminist Approach to American Fiction. Bloomington: Indiana UP.

Knotková-Čapková, Blanka a kol.. 2007. Stylistika, argumentace a akademické psaní. Praha: FHS UK v Praze.

Knotková-Čapková, Blanka a kol. 2010. Tváří v tvář. Gender jako metodologická kategorie literárních analýz. Praha: Gender Studies, o.p.s.

Mohanty, Chandra Talpade. 2003. "Under Western Eyes: Feminist Schoparship and Colonial Discourses." In: Feminism Without Borders. New Delhi: Zubaan, an associate of Kali for Women, str. 17-42.

Morris, Pam. 2000. Literature and feminism. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.

Warhol, Robyn R.; Herndl, Diane Price (ed.). 1991. Feminisms. Rutgers University Press. Vybrané texty v SISu.

Selten, Raman. 1991. Feminist Literary Theories. Harlow and New York: Longman Group LTD.