Priya
Joshi
Fall 1995
English 100, "Epic and Empire"
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11–1 and by appointment,
Room 451 Wheeler, 642-2377
Email: pjoshi@socrates.berkeley.edu
The Course
"The conquest of the earth is not a pretty thing when you look at it too much... What redeems it is the idea only," remarked Conrad famously–and ambiguously–in Heart of Darkness. This seminar examines where and how ideas "redeem" the making and keeping of empires that constitute the "conquest of the earth." Our readings cover a range of major Western and non-Western texts with mostly epic ambitions from different empires, historical periods, genres, and languages in an attempt to study the relationship of literary form to empire as a social and political condition. What role does the form of the epic play in the experiences of expansion, colonization, domination, and revision that accompany imperial conquest? Is epic the form best suited to address the changing world order that empires construct, or–as some critics have argued–is it the novel? How does one distinguish between the two in today's literary and cultural context? The course is neither a "great books" class nor a survey of the epic, although both "great books" and epics–along with the novel and poetry–will form our reading in the course.
The Texts (all available at the ASUC Bookstore in the Student Union)
Freud, Civilization
& Its Discontents (Norton, tr. Strachey)
Homer,
The Iliad (Penguin, tr. Fagles)
The
Mahabharata (tr. Narayan)
Vergil,
The Aeneid (Chicago, tr. Fitzgerald)
Conrad,
Heart of Darkness (Signet)
Kafka,
The Trial (Schocken, tr. Muir)
Ali,
Twilight in Delhi (New Directions)
Naipaul,
A Bend in the River (Vintage)
Césaire,
Notebook of a Return to the Native Land (California)
Fuentes,
The Death of Artemio Cruz (tr. .MacAdam, FSG)
Recommended Texts
Abrams, Glossary
of Literary Terms, 5th Ed. OR
Holman,
The Handbook to Literature, 5th Ed.
The
MLA Handbook
Strunk
& White, The Elements of Style
The Requirements
I will expect you to attend class punctually and regularly. Please be prepared to document all absences. Your grade will comprise primarily of the papers you write. You may rewrite your first two papers provided you discuss the revision with me first. Your grade for the assignment will be that of the revision, even if it is lower than the first draft, so use the revision as an opportunity to rethink your assignment carefully. Use the MLA format for all papers and be sure to include a title, date, professor's name, and staple on all work. NOTE: All work must be submitted in class on time; in fairness to all students, I will not accept late papers except under the most egregious circumstances. I will expect you to contribute responsibly and to participate fully in class discussions. Readings are due by the date marked. Attitude and participation will comprise approximately 15-20% of your final grade.
Schedule of Readings
Week 1
8/29 Introduction/Civilization & Its Discontents
8/31 Civilization
Week 2
9/5 Civilization
9/7 Introduction to Homer; Iliad (Books I-IV)
Week 39/12 Iliad (Books IX, XVI, XVIII)
9/14 Iliad (XXI, XXII, XXIV)
Week 4
9/19 Iliad
9/21 Introduction to the Indian Epic
Week 5
9/26 Mahabharata
9/28 Mahabharata
Week 6
10/3 Aeneid (Books I, II, IV)
10/5 Aeneid (Books VI, VIII)
Week 7
10/10 Aeneid
10/12 Midterm
Week 8
10/17 Heart of Darkness
10/19 Heart of Darkness Paper 1 due in class
Week 9
10/24 The Trial
10/26 The Trial
Week 10
10/31 Twilight in Delhi
11/2 Twilight in Delhi
Week 11
11/7 Notebook of a Return to the Native Land
11/9 Notebook of a Return to the Native Land Paper 2 due in class
Week 12
11/14 A Bend in the River
11/16 A Bend in the River
Week 13
11/21 The Death of Artemio Cruz
11/23 Thanksgiving Holiday, NO CLASS
Week 14
11/28 The Death of Artemio Cruz
11/30 The Death of Artemio Cruz
Week 15
12/5 Review
12/7 Paper 3 due in class