English 394: Updated 2.23.2016
Investigating Psychology's Keys to Literature
Spring 2016 | Dr. Terry Lee
McMurran 212 MW 4-5:15
Office: McMuran 201b | Office Hours: MW 3-4; T Th 10-11
757-594-7686
We will work in this course to unlock a creative relationship between reader and text in which stories and tales are invitations to use imagination. Our investigation, that is, will invite reflection on not only literary texts, but our own psyches. From the perspective of depth psychology, stories can reveal and contain aspects of our inner natures. Why do certain stories captivate us, calling us back to them again and again? In this course, we will explore answers to that question, as we look broadly at the origins and theories of psychology and a few richly provocative literary texts.
Goals of the class:
• To develop your own informed, critical interpretation of a literary work.
• To express your informed opinion of a literary work, developing your own critical voice within the context of psychoanalytical theories.
• To develop and to use, both in class discussion and in written work, appropriate terminology of psychoanalytical approaches to literature.
• To reflect critically on your experience reading a text.
Texts
• New Ways in Psychoanalysis, Karen Horney
• The Awakening, 2nd. ed., Walker
• Best American Short Stories, ed., Garrison Keillor
• Man & His Symbols, Jung et al.
• The Women Who Run with the Wolves, Estes
• Cold Mountain, Frazier
Requirements
M.L.A. & A.P.A. Styles
Course Policies
Requirements:
Brief Writing Assignments & Quizzes (25%)
Unannounced in-class or take-home writing on any of the material due for a given class, including both objective quizzes and reflective essays. Come to each class prepared to write.
Interpretive Essay or Critical Reflective Essay
8-10 pp. (25%) Due 4/20
Interpretive Essay: A critically informed interpretation of a work or works of literary merit, to include tales, focusing on insights that a psychoanalytical approach yields.
Critical Reflective Essay: A critically informed and personally reflective essay that frames your engagement with a literary text in psychoanalytical theory.
For both essays, research is required. Use secondary sources in literary criticism and psychoanalytical theory as appropriate. Document the psychoanalytical theory and literary sources following M.L.A. or A.P.A. style.
Midterm Exam (25%)
Essay, short answer, definition.
Final Exam (25%)
Essay, short answer, definition.
___________________
Psychoanalytical Resources
• The Wounded Woman, Linda Leonard
• The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell
• Shadow & Evil in Fairy Tales, Maria-Louise von Franz
• Addiction of Perfection: The Still Unravished Bride, Marion Woodman
• Iron John, Robert Bly
• Re-Visioning Psychology, James Hillman
• Grimms' Tales for Young & Old, ed., Ralph Manheim
• Kate Chopin, Emily Toth
• The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Tales, Maria Tatar
• The Essential Jung, Anthony Storr
• A (Most) Dangerous Method, John Kerr
• Works & Days, Hesiod
• The New Polytheism, David Miller
• Re-Visioning Psychology, James Hillman
• Lempriere's Dictionary of Classical Names, Lempriere
• "Literature, Psychoanalysis, and the Re-Formation of the Self: A New Direction for Reader-Response Theory," Alcorn & Bracher (PMLA, Vol. 100. No. 3 (May, 1985)
• The Feminist Difference: Literature, Psychoanalysis, Race & Gender, Barbara Johnson
• D.W. Winnicott video (6:50), The School of Life
• Sigmund Freud video (7:19), The School of Life
Other Resources on Reserve
•Barry, "Psychoanalytic Criticism," Peter Barry, from Beginning Theory
• Shapiro, "Chapter 1 / Introduction," Barbara Ann Schapiro, from Literature & the Relational Self.
• Steve Lynn, "Minding the Work," Steven Lynn, from Texts & Contexts.
• Grimms, "The Prince and the Princess," Grimms. Find this in the "Brier Rose" & "Prince and Princess" copy.
• Hillman, "Introduction: To Begin With...," James Hillman, from Re-Visioning Psychology.
• The Wounded Woman, Linda Leonard
•The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell
• The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales, Maria Tatar
• Paris, "Horney's Mature Theory," Bernard Paris (17-35)
M.L.A. Style
• Detailed parenthetical citation MLA style at University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Detailed Works Cited MLA style at University of Wisconsin-Madison (NOTE: Don't use for online database sources. See next link for that.)
• Citing an online database source for an article: M.L.A. at Cornell U.
A.P.A. Style
General Course Policies
Coming Late to Class & Waltzing In and Out
Walking in late is disruptive and counts as absence, as does walking in and out during class. If you have a special, documented need, let me know.
Office Hours
My door is always open, and I am happy to see you during my office hours, as well as other times that I'm in my office—drop by or call or e-mail to see if I'm in. You are welcome anytime to come by and talk about your class work in general, or about a specific reading or essay draft on which you are working.
Learning Disabilities
CNU Disability Policy: Students with documented disabilities are required to notify the instructor on the first day of class and in private if accommodation is needed. The instructor will provide students with disabilities with all reasonable accommodations, but they are not exempted from fulfilling the normal requirements of the course. Work completed before the student notifies the instructor of his/her disability may be counted toward the final grade at the sole discretion of the instructor.
If you believe that you have a disability, you should make an appointment to see me to discuss your needs. In order to receive an accommodation, your disability must be on record in the Dean of Students’ office, 3rd Floor David Student Union/DSU (Telephone: 594-7160).
CNU Success Policy
We want you to succeed at CNU; therefore I may notify the Academic Advising Center if you seem to be having problems with this course. Someone may contact you to help you determine what help you need to succeed. You will be sent a copy of the referral form. I invite you to see me at any time that I can be of assistance in helping your with the course material.
Attendance
Not Attending Class Can Result in Failure of Course
You may miss one week of class without any penalty or consequence. You are responsible for the material covered, of course, and I draw my exam questions from material covered in class, class discussion and lecture, as well as from our texts.
Additional absences will result in reduction of your final course grade.
That means that a "B" in all of your coursework can become a "C," if you have excessive absences. It also means that a passing grade for the course can become a failing grade for the course.
In the case of an emergency, contact me as soon as possible. Emergency absences can be excused, and I may ask for documentation.
Complete All Work
You must complete all work by the last day of class to receive a passing grade.
Incompletes
Given only in extraordinary circumstances. Plan to complete work by last day of class. Not completing the work results in an "F," not an "I."
Week 1: Discovering the Psyche
• M 1/11
— stories, dreams, narcissistic alliances
• W 1/13
—"Diving Into the The Wreck," Rich
—"Thousandfurs," Grimms' Tales, (handout)
—"Thousand Furs" slideshow
Week 2
• M 1/18
—"The River Merchant's Wife" Ezra Pound
—Holland, "Lit & Psychology" (reserve) from Holland’s Guide to Psychoanalytic Psychology & Literature-and-Psychology, Norman Holland (29-58, Chapter 4, “Literature & Psychology")
—"River Merchant's Wife" slideshow
• W 1/20
—"Mr. Sweetly Indecent," Bliss Broyard in Best American Short Stories
—"Mr. Sweetly Indecent" slideshow
Week 3: Post-Freudian Optimistic, Humanistic Psychoanalysis
• M 1/25
—Karen Horney, "Introduction" and "Fundamentals of Psychoanalysis," (7-36) in New Ways in Psychoanalysis
—"A Karen Horney Glossary," Chalquist
•W 1/27
—"Some General Premises of Freud's Thinking," Horney 37-46
—Paris, "Horney's Mature Theory" (optional; reserve)—lecture. (Full text of the chapter on reserve)
Week 4: The Awakening & Psychoanalytic Criticism
• M 2/1
—The Awakening
• W 2/3
—The Awakening
Week 5: Imagined Human Beings: Confronting Life Situations
• M 2/8
—Wolff, “Thanatos & Eros: Kate Chopin’s Awakening” (reserve)
—Murfin, “Psychoanalytic Criticism & The Awakening (218-233) (reserve)
—Class lecture: "Psychosexuality and Perspective Shifts in The Awakening," Pat Shaw (American Literary Realism 23(1) 1990—available via interlibrary loan, if you would like a copy.)
• W 2/10
—Paris, “Applications of a Horneyan Approach” (reserve) (Chapt. 1, 3-16, in Imagined Human Beings, Bernard Paris
—Paris, "Critique Awakening" (reserve) a Horneyan "Critique of “The Awakening,” (reserve) (Chapt. 12, 215-239)
Week 6: Folktales—the Archetypal Layer & Therapy
• M 2/15
— Hillman, “A Note on Story” from Loose Ends (1-4) (reserve)
—Lauter, "Feminist Archetypal Theory" (reserve) from Feminist Archetypal Theory Lauter & Rupprecht, (220-223)
—Grimms, "Brier Rose." Find it in the reserve reading labeled ”Brier Rose; Prince & Princess." You don't need to read the "Prince & Princess" (reserve) from Grimms’ Tales
—Poe Ballentine, "Blue Devils," 12-25 in Best American Short Stories
—"Brier Rose" and "Blue Devils" PowerPoint slideshow
• W 2/17
—No class. Please attend our annual Jean Everitt Journalism lecture by Pulitzer prize-winning journalism Jim Sheely. He will be talking about his experience reporting about a Marine Casuality Assistance Calls Officer as he delivered the devastating news of their loved ones killed during active duty in Iraq.
Week 7—Individuation & Approaching the Unconscious
• M 2/22
• W 2/24
—von Franz, Man & His Symbols, (159-170)
—PowerPoint: Archetypal Analysis of the "Blue Devils" narrator as an "imagined human being"
Week 8: Spring Break
• M 2/29
• W 3/2
Week 9: Folktales & The Shadow
• M 3/7
—Kast, “Introduction” & "Little Red Cap" in one package (reserve) (iv-viii, and 1-26)
—"Little Red Cap" PowerPoint slides
• W 3/9
—von Franz, Man & His Symbols, (171-186)
Week 10
• M 3/14
—Estés, Chapter 3: "Nosing Out the Facts: The Retrieval of Intuition as Initiation” (74-114, hardcover) (the tale of “Vasalisa”) in Women Who Run With the Wolves (74-114, hardcover; 76-120, paperback)
• W 3/16
—Midterm exam: short answer, identify, define, essay
—Preparing for the midterm exam on Wednesday, March 16. It counts 25% of the course grade.
• The exam will consist of two essays focusing on two stories and psychological interpretations of them.
• Carefully re-read “Blue Devils” and “Little Red Cap.”
• Review and practice applying the psychological approaches that we have discussed so far this semester, focusing especially on the short story and the tale. But don't overlook psychological insights that we've discussed in other stories. Those can help you develop your analyses of the two stories on the exam.
• Know and use technical, psychological terms in your essays, as appropriate.
• Make hand-written notes. You may bring these to the exam, but no print-outs of notes, texts, or PowerPoint slides.
Week 11
•M 3/21
—Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves, from the introduction, “Stories are medicine...” (504-511 paper; 15-22, hardcover)
—Hillman, “Why Archetypal Psychology?” (reserve) from Loose Ends (138-143—reserve)
• W 3/23
—Gilligan, "Summary of Cupid and Psyche Myth" in The Birth of Pleasure (233-235)
—Doran Larson, "Morphine," 126-143 in Best American Short Stories
• (Vaillant) "Defenses," Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
• "Morphine" PowerPoint slides
• Nine of Vailant's Defense Mechanisms, Psychology Today
• Vaillant Defense Mechanisms, Quizlet
• "Adaptive Mental Mechanisms: Their Roile in a Positive Psychology," George E. Vaillant, American Psychologist, Jan. 2000
Week 12
• M 3/28
—"Introduction," (3-11), Gilligan
—"A Radical Geography of Love," (13-64), Gilligan
•W 3/30
— Chopin, "The Storm," (reserve) Kate Chopin
—Emily Carter, "Glory Goes and Gets Some" in Best American Short Stories (107-110)
Week 13: Psychology of the Quest
•M 4/4
—Cold Mountain 1-91
• Cold Mountain slideshow, Campbell
• W 4/6
—Cold Mountain 92-174
Week 14
• 4/11
— Cold Mountain 175-259
• 4/13
— Cold Mountain 260-344
Week 15
• M 4/18
—Cold Mountain 345-end
• W 4/20
—Essay due in class
—Final exam review
Final Exam: comprehensive, but emphasis is on post midterm work
• Friday, 4/29, 5-7:30 p.m.