Comprehensive Study Notes on Literature, the Literary Canon, and Textual Analysis

Course Announcements, Gradebook Policies, and AI Responsible Use

  • Weekly Schedule Announcements: Overview announcements are published every Sunday at the start of the week to outline expectations, topics, and assignments.
  • Grade Book Mechanics and Feedback Access:
    • Profile Sheet: Assigned on the first day; worth 1 bonus point1\text{ bonus point}.
    • Class Writing Activity: Standard in-class evaluation worth 3 points3\text{ points}.
    • Quizzes: Standard evaluations worth 3 points3\text{ points} each.
    • Viewing Detailed Feedback: To view written instructor comments beyond the numeric score, students must select the "View" button in the gradebook interface to open the overall feedback window.
  • AI Responsible Use Policy Requirements:
    • Restrictions on Text Summarization and Analysis: Generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT or Gemini) are strictly prohibited for summarizing or responding to reading assignments. Reading must be completed independently by the student.
    • Rationale for AI Prohibition: Generative AI tools provide generic overviews and repeat existing commentary. Independent reading allows students to bring unique personal perspectives to textual analysis. Reading confusion serves as an essential starting point for classroom discussion and interpretation.
    • Permitted AI Use and Citation Rules: In rare instances where limited AI usage is explicitly authorized, students must provide in-text citations specifying where the tool was used and include the exact prompt typed into the search box on their Works Cited page.

Class Demographics and Reading/Writing Attitudes Survey

  • Student Responsibilities and Course Demographics:
    • Student commitments include full-time or part-time employment, heavy course loads, and parental or caregiving responsibilities.
    • Personal attitudes toward reading vary across the student body, with some students (such as Anthony) explicitly noting that reading is not a preferred activity.
  • First-Day Survey Statistics:
    • Reading Preferences:
    • Approximately 75%75\% of students express positive or neutral attitudes toward reading.
    • 50%50\% of students read regularly and wish they had more time for it.
    • 21%21\% of students read when required but are not enthusiastic.
    • 5 students5\text{ students} indicated they would read all day if given the opportunity.
    • Writing Preferences:
    • The majority of students selected a rating of 33 or 44 out of 55 regarding their interest in writing.
    • 35%35\% of students indicated they would write all day if possible.
  • Survey Comments on Student Goals:
    • Deadline Management: "I love writing academically and creatively, but I can get overwhelmed with deadlines…"
    • Goal Alignment: "I hope to broaden my horizons when it comes to reading, deepen my understanding of literature so I can take these skills out of class and into my personal life."
  • Personal Growth Through Literary Study: Engaging with literary texts builds personal confidence and reduces self-consciousness. Connecting with literary characters and discussing readings helps individuals better understand themselves and others.

Defining Literature and the Literary Canon

  • Poetic Definition of Literature:
    • Adrienne Rich, Diving into the Wreck: "I came to explore the wreck. The words are purposes. The words are maps. I came to see the damage that was done and the treasures that prevail."
    • Exegesis: Words serve as a roadmap for human life, helping individuals navigate trauma ("the damage that was done") and discover resilience ("the treasures that prevail").
  • Primary Literary Genres:
    • Poetry: Form focused on aesthetic language, imagery, tone, and verse.
    • Short Stories (Fiction): Prose narratives detailing imaginary characters and plotlines.
    • Drama: Scripted performance literature incorporating elements of poetry and fiction, written specifically for oral delivery and stage production.
  • The Literary Canon and Its Historical Evolution:
    • Definition of Literary Canon: A recognized collection of literary works deemed by scholars, critics, and academics to hold high artistic merit, historical significance, and academic value.
    • Fluidity Over Time: Definitions of literature evolve through ongoing conversations among writers, critics, theorists, and activists. Media such as films, plays, and graphic narratives are increasingly recognized alongside traditional texts.
    • Criteria for Inclusion: Works are categorized based on artistic merit and stylistic quality, distinguishing literature from everyday functional communication (e.g., text messages or advertisements).
    • Historical Example: William Shakespeare's plays were not considered part of an academic canon during his lifetime, but achieved canonical status over subsequent centuries.
    • Historical Exclusivity and Systemic Bias: Canonical selection was historically dominated by privileged white male scholars, excluding women, Black authors, queer writers, and non-dominant perspectives.
    • Historical Misogyny in Publishing: Historical pushback against non-canonical writers is illustrated by Nathaniel Hawthorne's quote (cited by Ta-Nehisi Coates): "America is now wholly given over to a damned mob of scribbling women, and I should have no chance of success while the public taste is occupied with their trash and should be ashamed of myself if I did succeed."
  • Canonical and Classic Texts Cited:
    • Historical excerpts on the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings (Diary accounts)
    • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
    • Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino, Ronald Cotton, and Erin Torneo
    • The Bluest Eye, Sula, and Beloved by Toni Morrison
    • Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
    • The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
    • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
    • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
    • Maus by Art Spiegelman (Graphic novel)
    • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
    • 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell
    • 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose

Structural Elements and Philosophical Purpose of Literature

  • Craft Elements in Literature: Authors utilize specific tools to create literary quality, including sensory appeals, tonal shifts, deliberate structural framing, character development, imagery, and symbolism to convey meaning beyond explicit statements ("reading between the lines").
  • Case Study: Shakespeare's Othello:
    • Plot Dynamics: The villain Iago manipulates Othello into falsely believing his wife is unfaithful with his lieutenant, Cassio.
    • Textual Subtext: The play uses subtle dialogue to highlight Othello's internal insecurities and demonstrate how Iago exploits those psychological vulnerabilities.
    • Visual Representation: Literary narratives are frequently adapted and interpreted through visual art, illustrations, and performance media.
  • Core Purpose of Studying Literature:
    • Primary Function: Literature is designed to make readers "think, feel, and think about what we feel."
    • Distinction from Procedural Reading: Academic/procedural reading focuses on memorizing facts and operational steps.
    • Distinction from Escapist Reading: Purely pleasure-based reading focuses on passive relaxation.
    • Literature Focus: Analytical, purposeful reading aimed at uncovering philosophical meaning and human truths.
  • Narrative Mechanics:
    • Protagonist: The central character driving the narrative plot forward.
    • Antagonist: The opposing character or force (e.g., Iago) creating central conflict against the protagonist.
    • Conflict Resolution: The primary process through which thematic insights and life lessons are conveyed to the audience.

Impact of Canonical Literature, Censorship, and Modern Book Bans

  • Student Refection on Significant Literary Works:
    • The Things They Carried (Hannah): Highlights mental health struggles and historical trauma associated with the Vietnam War, showing how active listening and empathy facilitate healing.
    • Walden (Caitlin): Provides a grounding perspective through descriptive observations of environment and intentional living.
    • 1984 and Animal Farm (Anthony, Evelyn): Explore political manipulation, psychological control, submission to authority, and historical parallels to totalitarian regimes such as Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler and modern North Korea.
    • The Catcher in the Rye (Katerina): Examines Holden Caulfield's rejection of societal hypocrisy ("phonies"), resistance to authority, and personal alienation.
    • Lord of the Flies (Jaylen): Illustrates the rapid breakdown of human behavior and order in the absence of societal structure.
    • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Stacy): Maya Angelou's memoir dealing with Black female identity, childhood trauma, and metaphorical imprisonment.
    • Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler): Written in 19911991 and set in the year 20252025; depicts systemic societal collapse while highlighting human persistence, hope, and vision for the future.
  • Censorship, Book Bans, and Modern Threats:
    • Ta-Nehisi Coates on Censorship: Book bans and censorship restrict imagination, preventing individuals from criticizing social ills and envisioning improved societal structures.
    • Motivation Behind Book Bans: Censorship targets texts that inspire critical thinking or challenge dominant power structures, keeping readers from questioning authority.
    • AI Corporate Destruction of Books: Generative AI corporations are purchasing rare physical books to feed into algorithmic training models, subsequently destroying physical copies and restricting direct human access to primary historical texts.

Homework Instructions and Quiz Administration

  • Homework Assignment: Free Minds Book Club:
    • Organization Overview: Free Minds Book Club is a non-profit organization supporting incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, using literature and poetry as therapeutic tools to process trauma and envision positive futures.
    • Assignment Task: Students must access the provided hyperlink, select one poem written by an incarcerated author, and read it closely prior to Thursday's class.
    • Thursday Class Plan: Sessions will include a close reading text analysis slideshow, group discussions of selected poems, written summaries and responses, and interactive analytical activities.
  • Quiz #2 Protocols:
    • Assessment Specifics: Located in Module 1 (Week 2 folder); worth 3 points3\text{ points}; open until 12:30 PM12:30\text{ PM}.
    • Synchronous Requirement: Webcams must remain on during the quiz administration; questions are displayed exclusively on the live classroom screen to prevent non-attendees from taking the assessment remotely.
    • Submission Steps: Open Quiz #2 attempt in the gradebook, select corresponding letter answers (A\text{A}, B\text{B}, C\text{C}, or D\text{D}) for the 3 questions3\text{ questions} displayed on screen, submit the attempt, and exit the session.