Literature and Society
COLI 214B Section 03
Meeting Times: TR 11.40AM – 1.05PM
Room: Fine Arts 342
Instructor: Antonio Tomás Guerrero Díaz
Office Hours: TBA
Contact: [email protected]
Course Description:
In this period of economic crisis and recession, the humanities are suffering important cuts and
finding innumerable obstacles to develop both outside and inside the universities. Being one of
the main fields in the humanities, it seems relevant to wonder the role of literature in this
globalized and industrialized world. Thus, starting off from Jean Paul Sartre’s “Qu’est-ce que la
littérature?”, we will try to define literature. to determine why it is important to write or not, and
to analyze whether literature can be meaningful and useful to our society in any particular way.
We will try to reach conclusions by focusing in two of the main historical literary tendencies.
That is, the idea of using literature as a didactic tool and the concept of literature as a form of
evasion and mere hedonistic pleasure advocated by the art for art’s sake representatives.
Course goals:
The main goal of this course is to make students reflect upon the idea of whether literature can be
useful or meaningful to society. I do not intend, as an instructor, to predetermine any conclusions
for the students. It will be the student himself or herself who will reach his or her own
conclusions. The study or both didactic and evasive use of literature is thought to offer the
students different ways in which literature has been used throughout history and to help them in
reaching their own conclusions.
Learning outcomes:
This is a Composition (C) course. Therefore all students must complete 20 pages of expository
writing. All written pages submitted by students will be revised. Instructor will provide feedback
to students for rewriting.
Required texts:
Huysmans, Joris-Karl. Against Nature (A Rebours). Penguin Group USA
ISBN-13: 9780140447637
Marx, Karl. The Philosophic and Economic Manuscripts of 1844.
Orwell, George. 1984. Penguin Group USA
ISBN-13: 9780451524935
Plato. Republic. (Barnes & Noble Classics)
ISBN-13: 9871593080976
Required Readings:
Jean Paul Sartre’s “Qu’est-ce que la littérature?”
Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto
Walter Benjamin´s “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproducibility”
Selection of Poems by Pablo Neruda, Ernesto Cardenal, Rafael Alberti…
Oscar Wilde’s “The Soul of Man under Socialism”
Plato’s Republic
Poe’s “The Poetic Principle”
Fragments from Walter Pater’s Studies in the History of the Renaissance
Selection of poems by Baudelaire, Blake, Poe…
Huysmans’s Against Nature
⃰The instructor may include the reading of articles and other important materials.
Course Requirements:

Attendance: Students are expected to attend to class on a regular basis. More than two
unjustified absences will result in a lowering of the final grade.

Class participation: Students are required to participate in class discussions. You must
do the readings assigned for each particular class and be prepared with your observations,
doubts and thoughts on the readings.

Class presentation: Each student will do a 15-20 minute presentation on a topic related
to the texts we will be studying in the course.

Essays: Students must submit three essays. The first two essays must have a length of 5
pages, whereas the third and final essay must have a length of 6 pages. Additonally, each
student must submit two 2-page long responses in which the student will reflect
personally about the readings of the course. All papers must be typed, double-spaced
pages in 12 point Times New Roman font with one inch margins. Due dates will be
determined along the course. A draft must be turned in one week before the due date so
the instructor can give the student feedback about his or her work and provide tips for the
final version. The MLA guide must be followed for citation. Plagiarism is unacceptable
and is against the codes of honesty of Binghamton University. To plagiarize will result in
failing the class automatically. Please, refer to the University’s Student Handbook for
more information regarding the codes of honesty and plagiarism.
Evaluation:

Class participation: 10%

Class Presentation: 10%

Responses: 10% each

First Two Essays: 15% each

Final Essay: 30%
Tentative Schedule:
(Instructor reserves the right to make changes at any time during the semester)
Week One:
1/28 T Introduction to course
1/30 R Introduction to Existentalism
Week Two:
2/4 T Sartre’s “Qu’est-ce que la littérature?”
2/6 R Sartre’s “Qu’est-ce que la littérature?”
Week Three:
2/11 T Marx’s Introduction to Marxism
2/13 R Marx’s Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844
Week Four:
2/18 T Benjamin’s Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844
2/20 R Benjamin’s “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproducibility”
Week Five:
2/25 T Orwell’s 1984
2/27 R Orwell’s 1984
Week Six:
3/4 T Orwell’s 1984
3/6 R Selection of poems. TBA
Week Seven:
3/11 T Selection of Poems TBA
3/13 R Movie screening of 1984.
Week Eight:
3/18 T Wilde’s “The Soul of Man under Socialism”
3/20 R Wilde’s “The Soul of Man under Socialism”
Week Nine:
3/25 T Introduction to Plato
3/27 R Plato’s Republic
Week Ten:
4/1 T Plato’s Republic
4/3 R Plato’s Republic
Week Eleven:
4/8 T Poe’s “The Poetic Principle”
4/10 R Poe ‘s “The Poetic Principle”
Week Twelve:
4/15 T Spring Break
4/17 R Spring Break
Week Thirteen:
4/22 T Walter Pater's fragments from introduction to the Renaissance.
4/24 R Walter Pater's fragments from introduction to the Renaissance.
Week Fourteen:
4/29 T William Blake's poems TBA
5/1 R Huysmans’s Against Nature
Week Fifteen:
5/6 T Huysmans’s Against Nature
5/8 R Huysmans’s Against Nature and conclusions