1 Module Outline
Department of Comparative Literature and Culture
School of Languages, Linguistics and Film
Queen Mary, University of London
COM 300: THE SCENE OF WRITING
Semester One, 2016-17
Level: 6
Credit Value: 15 c.u.
Module Organiser:
Professor Galin Tihanov
Room: Arts One, 2.14
Email: [email protected]@qmul.ac.uk
Office hours: Wednesdays, 15:00-16:00, or by appointment
Seminar Tutors:
Professor Leonard Olschner ([email protected]); office hours: Thursdays 14.00-15.00, or
by appointment, in 2.12 Arts One; Melissa Schuh ([email protected]); office hours:
Tuesdays 3-4pm, or by appointment, in 2.02 Arts One.
Pre-requisite: None
Timetable:
Lecture:
Seminar A:
Seminar B:
Seminar C:
Wed, 11:00-12:00, Arts One 1.28 (Prof. Tihanov)
Wed, 12:00-13:00, Engineering 216 (Prof. Olschner)
Wed, 12:00-13:00, B. R. 3.01 (Dr Schuh)
Thur, 13:00-14:00, G.O. Jones 208 (Prof. Olschner)
Assessment
1,500 Word Essay on Theories of Writing in the West
(30%)
2,500 Word Essay on Kafka; on Woolf; or on Barton Fink and The Player
(70%)
All students must ensure that they obtain a copy of the School Handbook for
Undergraduate Students and follow the School's guidelines and regulations in all matters
regarding this module. Students must note that failure to do so may result in deregistration from the module, which may have a significant impact on their overall
degree classification.
DESCRIPTION
This module aims to acquaint students with a varied corpus of fictional and theoretical writings
around the themes of writing and the author. There are two main aims: to explore the ways in
which writing and authorship are thematized and represented in Western literature, film and the
visual arts, and to examine changes in the ways writing and authors have been perceived in
critical and theoretical writings about literature and cinema.
LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE MODULE
2 Upon completion of the course students will be able to:
• reflect critically upon the role of writing and the author in the creation of the literary text;
• reflect critically upon historical changes in attitudes towards writing and authorship,
including those that have taken place in literary theory since the 1960s;
• relate representations of writing, authors and authorship in literary and filmic texts to their
immediate cultural contexts;
• analyse demanding literary and theoretical texts with greater sophistication and precision;
• demonstrate knowledge of, and make theoretically informed connections between, texts of
different periods, literatures and cultures;
• construct cogent and sophisticated critical essays with evidence of individual study and
initiative;
• demonstrate research and bibliographical skills;
• formulate theoretically informed arguments and express these clearly and effectively in the
form of oral presentations.
MODULE SCHEDULE
Note: * = On QMplus
Please also note that links to library copies of all sources can be found on QM plus under
“General Info and Module Outline”
BLOCK ONE: WESTERN THEORIES OF SPEECH AND WRITING
Week 1
Reading:
Introduction: Writing in the Western Tradition
*The Bible, selections from Genesis and John
*Selections from Kysar, John, The Maverick Gospel
Week 2
Reading:
Plato on Speech and Writing
Plato, Phaedrus
*Fisher, “Plato on Writing and Doing Philosophy”
Week 3
Reading:
Derrida on Speech and Writing 1: Saussure and Derrida
*Ferdinand de Saussure, Selections from Course on General Linguistics
*Jacques Derrida, “Plato’s Pharmacy”
*Hawkes, selections from Structuralism and Semiotics
Week 4
Reading:
Derrida on Speech and Writing 2
*Jacques Derrida, “Plato’s Pharmacy”
* Jefferson, “Structuralism and Poststructuralism”
* Glendinning, “The Turn to Writing”
BLOCK TWO: WRITING ABOUT WRITING – KAFKA
Week 5
Reading:
A Theology of Writing: Kafka’s “Das Urteil” (The Judgement)
Franz Kafka, “The Judgement”
*Duttlinger on Kafka
*Berman, “Tradition and Betrayal”
Week 6
Writing and the Law: Kafka’s “In der Strafkolonie” (In the Penal Colony)
3 Reading:
Franz Kafka, “In der Strafkolonie” (In the Penal Colony)
*Gray, “Disjunctive Signs”
BLOCK THREE: WRITING AND GENDER
Week 8
Reading:
Writing and Gender: Woolf, A Room of One’s Own 1
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
Dale Spender, “Women and Literary History”
Week 9
Reading:
Writing, Gender, Race and Class: Walker contra Woolf
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
*Alice Walker, selections from In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens
*Marcus, “Woolf”s Feminism”
BLOCK FOUR: WRITING IN THE MARKET AND ON THE SCREEN
Week 10
Viewing:
Reading:
The Author in Hollywood I: Barton Fink
Joel and Ethan Coen (Dir.), Barton Fink (1991)
*Lapsley on Film Authorship
Week 11
Viewing:
Reading:
The Author in Hollywood II: The Player
Robert Altman (Dir.) The Player (1992)
*Thompson, Altman on Altman
*Altman Interview on The Player
Week 12
Essay Writing Workshop
ASSIGNMENT DEADLINES
1,500 Word Essay:
2,500 Word Essay:
Due on Sunday of Week 6 [6 November 2016, 11:55pm]
Due on the Sunday before Week 1, semester B [8 January 2017,
11:55pm]
SUBMISSION OF COURSEWORK
Unless otherwise specified, your assignment must be submitted by 11:55 pm on the day of the
deadline: you are to submit an electronic version only, via QM Plus, no hard copy is to be
submitted.
SET TEXTS/PRIMARY READING
Primary Literary Sources Which Students Should Buy:
Kafka, Franz. “The Judgment” and “In the Penal Colony.” In The Metamorphosis and
Other Stories (Oxford World Classics Edition). Trans. Joyce Crick, with notes by Ritchie
Robertson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. ISBN-10: 0199238553
Plato, Phaedrus (Oxford World Classics Edition). Trans. Robin Waterfield. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2009. ISBN-10: 0199554021
Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One’s Own (Penguin Classics). London: Penguin, 2000. ISBN:
9780141183534
4 Other Primary Literary Sources
The Bible. Ed. Robert Carroll and Stephen Prickett. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Walker, Alice. In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose. London: The Women’s Press,
1984.
Primary Filmic Sources
Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen. Barton Fink. 1991; Twentieth Century Fox, USA: 2003.
Altman, Robert. The Player. 1992; Fine Line Features, USA: 1992.
Primary Theoretical Sources
Derrida, Jacques. “Plato’s Pharmacy.” In Literary Theory: An Anthology. Ed. Julie Rivkin and
Michael Ryan. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 1998, 429-450.
De Saussure, Ferdinand. Selections from Course on General Linguistics. In Modern Theory and
Criticism: A Reader. Ed. David Lodge. London: Longman, 1988, 1-14.
FURTHER READING
Other Secondary Sources
Altman, Robert. Interviews. Ed. David Sterritt. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2000.
Berman, Russell A. “Tradition and Betrayal in ‘Das Urteil,’” 85-99. In A Companion to the Works of
Franz Kafka. Ed. James Rolleston. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2002.
Duttlinger, Carolin. The Cambridge Introduction to Franz Kafka. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2013.
Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell, 1983.
Fisher, John. “Plato on Writing and Doing Philosophy.” In Journal of the History of Ideas 72, no. 2
(1966): 163-172.
Glendinning, Simon. Derrida: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.
Gray, Richard T. “Disjunctive Signs: Semiotics, Aesthetics, and Failed Mediation in ‘In der
Strafkolonie,’” 213-245. In A Companion to the Works of Franz Kafka. Ed. James Rolleston.
Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2002.
Groden, Michael, Martin Kreiswirth and Imre Szeman. The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory
and Criticism. 2nd Ed. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005.
Hawkes, Terence. Structuralism and Semiotics. London: Routledge, 1977.
Irwin, William, ed. The Death and Resurrection of the Author? Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002.
Jefferson, Ann. “Structuralism and Poststructuralism,” 92-121. In Modern Literary Theory: A
Comparative Introduction. 2nd ed. Ed. Ann Jefferson and David Robey. London: B.T. Batsford,
1986.
Kysar, Robert. John, The Maverick Gospel. 3rd ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press,
2007.
Lapsley, Robert and Michael Westlake, “Authorship,” 105-128. In Film Theory: An Introduction.
Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1988.
Marcus, Laura. “Woolf’s Feminism and Feminism’s Woolf,” 209-244. In The Cambridge Companion
to Virginia Woolf. Ed. Sue Roe and Susan Sellers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2000.
Mottram, James. The Coen Brothers: The Life of the Mind. London: Batsford, 2000.
5 Self, Robert T. Robert Altman’s Subliminal Reality. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota
Press, 2002.
Spender, Dale. “Women and Literary History,” 21-33. In The Feminist Reader: Essays in Gender and
the Politics of Literary Criticism. Ed. Catherine Belsey and Jane Moore. London: Macmillan,
1989.
Thompson, David, ed. Altman on Altman. London: Faber and Faber, 2005.
Waugh, Patricia, ed. Literary Theory and Criticism: An Oxford Guide. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2006.
Developing Your Graduate Attributes
The Queen Mary Statement of Graduate Attributes identifies 32 attributes grouped into 7
themes. Through your studies you will be provided with many opportunities to develop these
attributes. The following table identifies the attributes that you can develop by actively engaging
in teaching and learning and assessment activities of this module. By reflecting on your
development of these attributes you will be able to improve your understanding of your own
employability.
Engage critically with knowledge
Acquire and apply knowledge in a rigorous way
Connect information and ideas within their field of study
Use writing for learning and reflection
Adapt their understanding to new and unfamiliar settings
Have a global perspective
Accept the responsibilities that come from taking a global perspective
Recognise the value of operating in more than one language
Work effectively in diverse communities
Engage with the professional world
Learn continuously in a changing world
Acquire new learning in a range of ways, both individually and
collaboratively
Possess the skills to influence, negotiate and lead
Respond appropriately to criticism
Use quantitative data confidently and competently
6 Rounded Intellectual Development
Good judgement
Curiosity and openness to change
Initiative and resilience in meeting challenges
Respect for the opinions of others and a readiness to act inclusively
The ability to reflect upon and assess their own progress
Transferable key skills to help them with their career goals and their
continuing education
Clarity of Communication
Develop effective spoken and written English
Explain and argue clearly and concisely
Apply different forms of communication in various social, professional
and cultural settings
Use communication technologies competently
Research Capacity
Grasp the principles and practices of their field of study
Produce analyses which are grounded in evidence
Apply their analytical skills to investigate unfamiliar problems
Work individually and in collaboration with others
Develop a strong sense of intellectual integrity
Acquire substantial bodies of new knowledge
Information Expertise
Identify information needs appropriate to different situations
Use technologies to access and interpret information effectively
Critically evaluate the reliability of different sources of information
Use information for evidence-based decision-making and creative
7 thinking