As the Writing Associate for Dr. Hoyser’s Lit Crit class, I’ll be posting info for students here regularly. Check back often!
English 220 Notes 9/17/08
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
4:30 PM
Today’s Topics:
· Deconstructionism
· Structuralism
· Post-Structuralism
· Cowper
Announcements:
· Papers from last Monday to be handed back by either Friday 9/19/08 or Monday 9/22/08
· Study Table to be held from 3:00 – 4:00 PM on Thursday 9/18/08 in McDonough 214
· Opportunity to revise and resubmit paper before Dr. Hoyser returns them later this week.
Homework:
For 9/19/08: Culler, Chapter 5, “Rhetoric, Poetics, and Poetry” (refer to syllabus)
Lecture Topic:
· Finish discussing Deconstructionism, clarification of course material all ready covered in class up to this point
· Homework due today: Barry, Chapter 3 Post-Structuralism and Deconstruction. Read Cowper in Barry, pg. 276-278. Prepare to discuss in class.
Summary
· Structuralism:
· Structuralism focuses on flow: as in how langue fits prototype genre
· Structuralism possesses a drive to be more scientific in their analysis
· Universe is centered on language
· Focus on structure: the manner in which things are constructed
· Narrow to broad in exterior context (focuses on text and context of text itself)
· Deconstructionism:
· Flow-disruption
· Language is self-contradictory
· There is no center, language is not certain: de-centered language
· Jouissance: (from French verb jouer – to play) play with language: disruption with language
· Broad to narrow in exterior context
· Self/ Other
· Dyads: (example: self/ Other; males/ females)
· Because of the hegemony of that idea (of Self) becomes Other (lower than, less than, lacking)
· Barthes: transition from Structuralism to Deconstructionism “Death of the Author”
· Author has no control over reader’s experience of text
· Reader brings to text the reader’s own context
· Meaning is not made/ controlled by the author (as some schools of theory believe)
·
|
ISA’s: |
Foucault |
Study Questions
Create a T-chart to help you remember the differences between Structuralism and Deconstructionism.
Come prepared to the Study Table on Thursday with any additional questions you may have regarding Structuralism and Deconstructionism, or any of the other major theories we have covered in class so far.
Define hegemony, jouissance and dyad from today’s lecture. Keep a record in your notes of key terms
To those of you in Dr. Hoyser’s English 220 class, I have posted a list of literary terms and concepts to know for the midterm exam on Monday. This is by no means an exhaustive list, I just compiled a list of the primary ones Dr. Hoyser focused on in the study guide she gave you in class this past week. Be sure to review your notes and use your Cuddon text as a reference book for any other terms I have not covered that you are unsure about which may be on the exam. I find flash cards work really well for memorizing vocabulary terms, so I encourage you to try it out as a study method if you are having difficulty grasping the terminology. As for the major theories covered in class, if you require further clarification beyond the textbook definitions and examples given in Barry, Cuddon, and Culler please feel free to e-mail me or leave me a comment on the blog before Sunday night and I would be happy to try to help you understand the material.