engl 2020 themes in literature and culture: the grotesque english 2020-24 themes in literature and...

ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

English 2020-24Themes in Literature and Culture:

The Grotesque

Spring 2012100-225 | PH 308


Dr. David Lavery

Professor, English Department

Office: PH 372

Office Phone/Voice-Mail: 898-5648

Office Hours: T-Th 225-330; W 500-600

E-mail: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Dr. David Lavery is Professor of English at MTSU (1993- ). The author of over one hundred twenty published essays, chapters, and reviews, he is author / co-author / editor / co-editor of twenty+ published or forthcoming books on the space age, cult television, television finales, crying, Joss Whedon, Owen Barfield, and numerous television series (The Sopranos, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Twin Peaks, The X-Files, My So-Called Life, Deadwood, LOST, Battlestar Galactica). The organizer of international conferences on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, and The Sopranos, a founding co-editor of the journals Slayage: The Online International Journal of Buffy Studies, Critical Studies in Television, and Series/Season/Show, he has lectured around the world on the subject of television (Australia, Turkey, the UK, Portugal, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany) and has been a guest/source for the BBC, NPR, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The New York Times, A Folha de Sao Paulo (Brazil), Publica (Portugal), Information (Netherlands), AP, The Toronto Star, USA Today. From 2006-2008, he taught at Brunel University in London.


Click on a cover to go to the Amazon page for a book. Feel free to buy from Phillips or any online bookseller.

Books


Books


Course Policies and ProceduresClass format: We will follow a lecture / discussion format during most class meetings. Power Points will be used in almost all class meetings and will be available for reviewing on the website. A substantial portion of class time will be spent screening and discussing various films and television shows. Manuscript form: All written assignments must be word-processed and submitted as Microsoft Word or Rich Text e-mail attachments submitted via the D2L drop boxes for each assignment. Please name the file with your own last name (for example: lavery.doc). Reading assignments: You are responsible for having read the entirety of each reading assignment. Participation & involvement: Please come prepared for each day’s class. I encourage you to become an active participant in class discussion and to ask constructive and meaningful questions at all times. Attendance: Regular attendance is essential to the ongoing progress of the course. Two absences will be permitted. A third absence may result in the loss of a letter grade. A fourth absence may result in failure of the course.


Course Policies and ProceduresInclement Weather Policy: Go here. Plagiarism / Cheating: The unacknowledged use of the words / ideas / insights / original research of another is, of course, prohibited. Should I catch you plagiarizing, or cheating in any way, you will receive a grade of "0" on the assignment in question, the violation may be reported to University authorities, and you may fail the course. Students with Disabilities: Any student with a disability will be given all the rights and privileges guaranteed under the Americans with Disabilities Act if he/she is registered with Disabled Student Services (call/contact John Harris, KUC 120/2783). University Writing Center: At The University Writing Center (now located in the Walker Library), sponsored by the English Department and staffed by full-time and adjunct faculty and graduate teaching assistants, you can get constructive help with a variety of writing problems, from pre-writing to organization to grammatical errors. (Please be aware, however, that the UWC does not do proofreading.) Grading Scale: 90-99%=A | 80-89%=B | 70-79%=C | 60-69%=D | 0-59%=F

ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The GrotesqueCourse Requirements

A critical essay (not less than 1,000 words in length) on course readings, paintings, photographs, or viewings (25% of course grade). Things to be Aware of When Writing Your Essays. Model Essay: Jackie Gardner, A Grotesque Display of Testosterone: The Man Show

Creation of a webpage on a major practitioner of the grotesque—to be housed on my own website on the grotesque [http://www.davidlavery.net/Grotesque/]. Go here to see a list of potential subjects; go here to learn more about the assignment; Model Website 1 Model Website 2 (30% of course grade).

http://www.davidlavery.net/Grotesque/The_Grotesque_In/grotesquepopularculture.html

http://www.davidlavery.net/Grotesque/The_Grotesque_In/grotesquepopularculture.html

http://www.davidlavery.net/Grotesque/

http://www.davidlavery.net/Grotesque/Major_Artists_Theorists/bruegel.html

http://www.davidlavery.net/Grotesque/Major_Artists_Theorists/oconnor.html


Course RequirementsAn in-class cognitive-memory mid-term, consisting of a variety of matching, identification, short answer questions (on authors, artists, terms, directors, titles, etc.). (10% of course grade)

A take-home essay final exam, in which you will write two 750 word essays on your choice from ten possible topics supplied by me (20% of course grade).

An in-class cognitive-memory final exam, similar to the mid-term but covering the entire course. (15% of course grade).


Agenda

Online Syllabus

http://davidlavery.net/Courses/2020/index.htm

http://davidlavery.net/Courses/2020/index.htm

Defining the Grotesque


The People of Walmart


World English Dictionarygross (ɡrəʊs) — adj 1 repellently or excessively fat or bulky2 Compare net with no deductions for expenses, tax, etc; total: gross sales gross income3 (of personal qualities, tastes, etc) conspicuously coarse or vulgar4 obviously or exceptionally culpable or wrong; flagrant: gross inefficiency5 lacking in perception, sensitivity, or discrimination: gross judgments6 (esp of vegetation) dense; thick; luxuriant7 obsolete coarse in texture or quality8 rare rude; uneducated; ignorant — interj9. an exclamation indicating disgust



Defining the Grotesque

engl 2020 themes in literature and culture: the grotesque english 2020-24 themes in literature and...

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