課程簡述
Brief course description
         The topic of the seminar focuses on the institution of prose fiction in terms of religious practice,the change of modes of production, and the transformation of socio-cultural milieu in the eighteen century England. Thus, this is a reading course designed basically for a transatlantic study of some writers and their rapport with the rise of English prose fiction. By reading our way through selected oeuvres of these writers, we will work towards a definition of prose fiction and its multi-faceted forms of narratology. To become acquainted with a wide spectrum of the works of the long eighteenth century, we will study several Puritan writers, including Thomas Morton (1579-1646), New English Canaan (1637); William Bradford (1588-1657), History of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647 (1651); John Bunyan (1628-1688),The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678); Daniel Defoe (1660?-1731), Robinson Crusoe (1719); Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790),Autobiography (1771-1789).

         Simultaneously, we would juxtapose these works alongside with critiques on the theory of the novel from the inception of the genre to its maturity so as to work towards a view of early fiction that would give us a better view to the history of the novel. To this end, we have set the designated reading materials to include a variety of criticism and discourses on the theory of the novel, cultural studies, and philosophy. These critics play important roles in heralding paradigm change in their respective fields to some extent. These works are Louis Althusser,. “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (Notes towards an Investigation)” (1969); Erich Auerbach, Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature (1946); Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin, The Dialogic Imagination (1946); Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adornor. “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception.” (1944); Michael McKeon, The Origins of the English Novel 1600-1740; Ian Watt, The Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe, Richardson and Fielding (1957); Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904). Although our emphasis may fall upon the arbitrary conventions, we shall also attempt to read these texts that rework the themes and situations of English society so as to develop a more sustained and critical interpretation of prose fiction.

指定用書
Text Books

參考用書
References

教學方式
Teaching Method
Lectures and discussions are the major pedagogy in the class. The instructor will lecture on the topics and issues concerning the dynamic among prose fiction, Puritan practice, and the rise of capitalism. In fact, the change of mode of production and the transformation of socio-cultural contexts herald the evolution of literary genre in England in the eighteenth century. Students are expected to read closely the designated reading materials before class and participate in class discussion so as to articulate their understanding and critiques of materials under study. Beginning from Week 4, the instructor will ask students to present topics of interest on the texts or related literary theory with PowerPoint for about 30 minutes.

教學進度
Syllabus

成績考核
Evaluation
Evaluation of students’ performance is based on participation in class discussions, presentation on topic of interest concerning the text or critical theory (30 minutes), and term paper (25 pages). The paper should be typed in the format of 12-point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced with 1 inch margin. Paper copy of term paper is due on Week 16. No late paper is allowed. All of these serve for the instructor to understand the validity of the pedagogy, to train the students’ capabilities to analyze literary texts and some related materials, and to articulate their perception of the field in verbal and written forms both logically coherent and well organized. Students who actively participate in class discussions will have some credits for their performance and have favorable consideration for their grades (GPA).