Vogel Reading Portfolio

Complete
Reading
Portfolio:
Stories and Genres of
Classical to Modern Literature
Spring 2012

Catheryn Vogel

Table of Contents
3) Classical/Medieval Epic 53) 19th Century 101) Criticism and Literary
7) Classical/Medieval Chaucer 54) Romantic Poetry Theory
9) Medieval Romance 56) Victorian Poetry 104) Communication and
12) Medieval Drama 58) American Literature Media
14) Classical Drama 61) British Fiction 107) Film
16) Religious Writing 63) Continental Literature 110) Rhetoric and
18) Renaissance/17th Century 65) American Fiction Argumentation
19) Shakespeare’s Plays 71) Drama 113) Theories/Process of
22) 16th/17th Century Poetry 73) 20th Century Dramas
29) Spenser/Milton/Allegory 74) 20th Century American 116) Theories /Process of
33) Continental Poetry Poetry
Contemporaries 82) American Fiction 118) Letters
36) Tudors and Elizabethans 88) British Fiction
41) 18th Century 90) Continental Literature
42) Alexander Pope 92) 20th Century Drama
44) Jonathon Swift 94) International
46) The Novel 96) 20th Century British
48) 18th Century Writers Poetry
99) 20th Century Criticism

Classical/Medieval
Epic

The Iliad -Homer
Read in Classical Mythology and Media (Spring 2011)

Notes:
Classic story of the Trojan war. Depiction
of Achilles‘s rage and fickleness. Also telling the
story of Achilles‘s feet, as well as the love story
between Paris and Helen—the woman whose ‗face
launched a thousand ships‘.

The Odyssey-Homer
Read in World Lit I (Fall 2011)

Notes:
Classic story of Odysseus‘s attempt to
return home after the course of the Trojan war. The
story tells of his struggles against a combination of
monsters and other obstacles. Finally, after many
long years away, he returns home to his wife, in
disguise as a beggar, to scare away the other suitors
who had come to try and win her love. Eventually,
Odysseus uses the ‗wrath of Achilles‘ to defeat all of
the men. He then reveals himself to his wife after he
has seen that she has remained pure to him.

Beowulf- Unknown
Read in British Lit I (Spring 2011)

Notes:
Beowulf is a great hero who goes to great
lengths to kill a monster named Grendel. He also
kills Grendel‘s mother who is even more destructive
than Grendel. The men celebrate Beowulf‘s bravery,
but then Beowulf meets his ultimate doom when he
battles a fire-breathing dragon protecting a cave of
gold and jewels. Beowulf is then buried with the
jewels, and a curse is put in place to stop anyone
from digging up the jewels.

Classical/Medieval
Chaucer

General Prologue –The Wife of Bath’s
Tale- The Knight’s Tale - Chaucer
Read in British Lit I (Spring 2011) and in World Lit I (Fall 2011)

Notes:
A classic frame story about several
interesting characters who are on a religious
pilgrimage. On their journey, they each tell a story
in hopes that their story will be selected as the
winning story. Most of the stories have either
religious or humorous undertones (sometimes
combined) to create a delightful reading experience.

Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight
Read in British Lit I (Spring 2011) and in World Lit I (Fall 2011)

Notes:
A classic story depicting the life of a knight
who remains loyal to his king by offering himself up
to fight with the Green Knight who barges into the
Christmas celebration. From there, the giant
challenges him to a head-chopping game, and Sir
Gawain follows the Knight who instructs him to chop
right at his neck. The knight then picks up his head,
and rides away reminding Gawain that in one year‘s
time Gawain will have to be repaid. Gawain is
fearful as he searches out the Knight. He finds
himself at a castle along his journey where he refuses
the advances of a very promiscuous queen. In the
end, Gawain remains pure and is rewarded.

Morte d’Arthur - Sir Thomas
Mallory

Notes:
The classic collection of snippets from the
life of King Arthur. In this collection, readers will
see bits about Sir Lancelot as well as Sir Gawaine.
Readers will see some of Arthur‘s most famous
battles such as his battle in Terrabil. There is also a
section in which Arthur marries his queen
Guinevere. Of course, the story would not be
complete without the magical, and often brutal,
visits of Morgan le Fey.

Everyman
Read in British Lit 1

Notes:
The classic story of English morality in
which Everyman, the main character (and
representative of all men) examines his own
salvation by alluding to allegorical characters. He
then tries to convince these characters to join him on
his journey in hopes that he can make himself seem
more worthy of redemption. Very similar to John
Bunyan‘s ―Pilgrim‘s Progress‖ .

Oedipus Rex- Sophocles
Read in Evolving Stage (Fall 2011)

Notes:
The classic Greek tale of catharsis.
Oedipus was a star, quickly rising to fame and glory,
but by fate he was doomed to kill his father and
marry his mother. Many tried to convince him to
not search out the truth, but being the noble man
that he was, he would not stop until the truth was
revealed. Once it was revealed, he stabbed out his
eyes, and was exiled from the kingdom. This story is
also the birth of the Oedipal Complex, which is
employed throughout many stories in all forms of
literature.

Genesis – King James’
Version

Notes:
The story of creation and the power of
God. Full of references to nature and birth. After all
of the creation, the fall of man occurs. Many of these
stories are alluded to in thousands of other stories
throughout all literary forms.

Renaissance/17 th

Century

Othello – Shakespeare
Read in Evolving Stage (Fall 2011)

Notes:
The story of Othello‘s rage against his own
insecurity. Many ideas are explored in this play,
such as passion, love, and psychological undertones.
I feel the Iago is a representation of the ID—the all
powerful, instinctual part of the conscious; Othello
would be a representation of the Ego—the easily-
influenced ‗center ground‘ of the conscious;
Desdemona would then be a representation of the
super ego—the devoutly angelic, pure and
wholesome part of the conscious that tries to fight
over the impulses of the ID. However, in the story,
evil ends up winning over the good, but all end up
dying.

Hamlet - Shakespeare
Personal Reading

Notes:
The dramatic tale of Prince Hamlet‘s
revenge on his uncle Claudius who took the life of his
father, King Hamlet. The story also contains a sub
plot with stories of Polonius and his daughter
Ophelia, whom Hamlet courts. However, once
Hamlet becomes so bent on trying to seek revenge,
he looses his focus on Ophelia who eventually dies of
grief.

16th/17th Century
Poetry

Sonnets 54 and 64 from
“Amoretti” Edmund Spenser
Read in British Literature I (Spring 2011)

Notes:
Romantic poems longing for the love of
the woman that has stolen his heart. He speaks of
her beauty and vigor. He talks of her sweet smell
and claims that there is no smell sweeter than her.
Although some of his comparisons are a bit odd, it is
also oddly intriguing and beautiful in a sense unlike
any other—it‘s mesmerizing.

William Shakespeare
Sonnets 3, 18, 29, 73, 97, 116, and 130
Read in British Lit 1 (Spring 2011)

Notes:
These poems speak of beauty- either
pertaining to art/nature, maidens, or inner beauty.
There are many references to the changing of the
seasons which would reflect time passing and shifts
within the sonnets themselves. Although most of the
poems are conventional in their ways of describing
love and beauty, Sonnet 130 has a much more
playful tone that speaks about the unattractiveness
of a particular maiden; however, his response to her
appearance is still noteworthy enough for him to
write about it because he loves her despite her
appearance.

John Donne
―A Valediction Forbidding Mourning‖, ―Song‖, ―Love‘s Alchemy‖, ―The Flea‖, ―Air and
Angels‖, ―The Undertaking‖,

Notes:
These poems are all very romantically
influenced. Although they range from tones of
sadness to happiness, and even playfulness, they all
represent the stages of love how much it means to a
person. They also show change, and lack of change—
more specifically, how two can change so greatly
throughout a lifetime together, and yet, their love for
each other can remain as strong as ever.

John Donne
―Good Friday 1613. Riding Westward‖, Holy Sonnets 5, 10, 14, ―The Funeral‖, ―The Good
Morrow‖,

Notes:
These poems rely very heavily on religious
tones and references. Many of them point to God as
having total control over our lives, and how Death,
personified, is terrifying and yet even he too can be
conquered. Many of these poems could be tied into
the book of Genesis, or other biblical books.
Although there are still some aspects of romance, the
romance could also be a depiction of his love for
God.

Robert Herrick
―Upon Julia‘s Clothes‖, ―Upon the Nipples of Julia‘s Breasts‖, ―Delight and Disorder‖,
and ―To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time‖

Notes:
These poems are very sensually driven.
They speak of the beauty of women, and depict a
picture of women at their prime. There are also
many references to sexual parts of the woman‘s body
and fertility in general. Of course allusions to
intercourse are also included and referenced to in
many of the poems.

Andrew Marvell
―To His Coy Mistress‖, ―The Garden‖

Notes:
These poems are very romantically
influenced. The speaker refers to Nature and the
cycles of Nature, as well as wildlife as a symbol of life
and the cycles of fertility. The beauty of the woman
is also being compared to different forces or objects
of Nature as well. Sexuality is also factored in
somewhat through symbolism (i.e. trees, ponds
phallic and yanic symbols).

John Milton
―Lycidas‖, ―L‘Allegro‖, ―Il Penseroso‖, and ―When I Consider How My Light is Spent‖

Notes:
These poems are very heavily influenced
by Greek Mythology and mythological characters.
These themes are most likely employed to show the
fury and strength of the gods and goddesses in
comparison to the weak and mortal human. ―When I
consider How My Light is Spent‖ has a intense shift,
however, because it shows that the speaker is taking
control—even though he knows he cannot control his
own fate—he still questions life and how his actions
have or can affect others.

John Bunyan
―Pilgrim‘s Progress‖

Notes:
This story is very similar to Everyman. It
employs the use of allegorical characters such as
Christian, Evangelist, Obstinate, Pliable, Help, Mr.
Worldly Wiseman, and a few others. The characters
actions are then based on their names, and Christian
learns how to handle the encounters that he has with
each one as he travels to find ‗The Celestial City‖.

Edmund Spenser
Book 1 of the Faerie Queene

Notes:
This epic poem is completely written in
allegory, as it explores the journey of several knights
in an examination of different virtues. Spenser
employs several virtues that he had encountered
during his studies of Aristotle and St. Thomas
Aquinas, and although Spenser only uses six virtues
throughout the story, several of the characters are
also tied into virtue—such as the Faerie Queene and
Glory.

Miguel de Cervantes
Chapters from Don Quixote – excerpted from the Norton Anthology of World
Masterpieces
Read in World Lit 1 (Fall 2011)

Notes:
This story is an all time favorite for many
because Don Quixote has such determination to
make his greatest dreams a reality. He pushes past
the cultural acceptance, and goes out to do the things
that he‘s always dreamed of doing—and that is being
a knight. So throughout his journey, with his faithful
sidekick, Sancho Panza, Quixote finds that the world
is much more dangerous than he imagined! Or, sort
of… Very humorous read, and yet it teaches an
important lesson of never giving up on your
dreams—even if society does not accept them.

Giovanni Boccaccio
From Decameron – Introduction to frame tale; First Day, Story 2 and Ninth Day, Story
2
Read in World Lit 1 (Fall 2011)

Notes:
These stories are very humorous , which is
very interesting considering the state of the world at
this point in history. At the time this story was
written, the Black Plague was striking and reeking
havoc on the world‘s population. Although some do
contain more serious tones, there are two that really
focus only on sexual gratification, as well as the
powerful desires of female sexuality. It definitely
employs the ideas of virtues similar to Pilgrim’s
Progress and The Faerie Queene, but it does so in a
very different flavor, which will surprise and delight.

Ben Johnson
―To the Memory of my Beloved Master William Shakespeare‖, and ―Ode to Himself‖

Notes:
These poems are, of course, celebrating
the works and accomplishments of these two men.
Ben Johnson extols Shakespeare‘s works, and it is
very noticeable that Johnson regards him as a
master in his other works as well. Although ―Ode to
Himself‖ is a bit conceded, it is still interesting to
read because it calls on every person to stop and to
join in the praise to the ‗king‘.

Christopher Marlowe
―Hero and Leander‖ and Dr. Faustus
Read in Brit Lit 1 (Spring 2011)

Notes:
Although these two works are very
different, they are concentrated on morality and
relying on the fates of the gods. ―Hero and Leander‖
is actually a mythological tale about two lovers who
are brought together by Aphrodite, and then
separated by nature. Dr. Faustus, is the story of a
man who sells his soul to the devil for power and
knowledge. Dr. Faustus is then stopped once he
realizes that he can no longer be with the one he
loves. This story as well focuses on virtues and
choices that we make to shape our own fates. This
motif of ‗selling your soul‘ is repeated countless
times throughout literary history as well.

Francis Bacon
―Of Superstition‖ and ―Of Studies‖

Notes:
Francis Bacon is an excellent author
because many of his readers enjoy the way he muses
over topics and collects thoughts in a whimsical
manner to create a lovely picture that describes what
he is speaking about perfectly. These two topics in
particular were very important in his era and he
muses over how the two are both important, or how
they can be perceived differently by different people.
Very enjoyable and amusing.

Sir Thomas More
Utopia Selection

Notes:
This story is a frame narrative which
primarily depicts and island society and how its
religious, social and political customs deem it as
―Utopia‖—or land of perfection. Although the Island
does participate in some questionable practices—
such as ease of divorce and euthanasia—the book is
largely seen as a criticism of European culture and
customs.

Alexander Pope
The Dunciad, ―An Essay on Criticism‖, ‗The Rape of the Lock‖, and ―An Essay on Man‖

Notes:
―An Essay on Criticism‖ was one of Pope‘
first pieces he wrote. He employed the heroic
couplet style to this piece, and the piece questioned if
poetry should be natural or written to adhere to
previously stated rules.

―The Rape of the Lock‖ is a mock-epic poem which
alludes to a fictional card game ―ombre‖, which
many have attempted to recreate.

The Dunciad was considered one of Pope‘s moral
essays. This work brought him much trouble as
many readers did not agree with his stances.

―An Essay on Man‖ is a philosophical poem, again
written using heroic couplets. The poem focuses
heavily on religion and redemption.

Jonathon Swift
―A Modest Proposal‖, Gulliver‘s Travels, and ―A Description of a City Shower‖

Notes:
―A Modest Proposal‖ is satirical piece that
offers the suggestion that Ireland should use the
flesh of newborn children to solve the problems of
their poverty—although it is supposed to convey the
message that Ireland is being eaten by England.

Gulliver‘s Travels is considered to be Swift‘s
masterpiece writing. It focuses mainly on the nature
of humankind and uses much symbolism and
allegory to reflect the political situation of the time.

―A Description of a City Shower‖ describes what
would happen after a rain shower in England. Many
cities would dump all of the sewage into the streets,
and so when it would rain, the contents would rush
downward, since many cities were built on hills so as
to create a ‗sewage system‘.

Samuel Richardson
Pamela
Read in Seminar (Spring 2012)

Notes:
This story is considered to be one of the
basic handbooks for women at the time. Pamela is
also one of the first stories that follows the plot line
of a young, innocent maid being chased by her rich,
overpowering master. In the end, her ‗virtue‘ is
rewarded when her master marries her. All
throughout the story she pities her situation—and
resists his attempts (and even manages to dodge his
attempt to rape her). In the end, she is overjoyed
that he has ‗come around‘, and feels glad to have
been ‗rewarded‘.

Samuel Johnson
―The Vanity of Human Wishes‖

Notes:
This poem was what made Johnson
considered to be one who is perpetually a poet.
Johnson emphasizes vulnerability in terms of social
context, and self deception.

William Cowper
―The Castaway‖

Notes:
This is a very bleak poem that describes
the travels of a sea-bound man. Although it does not
go into much detail, it tells of his struggles.
Eventually the man is swept away by the waves and
no one mourns his death. The speaker then reveals
that he is in a place much deeper than that sunken
man.

Philip Freneau
―The Wild Honeysuckle‖

Notes:
This poem is very natural and describes
the life of a honeysuckle. It describes the challenges
that the flower may face—such as shade, frost, and
dew. It describes the fragility of the flower and how
even though it is so beautiful, it is, at times,
unnoticed and unappreciated.

Thomas Paine
Common Sense
Read for enjoyment – unknown date

Notes:
This all-time, best-selling American book
advocated for colonial America‘s independence from
Great Britain. Thomas wrote the book so that it was
oriented in the future, so to compel the reader to
make an immediate choice. He wanted to raise
resentment towards Britain, and wanted to gain
people‘s approval for democracy. Although, many
would later argue that Paine‘s ideas were very
radical, his writing did help to achieve America‘s
independence.

William Wordsworth
―Tintern Abbey‖ and ―The Ruined Cottage‖

Notes:
―Tintern Abbey‖, is a reflection of
Wordsworth‘s childhood. He muses about the
simplicity and how he had admired the abbey. The
poem also invokes the help of God. It is rooted in
some religious views.

―The Ruined Cottage‖ highlights social and economic
concerns. Margaret's husband joins the army to gain
an income, but leaves Margaret destitute and
without the means to support herself. The poem also
shows how this social and economic hardship affects
those involved: both Robert and Margaret lose hope.

Lewis Carroll
―Jabberwocky‖ and Humpty Dumpty‘s explication

Notes:
―Jabberwocky‖ is one of the greatest
nonsense poems written in English. It‘s playful,
whimsical language has given us nonsense words
such as ―galumphing‖ and ―chortle‖.

Humpty Dumpty‘s explication is mainly used as a
way to describe the meaning of the words used in
Jabberwocky. Alice (from Alice in Wonderland) is
confused about all the words used, and Humpty
Dumpty does the task of explaining them both for
Alice and the reader.

Walt Whitman
―Crossing Brooklyn Ferry‖
Read in American Lit 1 (Spring 2011)

Notes:
―Crossing Brooklyn Ferry‖ is part of
Whitman‘s collection Leaves of Grass. It describes
the ferry trip across the East
River from Manhattan to Brooklyn at the exact
location that was to become the Brooklyn Bridge.
The poem specifically addresses future readers who
will look back on it, and the ferry ride.

Emily Dickinson
#465 and #712

Notes:
#465 describes a very somber situation in
which the speaker is on her death bed and hears a fly
buzzing in the silence of the room. She describes
how her keepsakes were taken and she was left alone
to die.

#712 describes the speaker‘s ride with the bringer of
death, or the Grim Reaper. The poem is not dark but
rather describes a leisurely ride through the country
side that takes the speaker to eternity.

Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice

Notes:
The story follows the main
character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with
issues of manners, upbringing, morality,
education, and marriage in the society. As the
story progresses, so does her relationship with
Fitzwilliam Darcy, who belongs to a higher
social class than Elizabeth. The course of
Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship is ultimately
decided when Darcy overcomes his pride, and
Elizabeth overcomes her prejudice, leading to
them both surrendering to the love they have
for each other.

Fyodor Dostoevsky
Notes from the Underground

Notes:
The story is considered by many to be
the first existentialist novel. It presents itself as
an excerpt from the rambling memoirs of a
bitter, isolated, unnamed narrator who is a
retired civil servant living in St. Petersburg.

Stephen Crane
The Red Badge of Courage

Notes:
This story is a war novel that took
place during the American Civil War, the story
is about a young private of the Union Army,
Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of
battle. Overcome with shame, he longs for a
wound—a "red badge of courage"—to
counteract his cowardice. When his regiment
once again faces the enemy, Henry acts
as standard-bearer.

Charlotte P. Gillman
The Yellow Wall Paper

Notes:
This story is about a psychotic woman
who sees women trapped in the pieces of
yellow wall paper in her room. Although the
poem never states that the narrator is crazy,
the reader can gather from several clues that
she is untrustworthy.

Kate Chopin
The Awakening

Notes:
This story is about a wife who is
informed that her husband has died in a train
accident. She is overjoyed with the idea of
freedom, and throws herself into almost a
craze-like state, but eventually she finds out
that he has survived and dies of a heart attack.
The doctor tells her husband that she has died
because of joy, but the reader will realize that
she died because of shock and disappointment.

Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn

Notes:
This classic American story tells of the
travels of Huckleberry Finn, a young boy
hoping to escape from the iron-fisted rule of
Miss Watson. Along the way he runs into the
escaped slave Jim, and the two become
friends. Together they try to outwit Huck‘s
father as well as the meddling ―Duke‖ and
―Dauphin‖. Eventually, Huck returns and Tom
tattles on Jim.

Sarah Orne Jewett
―A White Heron‖

Notes:
A beautifully written short story about a
young girl who goes to live with her grandparents in
the country. While she is there, a hunter stumbles
onto their property. Her grandparents allow him to
stay, and he tells them of his quest to find a white
heron‘s nest. He offers to pay Sylvia money to find
the nest, and she is determined to find it. The next
day, she climbs to the top of a tree and spots the
nest, but she encounters the beauty of the bird, and
refuses to tell the hunter. The hunter leaves
discouraged, but soon realizes the truth.

Oscar Wilde
The Importance of Being Earnest
Read in the Evolving Stage (Fall 2011)

Notes:
A humorous play about a young man who
claims that his name is Earnest in order to win the
affection of a young maiden, Gwendolen. Ironically,
Earnest is also his undercover name, so that he can
live a double life. As he confesses this story to
another man, Algernon, Algernon admits that he too
has invented a double name, Bunbury, to escape
some of the troubles/situations he has caused.
Gwendolen‘s mother, Lady Bracknell, calls on
Algernon, and so he distracts her while Earnest
proposes to Gwendolen. Eventually, Lady Bracknell
comes to approve of Earnest, and Algernon marries
Cecily.

Robert Frost
―After Apple Picking‖

Notes:
This poem is full of nostalgia as the reader
encounters the process of the narrator picking
apples. The reader will also see glimpses of a
reflection of the cycle of nature. The speaker almost
seems to be aging during the poem, and the reader
will see references such as the fruit and harvest.

Wallace Stevens
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird

Notes:
This poems consists of thirteen short,
separate poems, all of which
mention blackbirds in some way. The poem
seems somewhat disjointed, so the reader has
to be willing to let go of traditional linear
poems and accept the interesting imagery that
Stevens employs. This poem has also inspired
many others, and is a style that is widely used.

Ezra Pound
Poetry – ―In a Station in the Metro‖, and ―The River Merchant‘s Wife: A Letter‖

Notes:
"In a Station of the Metro" is
an Imagist poem by Ezra Pound published in
1913 in the literary magazine Poetry. In the
poem, Pound describes a moment in the
underground metro station in Paris in 1912;
Pound suggested that the faces of the
individuals in the metro were best put into a
poem not with a description but with a
question.

―The River Merchant‘s Wife: A Letter‖ is a
poem in which a wife describes how she fell in
love, and how her husband departed for war.
She wants to meet him again, even though he
is most likely gone.

Robert Lowell
―Skunk Hour‖
Read in Modern Post Modern Genre (Spring 2011)

Notes:
This poem tells of the skunks that
would come to eat the garbage in the can. It
describes how the skunk is menacing an yet an
innocent creature who is just trying to feed her
young.

Theodore Roethke
―My Papa‘s Waltz‖

Notes:
This poem is about a boy‘s
description of his father. Although there is
some debate over whether the father is abusive
or not, the poem still wonderfully depicts their
relationship—one that almost every reader
would be able to identify with in some way.

William Stafford
Travelling through the Dark

Notes:
This poem tells of a driver who is
driving along a canyon road and sees a dead
deer lying in the road. He gets out of his car to
push her over the edge of the canyon—since
leaving her would possibly cause an accident.
When he goes to push her, he sees that she is
pregnant and that her fawn is still waiting to be
born. He still decides to push her over because
he knew no one would be able to take care of
the fawn.

T.S. Elliot
―The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock‖
Read in Modern Postmodern Genre (Spring 2011)

Notes:
This poems is about an aging man
who is rather pathetic. He so wishes to be with
a woman, but he knows that he is not the man
they are looking for. However, he makes no
attempts to try to get their attention. Instead,
he just leaves the party deflated and pitying
himself.

Ralph Ellison
Invisible Man

Notes:
This novel addresses many of the
social and intellectual issues facing African-
Americans in the early twentieth century,
including black nationalism, the relationship
between black identity and Marxism, and the
reformist racial policies of Booker T.
Washington, as well as issues of individuality
and personal identity.

Alice Walker
Everyday Use

Notes:
This story focuses on an African
American woman and her two daughters,
Maggie, who still live traditionally in the rural
South, and her educated, successful daughter
Dee, or "Wangero" as she prefers to be called,
who scorns her immediate roots in favor of a
pretentious "native African" identity.

Edith Wharton
Roman Fever

Notes:
Grace Ansley and Alida Slade, are
visiting Rome with their daughters. A
romantic rivalry led Mrs. Slade to feelings of
jealousy and hatred against Mrs. Ansley. The
two women compare their daughters and
reflect on each other's lives. Mrs. Slade reveals
a secret about a letter written to Mrs. Ansley
on a visit to Rome many years ago. The letter
was purportedly from Mrs. Slade's fiancé,
Delphin, inviting Mrs. Ansley to a rendezvous
at the Colosseum. In fact, Mrs. Slade herself
had written the letter, in an attempt to get Mrs.
Ansley out of the way of the engagement by
disappointing her with Delphin's absence Mrs.
Ansley is upset at this revelation, but reveals
that she was not left alone.

F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby

Notes:
This story focuses on Nick Carraway
who is anxious and decided to move to New
York to start his career. Nick has rented a
house next to the mysterious house of the
Great Gatsby. He makes friends with Tom and
Daisy, and is set up to date a girl named
Jordan. Eventually they are invited to a party
of Jay Gatsby‘s. Gatsby tells Nick to set up a
date for him and Daisy, which eventually gets
Gatsby killed. Nick moves back to where he
was from.

Flannery O’Connor
―Good Country People‖

Notes:
Mrs. Hopewell's daughter, Joy, lost
her leg in a childhood accident. Joy is an
atheist and has a Ph.D. in philosophy and
changed her name to "Hulga‖. A Bible
salesman visits the family. Manly invites Joy
for a picnic date the next evening, and she
ironically imagines seducing the innocent Bible
salesman. During the datehe produces a
hollowed-out Bible containing a bottle of
whiskey, sex cards, and some condoms. He
then persuades her to remove her prosthetic
leg and her glasses. He tries to get her to drink
some liquor, but she rebuffs his advances. At
that point he disappears with her leg after
telling her that he collects prostheses from
disabled people and is an atheist.

James Joyce
―Araby‖ and ―The Dead‖
Read in Modern Postmodern Genre (Spring 2011)

Notes:
‖Araby‖ has first-person narration,
the reader is immersed at the start of the story
in the drab life, which seems to be illuminated
only by the imagination of the children who,
insist on playing. The children‘s play is infused
with a magical way of perceiving the world.

―The Dead‖ centers on Gabriel Conroy on the
night of the annual dance and dinner. The
narrative generally concentrates on Gabriel's
insecurities, his social awkwardness, and the
defensive way he copes with his discomfort.
The story culminates at the point when Gabriel
discovers that, through years of marriage,
there was much he never knew of his wife's
past.

Franz Kafka
Metamorphosis
Read in Seminar (Spring 2012)

Notes:
An inspiring story that allows for the
reader to place paralysis and change side-by-
side and see the freeing nature of absurd
events, as well as seeing the tragedy as well.
Very associated with James Joyce‘s writing as
well as Ovid‘s Metamorphosis.

Luigi Pirandello
Six Characters in Search of an Author
Read in the Evolving Stage (Fall 2011)

Notes:
An acting company prepares to
rehearse a play. As the rehearsal is about to
begin the play is unexpectedly interrupted by
the arrival of six strange people. The Director
of the play, furious at the interruption,
demands an explanation. The Father explains
that they are unfinished characters in search of
an author to finish their story. The Director
initially believes them to be mad, but as they
begin to argue amongst themselves and reveal
details of their story he begins to listen. While
he isn't an author, the Director agrees to stage
their story despite the disbelief amongst the
jeering actors. In the end, the Director is
unsure if it was just an act or not.

Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Apart
Read in Literary Criticism (Fall 2010)

Notes:
The novel depicts the life
of Okonkwo, a leader and local wrestling
champion in Umuofia—one of a fictional group
of nine villages in Nigeria, inhabited by
the Igbo ethnic group. In addition it focuses on
his three wives, his children, and the
influences of British colonialism and
Christian missionaries on his
traditional Igbo(archaically "Ibo") community
during the late nineteenth century.

20th Century British
Poetry

W.B. Yeats
―Lake Isle of Innisfree‖

Notes:
This poem is very heavily influenced
by nature. The speaker describes a haven
where he used to travel when he was younger.
It was a wild land, where he could hear the
sounds of nature and take a break from his
busy city life.

Dylan Thomas
―Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night‖

Notes:
This poem alludes to the life of man.
There is much symbolism employed such as
light, night, and the death of light. It talks
about the struggles of man, and to never give
up or to let go of light gently.

Northrop Frye
Anatomy of Criticism
Read in Contemporary Rhetoric (Fall 2011)

Notes:
This series of essays attempts to
formulate an overall view of the scope, theory,
principles, and techniques of literary criticism.
Frye consciously omits all specific and
practical criticism, instead offering classically-
inspired theories of modes, symbols, myths
and genres, in what he termed "an
interconnected group of suggestions." The
literary approach proposed by Frye
in Anatomy was highly influential in the
decades before deconstructivist criticism and
other expressions of postmodernism

Samuel Johnson
Preface to Shakespeare

Notes:
Johnson rejects the previous dogma
of the classical unities and argues that drama
should be faithful to life. However, Johnson
did not only defend Shakespeare; he discussed
Shakespeare's faults, including his lack of
morality, his vulgarity, his carelessness in
crafting plots, and his occasional
inattentiveness when choosing words or word
order. As well as direct literary criticism,
Johnson emphasized the need to establish a
text that accurately reflects what an author
wrote.

Edgar Allen Poe
―The Philosophy of Composition‖
Read in Edgar Allen Poe Author Study Class (Spring 2010)

Notes:
A theory about how good writers
write when they write well. He concludes that
length, unity and method are important
players for good writing. He uses examples
from his own texts to support his claims.
Although, the reader might question whether
or not Poe actually employs these methods, it
is nevertheless a comprehensive read.

Communication and
Media

Aristotle
Rhetoric
Read in Contemporary Rhetoric (Spring 2011)

Notes:
Aristotle presents some of the
founding ideas of rhetoric in this historic piece
that would shape the world of rhetoric as we
know today. His ideas of ethos, pathos, and
logos are actually still widely used in modern
communication. Aristotle also provokes his
reader to think about the arguments they make
and how to avoid making fallacies.

Neil Postman
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Read in Contemporary Rhetoric (Spring 2011)

Notes:
Postman allows for his reader to take
a deeper look at George Orwell‘s 1984, which is
a futuristic, distopian story that coveys a
society that has been overridden by
technology. He compares the contemporary
world to Orwell‘s definitions, and provokes his
reader to question whether or not we are truly
―amusing ourselves to death‖.

Singin’ in the Rain
Watched for enjoyment (unknown date)

Notes:
A fun-filled film about love and
performing. One of the first movies to ever
show the transition of silent films to ―talkies‖.
It has also made it as a top competitor for ―best
musical‖. Critics have also acclaimed it as one
of the most aesthetically well-made movies of
all time.

The Seven Samurai
Watched for Seminar (Spring 2012)

Notes:
An action-packed movie involving
the trials and tribulations of war-weary
samurais looking for new disciples. Just as
they thought all was lost, they found some of
the best men for the position. This movie as
well has also progressed critically as it has
been deemed one of the best movies of all
time.

bell hooks
Studied in Contemporary Rhetoric (Spring 2011)

Notes:
hooks focuses heavily on women‘s
rights as well as sexuality, education, health
care, and several of the issues that are still very
politically charged today. She is an advocate
for small changes, and believes that each
individual can contribute to the greater good.

Michel Foucault
Studied in Contemporary Rhetoric (Spring 2011)

Notes:
Foucault is best known for his
critical studies of social institutions, most
notably psychiatry, social anthropology of
medicine, the human sciences and the prison
system, as well as for his work on the history of
human sexuality. His writings on power,
knowledge, and discourse have been widely
influential in academic circles.

Theories/Process of
Dramas

Aristotle
Poetics
Studied in the Evolving Stage (Fall 2011)

Notes:
Aristotle discusses at length how
poetry and plays should have mimesis,
catharsis, a reversal, an identification, a tragic
flaw, a plot, characters, a theme, diction,
melody, and be a spectacle. His principles are
still widely used today in the production of
theatre performances.

Bertolt Brecht
―Theatre for Pleasure and Theatre for Instruction‖
Studied in the Evolving Stage (Fall 2011)

Notes:
In this piece, Brecht opens the door
for the amateur to see what the differences are
between theatre for pleasure and theatre for
instruction. He argues that both are of use, but
they do not coincide.

Theories/Process of
Poetry

Adrienne Rich
Arts of the Possible: Essays and Conversations
Studied in American Lit I (Spring 2010)

Notes:
A strong feminist, essayist and poet, Rich
made her mark by speaking for the oppressed
women and lesbians in poetry. She employed the
social power of poetry, and hoped to inspire others to
move to action.

John Keats
Letters
Read for enjoyment (unknown time)

Notes:
A strong poetic in the British romantic
movement, Keats loved to express his sexual desires
and love in his letters. Although his letters may seem
predictable to the modern reader, they are still
influential as some of the building blocks of love
letters.

Brewing More…
I could always use another cup of literature, therefore, do not fret, this is
not the end of my studies!

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