Literature Humanities 07-08

Getting ready for January 23rd

While some of you are probably still taking finals, I'm still thinking about Lit Hum and decided to go ahead and post the assignment for our first class in the new semester. So for class on Wednesday, January 23rd, please read the first two books of The Aeneid and Gao Xingjian's Nobel Acceptance Lecture. You might begin the Xingjian piece by reading the brief biography at the very end. Please also print this out so you can bring a copy to class.

The previous post has some Aeneid stuff to help you get started with the text. I do recommend looking at the map and at the book summaries especially so you can spend less time worrying about what exactly is happening and more time thinking about what else the text is doing.

I'll also be posting the reading schedule and a couple of other things in a few days, but you probably won't even see this post for a couple of weeks anyway.

Already ready for classes to start,
Jeff

UPDATED: Reading schedule and essay assignments are now posted in the Pages section.

PS-Our new logo image is a statue of Augustus from around 10 BCE.

Final Review Materials

So here are the two PowerPoint files that I used in class today. Use them as you will.

Practice Quotations: Download lithumfinalreviewfall2007-1.ppt

Character and Theme Checklists: Download fall2007themeandcharacter.ppt

Remember, the exam is 12:30pm Friday in our cozy classroom, 111 Carmen.
Jeff

Final Exam Instructions

So I received permission to show you guys the instructions for each part of the final exam. Thought this might help.
Jeff
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Literature Humanities Final Exam                                        Fall 2007

Works Read: ILIAD, HYMN TO DEMETER, ODYSSEY, THE HISTORIES, ORESTEIA, OEDIPUS THE KING, MEDEA, HISTORY OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR, APOLOGY, CLOUDS, SYMPOSIUM, THE BOOK OF GENESIS, THE BOOK OF JOB, THE GOSPEL OF LUKE, THE GOSPEL JOHN

 
Part I: IDENTIFICATIONS (50 minutes).  Identify ten of the following passages, noting the author, the title, and the speaker (where appropriate). Indicate the occasion or situation in which the passage occurs and, in two or three sentences, its importance to the work as a whole. Remember to record the numbers of the passages you identify in your exam booklet.

Part II PASSAGE ANALYSIS (one hour)
In essay form, write a detailed analysis of one of the following passages.  You should address the following issues: 1) the immediate context and importance of the passage; 2) the particular themes, structure, images, and language of the passage; 3) in your conclusion, the significance of the passage within the work as a whole. 

Note: Whichever work you choose to analyze here may not form part of the discussion in your essay for Part III.

Part III: ESSAY (one hour)
Choose one of the following three questions and discuss its relevance to three of the works we have read this semester (including works specific to your instructor=s syllabus).  Provide a clear thesis, organize your essay carefully, and give particular examples to support your general assertions. 

Note: you must use works other than the one you analyzed in Part II.

Well, I guess we can call off the class...

Since this pretty much covers it....