1. Thematic Approaches to the Study of Literature Fantastic and Marvellous Realities Dr. Fernando de Toro English 1400 A04 Academic Term Winter 2015 - CRN 26206 Tier 214 MWF 13:30 - 14:20 Office: Fletcher Argue Building Room 628 e-mail: fernando.detoro@umanitoba.cafernando.detoro@umanitoba.ca Telephone: 474-8141 Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday: 11:30-12:30pm

2. I. Introduction  Twentieth-Century literature has characterised itself by the presence of the ‘fantastic’ in many literary texts, particularly in narrative. The objective of this course is to pay particular attention to how the fantastic creates ‘marvellous realities’, and how this is constructed in the various texts that will be examined. It will be of particular importance to introduce various theories of the ‘fantastic’ (T. Todorov), of ‘Magic Realism’ (Roh) and the Marvellous Real (Carpentier) in order to provide some tools for the analysis of the texts in question.

3.  II.Method of Evaluation  A) Number of exams: 1 (2 hours)  Date: April (to be announced)  Value: 40%  B) Number of Assignments: 4 Dates, length and value:  1) DUE January 30 th Essay 1 (500 words) 10%  2) DUE February 13 th Essay 2 (500 words) 10%  3) DUE March 11 th Essay 3 (1000 words) 20%  4) DUE April 10 th Essay 4 (1000 words) 20%

4.  III. Required Readings: Literature  Achebe, Chinua. (1958). Things Fall Apart. Canada: Anchor Canada.  Carter, Angela. (1979). The Bloody Chamber. New York: Harper and Row.  Coetzee, J. M. (1986). Foe. Toronto: Stoddart.  Malouf, David. (1999). An Imaginary Life. London: Vintage Books.  Morrison, Toni. (1982). Sula. New York: A Plume Book.  Morrison, Toni. (1988). Beloved. New York: A Plume Book.  Roy, Arundhati. (1997). The God of Small Things. Canada: Vintage Canada.  Winterson, Jeanette. (1989). The Passion. New York: Vintage Books.

5.  IV. Reference: Required  Hacker, Diana. (1996). A Canadian Writer’s Reference. 2 nd edition. Scarborough: Nelson Canada.  V. Reading Schedule  January 7: Course Outline presentation  January 9: Essay Writing / Notes / Bibliography  January 12: Essay Writing  January 14: Alejo Carpentier. (1904-1980) On the marvelous real (lo real maravilloso): 1949

6.  V. Reading Schedule  January 16: Alejo Carpentier. (1904-1980) On the marvelous real (lo real maravilloso: 1949  January 19: Alejo Carpentier. (1904-1980) On the marvelous real (lo real maravilloso: 1949  January 21: Franz Roh. (1890-1965) On Magic Realism: 1925  January 23: Franz Roh. (1890-1965) On Magic Realism: 1925  January 26: Franz Roh. (1890-1965) On Magic Realism: 1925

7.  V. Reading Schedule  January 28: Tzvetan Todorov. (1939) On the Fantastic: 1970  January 30: Tzvetan Todorov. (1939) On the Fantastic: 1970  Essay 1 DUE January 30 th  February 2: Toni Morrison. (1988). Beloved  February 4: Toni Morrison. (1988). Beloved  February 6: Toni Morrison. (1988). Beloved

8.  V. Reading Schedule  February 9: Toni Morrison. (1988). Beloved  February 11: Jeanette Winterson. (1989). The Passion  February 13: Jeanette Winterson. (1989). The Passion  Essay 2 DUE February 13 th  February 16-20: Mid Term Break  February 23: Jeanette Winterson. (1989). The Passion

9.  V. Reading Schedule  February 25: Jeanette Winterson. (1989). The Passion  February 27: Chinua Achebe. (1958). Things Fall Apart  March 2: Chinua Achebe. (1958). Things Fall Apart  March 4: Chinua Achebe. (1958). Things Fall Apart  March 6: Carter, Angela. (1979). “The Bloody Chamber”  March 9: Carter, Angela. (1979). “The Bloody Chamber”

10.  V. Reading Schedule  March 11: Carter, Angela. (1979). “The Bloody Chamber”  March 11 th Essay 3  March 13: Carter, Angela. (1979). “The Bloody Chamber”  March 16: Toni Morrison. (1982). Sula  March 18: Toni Morrison. (1982). Sula  March 20: Toni Morrison. (1982). Sula

11.  V. Reading Schedule  Winter Term Withdrawal Date - March 19, 2015  March 23: Arundhati Roy. (1997). The God of Small Things  March 25: Arundhati Roy. (1997). The God of Small Things  March 27: Coetzee, J.M. (1986). Foe.  March 30: Coetzee, J.M. (1986). Foe. April 1: Malouf, David. (1999). An Imaginary Life

12.  V. Reading Schedule April 3: Malouf, David. (1999). An Imaginary Life April 6: Malouf, David. (1999). An Imaginary Life April 8: Review April 10 : Review Essay 4 DUE April 10th

13. THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, FILM, and THEATRE Standard Course Policies VW Date: Last day for withdrawal from Fall, Winter or Fall/Winter courses: March 19th Attendance (Undergraduate Calendar, Section 7.1): Regular attendance and participation are critical to student success. An instructor may initiate procedures to debar a student from attending classes and from final examinations and/or from receiving credit where unexcused absences exceed those permitted by the faculty or school regulations. A student may be debarred from class and examinations by action of the dean/director for persistent non-attendance or for failure to produce assignments to the satisfaction of the instructor. Students so debarred will have failed that course.

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15. THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, FILM, and THEATRE Standard Course Policies The common penalty in Arts for plagiarism in a written assignment, test, or examination is F on the paper and F for the course. For the most serious acts of plagiarism, such as the purchase of an essay or cheating on a test or examination, the penalty can also include suspension for a period of up to five years from registration in courses taught in a particular department in Arts or from all courses taught in this Faculty. The Faculty also reserves the right to submit student work that is suspected of being plagiarized, to Internet sites designed to detect plagiarism. If you are unsure of what constitutes plagiarized work please consult your instructor and Sections 8.1 of the Undergraduate Calendar.

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