English 4374/5374: D. H. Lawrence Spring 2001 

Dr. R.-J. Frontain

MWF 12-12:50 Irby 313

Office: Irby 421 

Office Hours: MWF 1-2, MW 3:15-4; TTh 1:30-3

Lawrence is one of three English-language authors whose language and thought are so thoroughly imbued with the Bible that it seems part of the very texture of their work, and who use the Bible to explore human sexual experience in the creation of what has been called an "erotic spirituality." While Joyce and Woolf experimented with ways of representing consciousness and interiority in fiction, D. H. Lawrence explored boundaries of the modern sexual self, presenting an individual's sexual relationships as the most profound way that he/she has of exploring oneself and one's world. The highly charged sexual content of Lawrence's fiction is never pornographic or obscene, but a way of figuring the sacral mystery of human identity. A systematic reading of Lawrence enhances the student of literature's understanding of psychology's supplanting religion as the primary means of redemption in the modern world, as well as allows him/her to examine the nature of creativity, and consider the relation both of poetic language to human sexuality and of censorship to canon formation.

Texts

Selected Short Stories, ed. James Wood (Modern Library)

Sons and Lovers, ed. Helen and Carl Baron (Penguin)

The Rainbow, ed. Mark Kinkead-Weekes (Penguin)

Women in Love, ed. David Farmer et al (Penguin)

Lady Chatterley's Lover, ed. Michael Squires (Penguin)

Complete Poems, ed. de Sola Pinto and Roberts (Penguin, 1993 ed.)

Schedule of Readings and Assignments

M Jan. 8 Introduction to Course

W Jan. 10 "Thorn in the Flesh" (SSS 69-87)

F Jan. 12 "Odour of Chrysanthemums" (SSS 98-116)

M Jan. 15 "Prussian Officer" (48-68)

W Jan. 17 "Strike Pay" (3-11)

F Jan. 19 conclude discussion of Lawrence's early stories

M Jan. 22 Sons and Lovers (chapters 1-2)

W Jan. 24 " (chapters 3-4)

F Jan. 26 " (chapters 5-6)

M Jan. 29 " (chapters 7-9)

W Jan. 31 " (chapters 10-12)

F Feb. 2 " (chapters 13-15)

M Feb. 5 " ("Foreword," pp. 485-6)

W Feb. 7 conclude discussion of Sons and Lovers

F Feb. 9 "Love among the Haystacks" (SSS 12-47)

M Feb. 12 conclude discussion of "Love"; review for exam

W Feb. 14 EXAMINATION (passages)

F Feb. 16 EXAMINATION (essay: open book)

M Feb. 19 "The Fox" (SSS 165-228)

W Feb. 21 "

F Feb. 23 The Rainbow (chapter 1)

M Feb. 26 " (chapters 2-4)

W Feb. 28 " (chapters 5-6)

F Mar. 2 " (chapters 7-8)

M Mar. 5 " (chapters 9-12)

W Mar. 7 " (chapters 13-15)

F Mar. 9 Conclude discussion of Rainbow

M Mar. 12 Women in Love (chapters 1-5)

W Mar. 14 " (chapters 6-9)

F Mar. 16 " (chapters 10-13)

SPRING RECESS

M Mar. 26 " (chapters 14-20)

W Mar. 28 " (chapters 21-24)

F Mar. 30 " (chapters 25-28)

M Apr. 2 " (chapters 29-32)

W Apr. 4 " ( "Foreword," pp. 485-86)

F Apr. 6 EXAMINATION

M Apr. 9 Lady Chatterley's Lover (chapters 1-4)

W Apr. 11 " (chapters 5-8)

F Apr. 13 " (chapters 9-12)

M Apr. 16 " (chapters 13-15)

W Apr. 18 " ("A Propos," pp. 305-35)

F Apr. 20 LIBRARY RESEARCH DAY

M Apr. 23 "St. Mawr" (SSS 229-364)

PAPERS DUE IN CLASS

W Apr. 25 conclude discussion of "St. Mawr"

F Apr. 27 "Woman Who Rode Away" (SSS 365-98)

M Apr. 30 "Man Who Died" (SSS 446-87)

W May 2 RECITATION AND DISCUSSION OF POEMS

F May 4 "

M May 7 (11-1): FINAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION

Paper

A term paper (5-7 pp. for undergraduates, 7-10 pp. graduate students) which offers a detailed analysis of one poem by Lawrence in the context of his fiction is due at the start of class on April 23. Papers must be typewritten and follow MLA documentation format. Secondary sources are not required, but works consulted should be acknowledged.

The final grade will be computed as follows: examination #1a (15%), examination #1b (15%), examination 2 (20%), final comprehensive examination (25%), and paper and recitation of poem (25%).

Course Guidelines

1. Spirit of education. Addressing a convention of high school teachers, James Baldwin observed that "the purpose of education is, finally, to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions, . . . to decide for himself whether there is a God in heaven or not. To ask questions of the universe, and then learn to live with those questions, is the way he achieves his own identity." There are only two ways to approach a class: actively, by working with as much energy and commitment as possible, taking maximum advantage of the opportunities presented by the material and instructor; or passively, by suffering through a class, hoping that a safety net of some kind (sloped grades, last minute extra credit assignments, etc.) will save one from disgrace.

Sustained and intense engagement with the course materials and ideas is the single-most important prerequisite to an A. Decide from the outset of the term either to take the course seriously or to drop it. Keep up with the reading, and come prepared to discuss the ideas that engage or trouble you. Never dismiss an author's ideas out of hand, but come prepared with evidence from the text to support your objections. Take notes, mark significant passages in your textbook for easy reference, and make certain that you understand clearly the major ideas of the course. Take an active role in your education, not a passive one.

2. Decorum. Put the success of the course and consideration of your classmates before your own convenience, doing nothing that distracts the instructor or disrupts a colleague's concentration. Turn off all beepers, cell phones and watch alarms before entering the classroom. Conduct private conversations, read the newspaper, do homework, eat snacks, and catch up on sleep outside the classroom. Visit the restroom before coming to class. Do not burden the class with your daycare problems. Disruptive behavior--that is, any behavior which impedes another student's learning process--will be penalized as an absence; in addition to forfeiting all credit on any graded assignment that day, seriously disruptive behavior may result in expulsion from the course.

3. Attendance. If you are able to pass this course without attending class, then you should either test out or transfer to a section that you find more challenging. Attendance is defined as being present and engaged for the full 50 or 75 minutes of the class period. After the third absence on a TTH or MW rotation, or the fourth on a MWF rotation, a student will be dropped for non-attendance or find his/her final grade penalized. Remember that you only have time for the activity that you put first, and by signing up for this course you are agreeing to put this class first during the specified time period. While the instructor is always willing to work with a student in the event of a legitimate emergency such as the death of an immediate family member or a student's own emergency hospitalization, you should schedule dental appointments, elective surgery, court appearances, family celebrations, work conflicts, and any other non-emergency activity outside of class time. Remember that no other instructor has the right to preempt your attendance in this class. Disrupting the class by entering late or leaving early will be treated as an absence and will prevent one from receiving credit for any quiz administered that day. Keep a written record of your absences/tardies so that you know your precise status. Multiple sections of heavily subscribed courses render make-up exams difficult to create and administer, so unless a student is hospitalized for an emergency procedure a few hours before the exam or has documentable evidence of an event accepted in advance of the exam by the instructor as an emergency, there will be no make-up exams; and any make-up exam approved in advance by the instructor will be administered during the final exam period. It is the student's responsibility either to resolve potential conflicts well in advance of the exam in the exam's favor or to drop the course; never presume upon the instructor to resolve your conflict for you.

4. Legibility. The first requirement of communication is that your message is legible; do everything possible to ensure that your message can be received. Always write in blue or black ink pen, and make corrections neatly and clearly. Illegible penmanship signals that the writer can't be bothered to make the effort to be understood, which invites the reader to make no effort in return; accommodate penmanship problems by double spacing or printing in block letters. Remember that it is the writer's responsibility to ensure that the message is accessible, not the reader's.

5. Writing skills. The second requirement of communication is that the message can be understood. Every student at UCA has had eight years of elementary school training, four years of secondary school training, and at least two semesters of freshman composition or their equivalent. Thus, no one has any excuse not to write standard English grammar, to punctuate properly, and to spell correctly with the help of a dictionary. Any student who begins the term with problems remaining in his/her writing is directed to check into the Writing Center immediately in pursuit of the tutorial assistance that will remedy these problems before the semester advances so far, and so much ground is lost, that a successful semester's grade becomes impossible.

6. Plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Plagiarism, which is the failure to acknowledge any verbal or ideational indebtedness on a formal writing assignment, will result in a zero being awarded the paper. Keep readily available all research notes, drafts, and/or print-outs of the paper in its various stages of evolution until after a final grade has been assigned and accepted. Avoid even the appearance of possible impropriety during an exam: leave books and notebooks closed and out of sight; do not let your eyes stray to another's paper; do not leave the room while the exam is in progress; speak only to the instructor or the exam proctor. A grade of zero will be assigned to any exam the integrity of which has been opened to question in any way.

6. Consultation with instructor. Keep the instructor informed about any problems that you are having; his office hours and additional information appear at the head of the syllabus. (Should you lose your syllabus, a copy is posted on his university-sponsored webpage.) On a busy day he may only check his e-mail <raymondf@mail.uca.edu> after first arriving on campus, so may not open your message for another 24 hours. If you cannot come by his office during posted office hours, do not leave a message asking him to contact you; rather, continue phoning until you reach him (450-5122). Remember that it is your responsibility to communicate your needs directly to him, and your failure to do so may preclude his being able to help you to your satisfaction.

7. Grade scale.

A (90-99) = excellent

B (80-89) = superior

C (70-79) = adequate

D (60-69) = inadequate or barely acceptable

F (0-59) = unacceptable

Sample unit conversion scale:

C+ = 78

C+/C = 77

C/C+ = 76

C = 75

C/C- = 74

C-/C = 73

C- = 72

C-- = 71

C-/D+ = 70

8. Withdrawal. It is always wise to speak with the instructor before withdrawing from any class in order to make certain that there is no confusion regarding your status, and to preempt your being dropped for non-attendance. Should a withdrawal grade be required, it will reflect the student's class average on the documented date of withdrawal. Keep track of your average so that you know exactly where you stand at any point in the semester.

9. "The University of Central Arkansas adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need accommodation under this act due to a disability, contact the Office of Disability Support Services at 450-3135."