BBL 3103: LITERARY THEORY FROM PLATO TO T.S. ELIOT

BBL 3103: LITERARY THEORY FROM PLATO TO T.S. ELIOT • Assoc. Professor Noritah Omar • Dept. of English/School of Graduate Studies • Email: nomar@fbmk.upm.edu.my (best corresponding mode) • +603 8946 4205/4206 • +6012 335 9806 (Urgent SMS only, calls will not be answered)

About the Course • The modular course encompasses two face-face-two face meetings with the lecturer within the semester. To fulfill the theoretical part of this course, students will have to complete one individual assignment. This assignment will be a self-learning exercise, given that distance learning will not allow for frequent meetings between the student and the instructor.

Course Objectives • To enable students to trace the development of literary criticism and aesthetic practices in the Western tradition from the beginning to the 19th century; • To evaluate the representative texts from various literary and cultural traditions; • To discuss the connection between the development of literary theory in relation to society; and • To develop ethical behaviour and a sense of communal responsibility.

Course Content • Course content will be divided by unit and subtopic. Roughly, each unit corresponds to a particular time period (e.g.: Classical Antiquity), and each topic to a particular critic from that time period. Each unit represents 3 lecture hours (1 week’s study). The 14 units therefore represent the 14 weeks of the semester.

What is covered for mid-semester evaluation? • Units 1-7. • Unit 1: Overview of the Trends and Traditions in Literary Criticism • Unit 2: History of Literary Criticism • Unit 3: Classical Criticism I: Plato and Aristotle • Unit 4: Classical Criticism II: Horace and Longinus • Unit 5: Criticism of the English Renaissance: The Middle Ages, Sir Philip Sidney and Ben Jonson • Unit 6: Criticism of the Neoclassical Period: John Dryden, Alexander Pope, Joseph Addison and Samuel Johnson • Unit 7: Criticism of the Romantic Period: Alexander Pope is usually remembered

Assignment (30%) • Please refer to the module (p. iv) for details of the assignment and Appendix A(pp. 169-175) for the assignment guide.

Course Evaluation • This course evaluation is divided into: • Overall coursework 60% - Assignment(individual) 30% - Test 30% • Final Examination 40% Total 100%

Test • The test questions will be based on this module. The questions in this test will be in objective format (multiple choice). For this semester, the units that will be covered are units 1-7.

Sample test questions • See page vi for sample questions.

Unit 1: Overview of the Trends and Traditions in Literary Criticism • Unit objectives: - To provide a general overview of the history of literary criticism - To provide a workable definition of literary critical activity, as well as a detailing of its common functions - To examine the various types of literary criticism that have been used throughout history

Unit 2: The History of Literary Criticism • Unit objectives • To provide a general overview of the history of literary criticism • To examine the various types of literary criticism that have been used throughout history • To provide a historical context to correspond to each of these types of criticism

Unit 3: Classical Criticism I: Plato and Aristotle • Unit objectives - To establish a definite starting point of literary theory (as we know it) • To introduce the theories of the ancient Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, and their theories on art and poiesis • To provide students with an understanding of the theories that continue to shape and influence literary theory in the present day

Unit 4: Classical Criticism II: Horace and Longinus • Unit Objectives • To establish the continuity and linkage between the culture of ancient Greece and ancient Rome • To introduce the ideas of the ancient Roman theorists, Horace and Longinus; as well as to show how literary theory vacillates between Apollonian and Dionysian extremes, by noting Longinus’ diversion from the tradition propagated by Horace • To provide students with an understanding of the theories that continue to shape and influence literary theory in the present day

Unit 5: Criticism of the English Renaissance • Unit Objectives • To further evidence the idea of continuity (chronological and thematic) in literary theory, as an ongoing activity that is based on preceding thought • To introduce literary critical activity taking place during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance; in this case, with special attention paid to Sir Philip Sidney and Ben Jonson • To provide students with an understanding of the theories that continue to shape and influence literary theory in the present day

Unit 6: Criticism of the Neo-Classical Period • Unit Objectives • To further evidence the idea of continuity (chronological and thematic) in literary theory, as an ongoing activity that is based on preceding thought • To introduce literary critical activity taking place during 17th and 18th century Europe; with special attention paid to the John Dryden and Samuel Johnson • To provide students with an understanding of the theories that continue to shape and influence literary theory in the present day

Unit 7: Criticism of the Romantic Period • Unit Objectives • To further evidence the idea of continuity (chronological and thematic) in literary theory, as an ongoing activity that is based on preceding thought • To introduce literary critical activity taking place during 18th and 19th century Europe; with special attention paid to Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth and Percy Bysshe Shelley • To provide students with an understanding of the theories that continue to shape and influence literary theory in the present day

BBL 3103: LITERARY THEORY FROM PLATO TO T.S. ELIOT