INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Instructor: Russell A. Berman
Office: 260-201
Office phone: 3-1069
e-mail: berman@leland.stanford.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The primary goal of this course is to explore one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century literature, Thomas Mannıs novel, The Magic Mountain. You should have read it through this summer, and I already provided you with a set of questions to consider (it is attached to this syllabus, for your reference). You will reread the novel in the course of the seminar, by reviewing the chapters for the appropriate sessions. The Magic Mountain raises important questions about modernity, education, and culture, and thinking about them is
our main task. As we pursue that goal, we will also be looking at a range of critical comments on the novel. They will help us to focus our thinking and allow us to consider the variety of possible critical stances. What perspectives do critics adopt? What different sorts of questions do they ask? Ultimately the debates on ³literary theory² concern the nature of questions we as readers direct to works such as The Magic Mountain. I hope
that you will emerge from the class with some greater clarity about the nature of the literary critical agenda you may want to pursue in the future.
There will be some ancillary events organized around the seminar, which you are expected to attend. I draw your attention to a special session on public speaking and oral communications on Friday, at 1:15 in 200-107. On Monday, Sept. 11, at 3:30, there will be a presentation in the Social Sciences Resource Room of Green Library regarding Mann and the collections; and, on Tuesday, September 12 at 3:00, another presentation in the Hoover Institute Archives (please gather in the lobby of Hoover Tower).
YOUR ASSIGNMENTS:
The syllabus indicates the reading that you should have completed for each meeting, and it lists a few tentative issues that we will address on those days. Other matters will certainly come up. Be prepared for class discussions. In addition:
- Daily Writing: Bring to class every day brief written comments (200-250 words) on the Magic Mountain passage for that session. You may try to provide a synopsis of the whole passage, or you may choose to focus on a particular section. You can also draw connections to the on-going class discussion and the critical literature, as appropriate. However you approach this task: have a point, mount an argument.
I will call on some of you each day to read these comments and open them to class discussion.
You should also choose a partner, with whom you will exchange this writing each day. Provide written feedback to each other. Rewrite your original version. At the end of the seminar, submit the full set of these assignments, with an additional, concluding statement on your approach to the novel. (In addition to the polished versions of your writing, I want to see the originals with the marginal comments from your partner.)
- Oral Presentations on the Critical Literature: Choose one of the critical readings listed on the syllabus (and included in the reader) as a topic for an oral presentation. We will devote part of each session to discussing the critical literature; you should come prepared to introduce this discussion in an oral presentation of ten to (no more than fifteen) minutes. Review the main claim of the critical piece, describe its approach, and explain why you find it convincing or not.
- Final Presentations: During the final three sessions, every member of the seminar will present a twenty-minute talk. Be prepared to speak freely (in other words: you should not read a talk written out in advance). You may use notes, of course. On the basis of your reading during the summer, give thought to a topic for a talk on the basis of additional research. For these final presentations, I will expect each of you to meet with me for a discussion in advance. I encourage you also to consult with Joyce Moser, the oral communications lecturer. At your presentation, please also distribute to the class an outline of your points, and the bibliographic resources you used. You should focus on a topic by Sept. 11. The purpose of the presentation is twofold: to help crystallize our critical readings of the novel and to give you an opportunity to practice developing a formal literary critical presentation. (You can consult with the Sophomore Associates on your topic, or feel free to email me.)
CRITICAL LITERATURE:
The critical literature on Thomas Mann is quite extensive (try a search in Socrates; learn how to use the online PMLA bibliography). Some comprehensive treatments that give intellectual historical background that I can recommend include:
Harvey Goldman, Max Weber and Thomas Mann: Calling and the Shaping of the Self (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988).
Nigel Hamilton, The Brothers Mann: the Lives of Heinrich and Thomas Mann (London: Secker and Warburg, 1978).
Anthony Heilbut, Thomas Mann: Eros and Literature (New York: Knopf, 1996).
For those of you who have reading knowledge of German, I urge you strongly to try using it: either by reading part (even short excerpts) of the novel in the original; or by trying to work with some German language critical literature. I would be more than eager to assist you in this.
GRADING:
Your grade will depend, in equal portions, on your general participation, your writing, the presentation on the critical literature, and the final presentation. The grading for this class is mandatory P/NC. |
