Introduction
Course Overview
This course consists of ten lessons. Two of the lessons—lessons 5 and 10—provide information about the course’s midterm and final exams. The rest of the lessons cover course content and have objectives, reading assignments, an overview, optional Web activities, and assignments.
Lesson 1 provides detailed guidance about how to compose a well-organized, well-supported essay of literary analysis—the type of composition you will be asked to write in every lesson and on the exams. This lesson also examines the important relationship between literature and its historical context and considers literary elements such as regionalism, tone, mood, conflict, and irony.
Lesson 2 explores a variety of literary techniques including rhyme, speaker, characterization, and point of view.
Lesson 3 presents the first half of the novel My Ántonia by Willa Cather. The lesson places particular emphasis on this novel’s setting, characterization, conflict, symbolism, and theme.
Lesson 4 examines the second half of My Ántonia, further observing the emergence of possible themes and the novel’s continued development of characterization, setting, and conflict.
Lesson 5 provides information and guidance about the midterm examination.
Lesson 6 focuses on modernist poetry, particularly its use of imagery, structure, theme, and satire. This lesson also considers elements of fiction, including characterization, plot, and theme.
Lesson 7 looks further into modernist poetry with examination of such features as personification, blank verse, and metaphor. It features additional characteristics of narrative fiction: point of view types, stream of consciousness, and conflict resolution. The lesson also explores aspects of the essay and autobiography.
Lesson 8 examines new literary developments in the postmodern era with attention primarily to fictional works and the features of characterization, style, tone, diction, plot, and voice.
Lesson 9 considers major essay types and the use of parallelism and persuasion in nonfiction. It also examines implied theme, setting, and symbolism in fiction; and objective and subjective perspective, connotative theme, and social criticism in contemporary poetry.
Lesson 10 provides information and guidance about the final examination.
