This is the website for Professor Martin's fall 2007 section of English 180: Canadian literature. This site will contain everything related to the course except for grades.

In the news: Pope apologizes for abuse at residential schools

We spoke at length about the residential schools in class. Here's some news on that front from today's Globe and Mail

What We All Long For blog prompt 2009

Here's your assignment for our discussion of Dionne Brand's novel What We All Long For.

Pick one of the main characters in the novel and answer the following questions:

What is it this character longs for?

Does he or she find this by the end of the book?

In your answer, use at least a couple of examples from the text to support your argument.

Monkey Beach blog prompt for 2009

So, now that you've finished reading Monkey Beach, what did you think? Which part(s) of the book did you find most interesting? Any questions about the book you'd like us to cover in class?

You might also want to check out the video of Eden Robinson's reading here in 2006. You can find out a bit more about Eden by following each of these links.

Mauve Desert blog prompt

Sorry, I've fallen behind on our blog prompts. So, as we've left Mauve Desert behind already, the most appropriate question to ask is a retrospective one:

Now that you've had some time to let Mauve Desert settle in your thoughts, what strikes you most about the book? What did you find to be the most interesting about the novel? Do you have any lingering questions about our discussion of the book that you'd like to ask here?

You also might be interested in the following article about Brossard that was published in the Globe and Mail a couple of days ago:

Playing 'the game of the novel,' by her rules

Essay topics 2009

1. In many of the books we've looked at there are strong female characters who find themselves at odds with the expectations of society and/or family. Choose two of these characters and discuss how each battles against the way others think she should think or act.

2. Examine the role of violence in two of the novels we've studied in this course. Looking at one or several characters from each of two novels, look at how violence affects the trajectory of those characters' lives and how those characters respond to the violence they encounter.   

3. Create your own topic that allows you to look at a common theme or connection between two of the novels we've looked at in this course.

Whatever your topic, make sure your essay deals with both books at the same time as much as possible. Don't write two short essays, one about each book, and simply try to join them in the middle. Find points of comparison throughout. Also, make sure that your approach to the topic is narrow enough that you can address it sufficiently and in some detail in a 2000 word essay. Although I've chosen not to require you to do secondary research, I encourage you to do so if it's relevant to your topic.

I recommend that you run your topic by me either in person or by e-mail. I'm also willing, if time permits, to review introductory paragraphs and/or outlines to help make certain that you are on the right track.

Word length: 1800-2000 words

Due date: Tuesday April 21

Here are links to a couple of documents that might help you as you're writing your essay:

- Paul's tips on writing essays

- the grading rubric I'll use while grading your essays

Reading both of these documents carefully will help you avoid some of the common difficulties I see in student essays.

The Handmaid's Tale blog prompt

What did you think of The Handmaid's Tale? Some of you, I believe, have read the book before, while for others this is your first exposure to Atwood. What do you make of it? For those of you who've read it before, what was your reaction the second time around?

Atwood said in an interview that the reaction to the novel varied between countries. The British told her it was a "jolly good yarn," the Canadians said "that could never happen here," and the Americans asked "How much longer do you think we've got?". In which camp does your reaction to the book belong? Is this even a relevant question?

Alice Munro blog prompt

Pick one of your favourite stories from Carried Away that we are not discussing in class. After a brief summary of the story, reflect at some length on what you found interesting about it. Include a passage or two from the story in your analysis and explain to us how these passages connect to what you liked about the story.

The Stone Angel

If one had to find only one thing about The Stone Angel that makes it a fascinating novel, chances are one would point to the character of Hagar Shipley. Critics and readers alike often mention Hagar Shipley as one of the most memorable characters from Canadian literature.

As Laurence wrote in an article called "Gadgetry or Growing: Form and Voice in the Novel," she worked hard to make sure that Hagar seemed real to her as well as to the reader: "I felt when I was writing The Stone Angel an enormous conviction in the authenticity of Hagar's voice, and I experienced a strange pleasure in rediscovering an idiom I hardly knew I knew, as phrases from my grandparents kept coming back to me. A first-person narrative can be limiting, of course, but in this case it provided an opportunity to reveal to the reader more of Hagar than she knew about herself, as her judgements about everything are so plainly and strongly biased" (56).

What is it about Hagar Shipley or Laurence's skills as a writer that makes her so compelling a character? Find and quote from a passage from the novel that shows what you found to be most interesting about the portrayal of this fascinating character.

The Double Hook

Here, finally, is our blog prompt about The Double Hook. Your response should be completed by February 26.

What was your reaction to The Double Hook? What did you find most interesting about this book?

Did reading this novel change your impressions of the literatures of Canada and, particularly, literature written by Canadian women?

Street of Riches

Here's your discussion assignment for Street of Riches:

Choose one of the stories you found most interesting and tell us a bit more about what you appreciated about it. Make sure to use at least two quotations from the novel to demonstrate to us what you found engaging about this particular story.

Your response should be about 200 words in length. In other words, it should be substantial enough for you to explain your observations about the story in some detail.

Gabrielle Roy resources

Even if you don't understand the French, it's worth taking a look at some of these video clips of Gabrielle Roy at the Radio-Canada website.

Anne of Green Gables discussion questions

Here are a few questions for you to answer for this week's blog discussion.

As I've mentioned in class, L.M. Montgomery's novel is widely read to this day and has influenced generations of readers, young women readers in particular. Thinking about readers of the novel today, what do you think resonates most strongly with them?

Looking at this novel through the lens of feminist criticism, what do you think of the portrayal of the roles of women in this novel?

Course syllabus now posted

The syllabus for this semester's English 180 is now ready to go. Click on the syllabus tab above to see our plans for the next few months!

Final exam questions for Fall 2008

Here are the essay questions for the final, as well as the layout of the first part of the exam.

For the essay questions, only two of those listed below will be on the actual final. So, you should plan out how you would respond to at least two of them; if you plan for only one of them, you might find that it is the one I've chosen not to include. When you prepare to write on the essay topics, give yourself some flexibility as to which texts you might use so that you can have a wider range of choice for the passage identifications. Remember that you can't deal with the same work twice over the course of the exam, so you need to be ready to discuss all of the books we've covered in the course.

PART A (50 points):

CHOOSE FIVE OF THE FOLLOWING EIGHT PASSAGES AND IDENTIFY THE FOLLOWING:

• The title and author of the text from which the passage is taken (1 point)
• The names of the speakers, listeners, or narrator if relevant (1 point)
• When and where this passage takes place in the book if relevant (1 point)
• The significance of this passage. Questions you will need to consider in this regard include: What do we learn from this passage? Does this passage affect the overall plot of the text? Which of the major themes in the text are present here? How does this passage tie into other themes or ideas we’ve seen in some of the other novels we’ve looked at in the course? What else do you notice about this passage? (7-9 marks)

ANSWER ONLY IN COMPLETE SENTENCES AND PUT YOUR ANSWER IN PARAGRAPH FORM. WRITE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN WHEN ANSWERING EACH OF THESE. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION FULLY IN JUST A FEW SHORT SENTENCES.

PART B (50 points):

USING AS YOUR CHIEF EXAMPLES THREE TEXTS WE HAVE DISCUSSED IN CLASS, WRITE AN ESSAY THAT FULLY ANSWERS ONE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS (N.B. only two of the following questions will be on the actual final exam)

1. Violence and/or death figure prominently in many of the works we've read in English 180 this semester. Discuss this theme as it relates to three novels we've read.

2. Over the course of English 180 this semester we have studied works from a variety of regions and historical eras. Using specific examples form three books we have read, discuss how geographic and/or historic contexts shape the experiences of the characters.

3. Memory is a significant theme in many of the works we have looked at in this course. With reference to three of the texts we have read in the class, discuss the role of memory in each.

What We All Long For blog prompt

Here's your assignment for our discussion of Dionne Brand's novel What We All Long For.

Pick one of the main characters in the novel and answer the following questions:

What is it this character longs for?

Does he or she find this by the end of the book?

In your answer, use at least a couple of examples from the text to support your argument.

Monkey Beach

So, now that you've finished reading Monkey Beach, what did you think? Which part(s) of the book did you find most interesting? Any questions about the book you'd like us to cover in class?

You might also want to check out the video of Eden Robinson's reading here in 2006. You can find out a bit more about Eden by following each of these links.

Volkswagen Blues blog prompt

Among other things, Volkswagen Blues is a book about books. The characters talk a lot about books, authors, writing, and about literature in general. Which of these passages did you find the most interesting? Why?

Topics for second essay (due Dec. 3)

Your assignment for the second essay is to create your own topic that allows you to look at a common theme or connection between two of the final books we've looked at in this course (Next Episode, The Diviners, Volkswagen Blues, Monkey Beach, and What We All Long For).

Whatever your topic, make sure your essay deals with both books at the same time as much as possible. Don't write two short essays, one about each book, and simply try to join them in the middle. Find points of comparison throughout. Also, make sure that the topic is narrow enough that you can answer it sufficiently and in enough detail in a 2000 word essay. Although I've chosen not to require you to do secondary research, I encourage you to do so if it's relevant to your topic.

I recommend that you run your topic by me either in person or by e-mail. I'm also willing, if time permits, to review introductory paragraphs and/or outlines to help make certain that you are on the right track.

DUE: Wednesday, December 3rd.

WORD LENGTH: 1800 - 2000 words

The Diviners

Over the first few days of our discussion of The Diviners, we talked a lot about metafiction, memory, and the power of myth. What do you think are some of the other major themes in this book? Provide quotations from at least two different spots in the book to support your point.

Alternate assignment for those not going on the Ottawa trip

Here's the alternate assignment in lieu of participating the Ottawa trip, which is worth 5% of your final grade.

Go to the library and locate a short story by a Canadian writer. Write a short review of the story (a minimum of 250 words) and post it here on the blog (in the comments on this post).

A couple of quick tips: While you might want to tell us what happens in the story (the plot), this should be a very small part of your review. Your main focus should be on what you think the story is about and what you found most interesting about the work.

The other tip is that when you find the short story in the library, make a photocopy of it so that the book it's from can remain on the shelves. That will be of help to your classmates.

Next Episode

In terms of its style and subject matter, Next Episode is likely the most challenging book we'll read all semester. What's been your reaction to this book so far? Which scenes or aspects of the book have you found the most interesting?

Lectures available on iTunes U

I've now posted three more lectures on iTunes U. As I mentioned in class, some of the early recordings wound up skipping parts of the lectures and so are incomplete. THe most recent ones, however seem to catch everything. I forgot to record one for October 8, and today's didn't work. Today, though, I was able to post lectures for Oct. 3, 6, and 10th, which covers most of our discussion of The Double Hook.

To get to iTunes U, go to http://www.uvm.edu/itunesu

Once you're there, choose "Log in with my UVM NetID." Entering your ID will give you access to our lectures, to which access is restricted to UVM students.

Then, scroll down to the Coursework section and choose "College of Arts and Sciences." There, you'll find a link to our course lectures and some other material I've posted for other classes of mine.

The Double Hook

What has been your reaction so far to The Double Hook? What aspect of this novel do you find most interesting? Explain why, and give at least two passages from the novel as examples.

Topics for first essay (Fall 2008)

1. Examine the role of family in two of the novels we've studied.

2. In each of these novels, there is a tension between traditional lifestyles and those seemingly more suited to the contemporary world in which the characters live. Focusing on one character from each text, look at how this tension shapes the decisions he or she makes.

3. Looking at two of the novels we've read so far, discuss the impact of the environment on the actions of the characters.

A few tips: First, make sure to cite your sources properly using MLA style. MLA style and my grading criteria are outlined in detail in the essay handout I will distribute to you by e-mail. Second, make sure to give yourself enough time, even if it's only a day or a few hours to reread and revise your essay. This posting I made last year while grading essays will give you a few ideas as to some areas you might want to review before handing in your essay. Second, these essay topics are deliberately broad, allowing you the room to tailor them to what you find interesting about each book. Make sure to narrow the topic you choose enough to make it something manageable for a six or seven page essay. You could easily write a book on any of these topics, so make certain your thesis is specific enough that you aren't biting off more than you can chew. Finally, make sure that your discussion is rooted in the texts themselves and that you use quotations of varying lengths to support your argument.

PLEASE NOTE: If you find yourself in a situation where you have too many papers due on the same day or all your midterms the day before the essay is due, I do permit extensions. There are a few ground rules though: you need to give me a written request for an extension no later than one week before the essay is due with a firm deadline as to when you will have your essay in. I will also have to agree on that deadline and will sign your letter to indicate that I have approved the extension. Any late papers that do not have my prior approval will be penalized one grade increment per day late, including weekend days. This, of course, excludes papers that are late due to sickness or family emergency. In such cases, the usual rules about doctor's notes apply.

The eternal human enigma

"[Emmanuel] felt an intense distress. It seemed to him that he was alone in the universe, on the edge of the abyss, holding in his hands the most fragile, tenuous of threads, that of the eternal human enigma. Which of the two, wealth or spirit, should sacrifice itself? Which of the two possessed the true power of redemption?"

In The Tin Flute, we see many different characters confront this very question. What do you think the novel tells us about this dilemma?

Follow-up to today's discussion

In today's class we were talking about the fertility rate and economic conditions of Québec in the first half of the 20th century. This site gives some further context about those issues. This chart of contemporary fertility rates by nation gives you some statistics about birth rates around the world today. As I mentioned, although the US comes in at #124 of 223 countries, it's interesting to see how much further down that list are countries like the UK (174), Canada (183), and Russia (195).

Reactions to The Tin Flute

Gabrielle Roy's Bonheur d'occasion (translated as The Tin Flute) is, I think, the most important novel written in Canada during the 1940s and it's set just 90 minutes from here in Montreal. Looking at it now, 60 years after its publication, what was your reaction to it? What do you think is the most interesting aspect of this novel?

No Great Mischief blog prompt

The phrase "all of us are better when we're loved" comes up at several points in the novel. Choose a scene in the novel that connects to this theme and explain why you think it is crucial to the development of this theme in the novel.

Major themes in Alistair MacLeod's No Great Mischief

Instead of requiring you to write individual blog responses this week, we'll instead be hearing from you via the group work that you did today.

In the comments section below, each of the groups will post a brief summary of their discussion of the major themes in the novel, as well as the major theme or motif you decided to explore in more detail. Include for us, with page numbers, a description of three scenes that you thought were crucial to the development of that theme in the novel.

We'll work from your lists here over the coming days as we explore some of these themes in greater detail. I enjoyed catching up with most of your groups today and thought you all were doing a fine job. See you on Friday!

How to post on our blog

I forgot to clarify today how exactly one posts a comment on the blog (i.e. your first blog assignment). To post your introduction, simply click on the
"comment" link at the bottom of that entry from Sept. 3.

Continue reading "How to post on our blog"

First blog assignment for English 180 Fall 2008

Seeing as we're all going to be reading each other's comments over the next fourteen weeks, let's use the opportunity of our first blog post to get to know each other a bit better.

For privacy reasons, please just use your first name. Do, however, tell us a bit about your background and what you're hoping to learn in this course. Do you have any connections to Canada or anything that especially intrigues you about our northern neighbour? Also, tell us a bit about your favourite writers and/or types of literature that you like to read.

I'm looking forward to our semester together and to having some great discussions with you about the books we'll be reading.

P.S. Just a reminder that to find our full syllabus for the course you simply need to click on the "Syllabus" tab at the top of this frame.