ENGL 4608A - Carleton University

Carleton University Fall 2012 Department of English ENGL 4608 A: Studies in 20th-Century British Literature Topic: “The Long Day Wanes”: Britain and the Narrative of Imperial Decline Wednesday / 8:35 am – 11:25 am Location: Please confirm location on Carleton Central Instructor: Adam Barrows Email: [email protected] Office: DT 1901 Phone: x6802 Office Hours: Wednesday 12:30 pm -4:30 pm Course Description This course examines the legacy of the British Empire in post-World War II fiction and drama, asking, in the historian Antoinette Burton’s words, “will the British empire ever be over, or are we destined to witness its eternal return in the form of nostalgia masquerading as history?” . The darkly romantic image of the colonial administrator who clings to his duties even as the imperial system collapses around him has had a curious persistence in the UK popular imagination. Even as the damaging geopolitical and racial legacies of imperial policy have been openly acknowledged, writers otherwise critical of colonial discourse have romanticized and in some cases valorized the agents of empire and the scenario of imperial collapse, in the process generating what Burton has called “new, and newly seductive, romances of empire.” We will analyze the function of empire and imperial decline in a range of texts, from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s, spanning such diverse works as Caryl Churchill’s avant-garde play, Cloud Nine, to the memoir of popular children’s author, Roald Dahl. Texts (Available at Octopus Books (116 3rd Ave.)) Burgess, Anthony. Time for a Tiger Churchill, Caryl. Cloud Nine Dahl, Roald. Going Solo Farrell, J.G. Troubles Scott, Paul. The Jewel in the Crown Stoppard, Tom. Indian Ink Writing In this course, you will produce one substantial research paper on the topic of the legacy of the British Empire in UK fiction post-1945. The paper should be at least 6,000 words, incorporate

primary evidence from at least two of the texts on the syllabus, at least one additional primary text not on the syllabus, and at least six secondary sources. The paper should be argumentative and intervene meaningfully and originally in contemporary scholarly debate. Late papers will be accepted, with a penalty of 10 points deducted for each day the paper is late. In preparation for this assignment, you will also prepare an annotated bibliography of at least twelve relevant secondary sources. At least half of these should be dated after the year 1992. Your annotations should summarize the main thesis of each source, provide representative examples, and briefly comment on the source’s usefulness. Late assignments will be accepted, with a penalty of 10 points deducted for each day the assignment is late. In lieu of reading quizzes, I will occasionally ask you to prepare a short written discussion (1-2 pages) of an aspect of the following week’s reading. These topics will be announced within the final ten minutes of lecture and will be due within the first ten minutes of the following lecture. Topics will not be posted on culearn. Late papers will not be accepted. Optional early submission process: The paper is worth 60% of your final grade. You may choose one of the following four options: OPTION ONE: Submit paper on December 3rd (60%) OPTION TWO: Submit 1-2 page paper proposal by Oct. 31st (10%) and paper on Dec. 3rd (50%) OPTION THREE: Submit 1-2 page paper proposal by Oct 31st (10%), partial draft (at least 2,000 words) by Nov. 14th (15%), and paper on Dec. 3rd (35%) OPTION FOUR: Submit 1-2 page paper proposal by Oct 31st (10%), partial draft (at least 2,000 words) by Nov. 14th (15%), complete draft by Nov. 28th (15%) and paper on Dec. 3rd (20%) Attendance/Participation You are expected to attend every class and to readily participate in the discussion. Participation includes having carefully read the assigned pages for the day and bringing a version of the text to lecture. Grading Attendance/Participation: 5% Discussion Papers: 10% Annotated Bibliography: 25% Paper: 60% Academic Accommodation You may need special arrangements to meet your academic obligations during the term because of disability, pregnancy or religious obligations. Please review the course outline promptly and

write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. Students with disabilities requiring academic accommodations in this course must register with the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) for a formal evaluation of disability-related needs. Documented disabilities could include but are not limited to mobility/physical impairments, specific Learning Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/psychological disabilities, sensory disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and chronic medical conditions. Registered PMC students are required to contact the PMC, 613-520-6608, every term to ensure that your Instructor receives your Letter of Accommodation, no later than two weeks before the first assignment is due or the first in-class test/midterm requiring accommodations. If you only require accommodations for your formally scheduled exam(s) in this course, please submit your request for accommodations to PMC by Nov. 9, 2012 for the Fall term and March 8, 2013 for the Winter term. You can visit the Equity Services website to view the policies and to obtain more detailed information on academic accommodation at http://carleton.ca/equity/accommodation. Plagiarism The University Senate defines plagiarism as presenting, whether intentionally or not, the ideas, expression of ideas, or the work of others as one’s own. This can include: • reproducing or paraphrasing portions of someone else’s published or unpublished material, regardless of the source, and presenting these as one’s own without proper citation or reference to the original source • submitting a take-home examination, essay, laboratory report or other assignment written, in whole or in part, by someone else • using ideas, quotations, or paraphrased material, concepts or ideas without appropriate acknowledgement in an essay or assignment • failing to acknowledge sources through the use of proper citations when using another’s works, and/or failing to use quotation marks • handing in substantially the same piece of work for academic credit more than once without prior written permission of the course instructor in which the submission occurs Plagiarism is a form of intellectual theft. It is a serious offence that cannot be resolved directly with the course’s instructor. The Associate Deans of the Faculty conduct a rigorous investigation, including an interview with the student, when an instructor suspects a piece of work has been plagiarized. Penalties are not trivial. They can include failure of the assignment, failure of the entire course, suspension from a program, suspension from the university, or even expulsion from the university. See the Section on Academic Integrity in the Student Conduct Portion of the Undergraduate Calendar. Course Schedule (This schedule is subject to change at my discretion. All reading assignments must be completed before the date they are listed. Writing assignments (in bold) are due electronically via culearn by 11:59 pm on the due date unless otherwise noted) Sept. 12 Course Introduction

Sept. 19 Burgess, Time for a Tiger Sept. 26 Scott, The Jewel in the Crown Parts I-III Oct. 3 Scott, The Jewel in the Crown Parts IV and V Oct. 10 Scott, The Jewel in the Crown Parts VI and VII Oct. 17 Farrell, Troubles Part One (“A Member of the Quality”) Oct. 24 Farrell, Troubles Part Two (“Troubles”) Oct. 31 The Raj Revival on UK film and television Options Two, Three and Four: Proposal Due Nov. 7 Dahl, Going Solo (“The Voyage Out” – “Survival”) Annotated Bibliography Due Nov. 14 Dahl, Going Solo (“First Encounter with a Bandit” – “Home”) Options Three and Four: Partial Draft Due Nov. 21 Churchill, Cloud Nine Nov. 28 Stoppard, Indian Ink Option Four: Complete Draft Due Dec. 3 Paper Due