CL 106.

01 Literary Theory and Criticism I / Syllabus / Spring 2023

WWF 235 (W 10:00-11:50, M2230; F 13:00-13:50, M1170)
Prof. Dr. Matthew Gumpert; Office Hours: TBA

Introduction
*An introduction to literary criticism: an exploration of distinct ways in which meaning in the text has
been located and defined. We will examine these strategies for pursuing meaning as historically and
culturally determined methodologies. We begin in Greco-Roman antiquity, with Plato’s idealist
philosophy and Aristotle’s formalist approach, and end on the cusp of romanticism, with the writings of
Lessing and Hegel on aesthetics.

Course Materials
* The Course Reader, which includes all required readings for the course (supplementary and/or optional
readings may be assigned during the course of the semester), will be available on Google Drive, at
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RCd28hKEHFNOvCPjquQ-jTR8GD_xLMCU?usp=sharing.

*All essential information, including study questions, supplementary course materials, assignments, and
exam questions will be posted regularly on the Moodle page for our section of the course. Please note
that in order to access Moodle you must use your BU (boun) email address.

Grading
*Attendance/Participation 20%; Short Assignments 10%; Midterm 35%; Final 35%

Class Requirements
Attendance/Participation/Communication
*Attendance is required. Students may miss up to 3 hours of class without penalty; beyond that absences
may negatively impact the Attendance/Participation part of your grade. To be admitted to the final exam,
students must have attended at least 75% of class hours.
*Students are expected to comment in class having read the assigned texts, and to participate actively in
class discussions.
*Classes will NOT be on zoom this semester: we will be meeting physically in the classroom.
*All students are welcome to see me during my office hours (to be announced). For other times, please
make an appointment.

Exams and Written Assignments

*There will be one midterm exam and one final exam each semester. The midterm will cover Plato to
Longinus; the final will focus on authors from Augustine to Hegel. In both cases only material actually
covered in class will be included on the exam.
*The number and nature of short written assignments will depend on the number of students in the class.
*For all written assignments, consult the most recent MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines
for formatting and citation (go to:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/
mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html).
*Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated in this course. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to
cheating, fabricating information or citations, failing to document sources, or submitting work of another
person. Students found to have plagiarized will receive academic sanctions.

Reading Schedule
(NA = Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism)

Week 1 (15 Feb)

Introduction to Plato; Ion (NA 37-48)

1
Week 2 (22-24 Feb)
Plato, Republic (NA 49-80)

Week 3 (1-3 March)

Plato, Republic (NA 49-80)

Week 4 (8-10 March)

Plato, Republic (NA 49-80); Aristotle; Poetics (NA 90-117)

Week 5 (15-17 March)

Aristotle; Poetics (NA 90-117)

Week 6 (22-24 March)

Aristotle, Rhetoric (NA 117-21); Horace, Art of Poetry (NA 124-35)

Week 7 (29-31 March)

Horace, Art of Poetry (NA 124-35); Horace, Epistles 2.1 (“Letter to Augustus”); Longinus, On the
Sublime (NA 138-54)

Week 8 (5-7 April)

Longinus, On the Sublime (NA 138-54); Augustine, On Christian Doctrine (NA 188-92); Augustine,
Confessions (excerpts)

MIDTERM EXAM

Week 9 (12-14 April)

Augustine, On Christian Doctrine (NA 188-92); Augustine, Confessions (excerpts); Aquinas, Summa
Theologica (NA 243-46)

17-21 APRIL: SPRING BREAK

Week 10 (26-28 April)

Aquinas, Summa Theologica (NA 243-46); Dante Alighieri, Il Convivio (NA 249-50); Letter to Can
Grande Scala (NA 251-52); Inferno 4.100-102; Sidney, An Apology for Poetry (NA 326-62)

Week 11 (3-5 May)

Sidney, An Apology for Poetry (NA 326-62); Samuel Johnson, “Preface to Shakespeare” (NA 468-80);
Pope, An Essay on Criticism (NA 441-58)

Week 12 (10-12 May)

Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (NA
536-551); Lessing, Laocoon (NA 554-570);

Week 13 (17 May)

Lessing, Laocoon (NA 554-570); Hegel, Lectures on Fine Art (NA 636-44)

FINAL EXAM