• · the first reading assignment for Wed., Sept. 4th.
• · a simplified weekly syllabus, for an overview of our readings; more detailed syllabi and assignment readings will be handed out each week and will also be available on the English 116 Web page linked to my Home Page (see below)
• · a general description of the seminar
• · a discussion of "seminar requirements"---what is expected of you in the seminar involving discussion and writing assignments; also, a description of how the seminar will be graded and a description of what computer skills you will need for the seminar

• · the strong tradition of women's writing and the ways in which it both challenges and is enmeshed within racial and gender stereotypes
• · the theme of the "color-line" and the contradictions of racial identity, as explored by both black and white writers
• · the powerful continuing relevance of nineteenth-century "ex-slave" or "freedom" narratives for twentieth-century writers, who have frequently returned to and revised and reworked the possibilities that this form represents. We will read 3 especially interesting revisions of this form by 3 contemporary writers, Williams, Johnson, and Bradley
• · the "you both can and can't go home again theme": the frequency with with Southern writers use the theme of returning to the South after having left, and the discoveries (about both inner and outer realities) that are made

One major change from previous seminars is that we'll be reading works somewhat out of chronological order, starting with some more contemporary fiction (to give you some of the most engaging readings early) and then plunging backward in time so you can start to make comparisons between older and more contemporary works. There will also be some weeks (especially weeks 2-5) on the syllabus when we read intensively in critical works and cultural theory, in order to give you some history and background to help your reading of fiction.

The reading load for the seminar will often be rather heavy---the equivalent of 2 regular courses. Many secondary readings are sometimes required when shorter works are being read, plus we will tackle LONG novels like A Hidden Hand and Gone With the Wind and Absalom! You will need to budget several hours just about every day of the week to the seminar: so plan ahead. Some weeks later in the seminar (such as the week on Porter) have a much lighter reading load---a good time to use to spend working on your final seminar project (see next paragraph). The compensation for all the hard work: some great readings and (I hope) dynamic discussion.

During the last 2 weeks of the syllabus, students will undertake research projects on subjects of their own choice--further readings in authors on the syllabus, on subjects about souther culture you would like to study further, or on southern authors not included on this version of the syllabus. Research topics must be approved ahead of time by me. In the final seminar meetings, students will give presentations on their research and lead a group discussion of it. You should choose a topic and begin research after you return from Fall break.

A more detailed syllabus (with critical readings to supplement the main readings) will be handed out the week before each seminar and will also be available to you on the syllabus on the English 116 page linked to my home page on the Web. The English 116 Home Page on the Web will also have a full Bibliography for the seminar to consult each week. It can be found linked to my Home Page: https://peterschmidt.domains.swarthmore.edu/

FIRST, READ A SUMMONS TO MEMPHIS; THEN READ SELECTED BOOK REVIEWS OF A SUMMONS TO MEMPHIS.

THEN SPEND AT LEAST 1 HOUR BROWSING THROUGH THE FOLLOWING 2 BOOKS, TAKING NOTES:

AUTHOR Griffith, Albert J. (Albert Joseph), 1932-
TITLE Peter Taylor / by Albert J. Griffith.
EDITION Rev. ed.
PUBLISHER Boston : Twayne Publishers, c1990.
DESCRIPT xv, 168 p. : port. ; 23 cm.
SUBJECT Taylor, Peter Hillsman, 1917- --Criticism and interpretation.
SERIES Twayne's United States authors series ; TUSAS 168.
NOTE Includes index.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0805775498.
LOCATION CALL NO. STATUS
1 > S McCabe PS3539.A9633 Z7 1990 ENGLISH 116 HONORS RES.


TITLE Conversations with Peter Taylor / edited by Hubert H.
McAlexander.
PUBLISHER Jackson : University Press of Mississippi, c1987.
DESCRIPT xx, 178 p. : port. ; 24 cm.
SUBJECT Authors, American --20th century --Interviews.
Taylor, Peter Hillsman, 1917- --Interviews.
NOTE Includes index.
ISBN 0878053247 (alk. paper)
0878053255 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ALT. ENTRY McAlexander, Hubert Horton.
Taylor, Peter Hillsman, 1917-
LOCATION CALL NO. STATUS
1 > H Magill PS3539.A9633 Z6 1987 GENERAL RESERVE


[THE FOLLOWING BOOK HAS A CHAPTER ON MEMPHIS; IT HAS BEEN ORDERED FOR MCCABE BUT HAS NOT YET ARRIVED.
AUTHOR Brinkmeyer, Robert H.
CHAPTER Memory, rewriting, and the authoritarian self in A summons to Memphis.
BOOK TITLE The Craft of Peter Taylor
PUBL/YEAR University of Ala. Press, 1995.
1995.
PAGES p. 111-21.
SUBJECT Taylor, Peter Hillsman, 1917-1994 --About individual works --A
summons to Memphis.
INDEXED IN Essay and General Literature.
ISSN/ISBN 0-8173-0789-3.]

THESE READINGS ARE ORGANIZED AROUND THREE TOPICS: 2 CLASSIC DEFINITIONS OF THE 'SOUTHERN' HERITAGE BY WOODWARD AND CASH, PLUS A RECENT WORK OF FEMINIST CRITICISM. TAKE NOTES ON THE READINGS BELOW AND COME TO SEMINAR WITH DISCUSSION QUESTIONS, SOME VERY SPECIFIC (REFERRING TO QUOTATIONS) AND SOME GENERAL. I AM ALSO ASKING YOU TO EMAIL SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CASH READINGS TO SEMINAR MEMBERS AHEAD OF TIME (SEE IIB BELOW).

IIA
READ THE TITLE ESSAY IN THE FOLLOWING
AUTHOR Woodward, C. Vann (Comer Vann), 1908-
TITLE The burden of southern history.
PUBLISHER Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University Press [1960]
DESCRIPT 205 p. 22 cm.
SUBJECT Southern States --Civilization.
NOTE Essays.
LOCATION CALL NO. STATUS
1 > S McCabe F209 .W6 ENGLISH 116 HONORS RES.
WHAT IS WOODWARD'S NOTION OF THE SOUTH'S TRAGIC 'BURDEN'? HOW IS IT RELEVANT TO WELTY'S AND TAYLOR'S NOVELS?

IIB
SPEND AT LEAST 3 HOURS READING THROUGH W. J. CASH'S THE MIND OF THE SOUTH (1941) AND RESPONSES TO IT.

IN CASH'S BOOK, BROWSE THROUGH 'PREVIEW TO UNDERSTANDING,' BOOK I, AND BOOK III/SECTION III ('OF THE GREAT BLIGHT'); YOU MAY ALSO CHECK OUT OTHER SECTIONS OF THE BOOK IF YOU HAVE TIME AND INTEREST. WHAT ARE THE CENTRAL CONTRADICTIONS IN SOUTHERN IDENTITY FOR CASH? WHAT IS THE 'BLIGHT' THAT HE IS REFERRING TO AND THE END? WHAT ROLE DOES AN ANALSYS OF ECONOMICS, GENDER, RACE, AND CLASS PLAY FOR CASH? IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU THINK HIS INTERPRETATIONS ARE DATED?
AUTHOR Cash, Wilbur Joseph, 1900-1941.
TITLE The mind of the South [by] W. J. Cash.
PUBLISHER New York, A. A. Knopf, 1941.
DESCRIPT 4 p., 1., vii-xi, 429, xv p., 1 l. 23 cm.
SUBJECT Southern States --Civilization.
Southern States --Social conditions.
NOTE "First edition."
LOCATION CALL NO. STATUS
1 > S McCabe F209 .C3 ENGLISH 116 HONORS RES.
2 > S Black CC F209 .C3 c.2

SEE ALSO "THE MIND OF THE SOUTH: FIFTY YEARS LATER" (ALSO ON ENGLISH 116 RESERVE) FOR CONTEMPORARY RESPONSES TO CASH.
NOTE ESPECIALLY CLAYTON'S INTRODUCTORY ESSAY AND JONES' ESSAY. Clayton concedes that Cash has dated in many ways but argues for his continuing relevance: on what grounds? Jones gives a brilliant comparison between Cash and the Italian Marxist theorist Gramsci, comparing Gramsci's notion of "hegemony" with Cash's analysis of Southern compensatory illusions or 'savage ideals'; she also gives a feminist critique of Cash.

PLEASE WRITE 1-2 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS BASED AND CASH AND HIS CRITICS AND SEND THESE TO FELLOW SEMINAR STUDENTS VIA EMAIL BY TUESDAY AT 5PM. BRING THESE AND YOUR NOTES TO SEMINAR.


IIC
FOR ISSUES OF WOMEN'S ROLES IN THE SOUTH AND IN SOUTHERN TRADITION, BROWSE THROUGH THE FOLLOWING.
Essays by Prenshaw and Davis are in my opinion especially useful for us.)
Prenshaw looks at nineteenth-century ideal of the 'Southern' lady and contrasts twentieth-century responses to it by male vs. female writers. Note especially the role she stresses for paired female heroines. How useful are her ideas for thinking about Welty and Taylor? Davis' essay is a fine overview of 19th- and 20th-century white and black women writers. You're welcome to browse through other essays in this volume that interest you too.
COME TO SEMINAR WITH AT LEAST ONE DISCUSSION QUESTION BASED ON YOUR READING IN THE MANNING ANTHOLOGY.

TITLE The Female tradition in southern literature / edited by Carol S.
Manning.
PUBLISHER Urbana : University of Illinois Press, c1993.
DESCRIPT 290 p. ; 24 cm.
SUBJECT American literature --Southern States --History and criticism.
American literature --Women authors --History and criticism.
Women and literature --Southern States.
Southern States --In literature.
NOTE Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0252064445 (pbk.)
0252019512 (cloth : alk. paper)
LOCATION CALL NO. STATUS
1 > S McCabe Honors Engl 116: American Literature

• enjoy a good read for its own sake; don't be the typical snobbish Swarthmore student
• read quickly, for the plot and enjoy the wide range of heroes, heroines, and villains
• stop when you feel fed up with reading and check out the Editor's Introduction and Ings essay (see below) to give you new ideas about how to think about the novel, then give it another go
• start thinking about ways in which the book has hidden depths, though its characters may seem 2-dimensional: consider for example the novel's analysis & criticism of male behavior; the reason why it pairs a proper and "selfless" heroine with an outrageously independent one; its use of parody and humor and outrageous events to make its points; the ways in which it uses "light" and "dark" symbolism in contradictory ways (see Ing below); the vivacious and clever narrative voice, which rivals Cap as being the novel's heroine; the novel's deep belief that truth will out and that things that are repressed will return to haunt the repressors, and that appeals to feeling and "sentiment" can have revolutionary political power in exposing and righting public and private injustice. Dobson and Ing are full of good ideas that should make our discussion of this book very lively.

Further required reading for this week, beside Dobson's introduction to the novel in your edition:

Katharine Nicholson Ing, "Blackness and the Literary Imagination: Uncovering The Hidden Hand." In Passing and the Fictions of Identity, ed. Elaine K. Ginsberg (Duke UP, 1996), pp. 131-50. On English 116 Honors reserve.

OPTIONAL READING for general background on images of the "Southern lady" and the women writer in the South are 2 books, both one Honors reserve stacks:

on literature:
TITLE The Female Tradition in Southern Literature. Edited by Carol S. Manning. Essays. On Honors Reserve for English 116. See especially essays by Prenshaw, Davis, and Westling.

on general social history:
AUTHOR Scott, Anne Firor, 1921-
TITLE The Southern lady: from pedestal to politics, 1830-1930.
PUBLISHER Chicago, University of Chicago Press [1970]
˜ LOCATION: McCabe Honors History 135: Amer Social Hist

If you want to look at other articles on The Hidden Hand, in the Modern Language Association Bibliography listings on CD-ROM in McCabe's reference section, see especially the Joanne Dobson article in American Quarterly (Spring 86) and the Alfred Habegger article in the journal Novel (1981); both are available in the journals stacks in McCabe.