ENG 201Y
Introduction to Fiction
Fall 2018
Sec 002 9:30-10:45 T TH Simpkins 214

Dr. David Banash
217 Simpkins Hall
Office Hours:
T 12:15-1:15;
W 10:00-12:00
TH 21:15-1:15
d-banash@wiu.edu


Course description:  Humans delight in stories, and we tell them and listen to them constantly in our everyday lives. Stories not only entertain us, they help us understand our lives, they bind us together in communities, and sometimes they inspire us to live differently. As you will discover in this class, our social reality is made of stories. Some of the stories we tell are true, but some of the truths that sustain our worlds can only be articulated in fictions. Learning to read fiction, which we might provisionally define as “stories that are not necessarily true,” will also help us read those other stories that we name “true stories” or, sometimes, even “history.” This semester we will engage the awesome power of fiction, delight in its pleasures, and also learn to understand its profound dangers.

Fiction still surrounds us everyday, but more and more in visual forms: television, movies, graphic novels, and even video games. These are all legitimate forms, and there are literary masterpieces produced in each, but fiction written in prose and often at book-length demands a different kind of attention and offers different kinds of pleasure. As screens become so much more a part of our everyday world, I've kept this course mostly focused on the written word and the book, and I hope you will take this as an opportunity to develop your own ability to enter into collaboration with our authors in conjuring up new worlds through the art of reading. Indeed, what this class is really about is developing your powers as a sophisticated and blissful readers. To enter into this, you'll need to make a little time everyday to really give yourself over to reading.

We will begin this course with some of the oldest stories we know as humans—stories that predate written languages. Many of you will recognize these as fairy tales and fables, and you will be surprised by just how powerful and relevant these tales remain. Fairy tales use the fantastic (talking beasts and magic transformations—the very freedom of fiction as “make believe” for anything a writer can imagine) to help us understand the truths of many of our most fraught but ordinary experiences as human beings. From there, we will leap through times, contexts, and genres. We will read horror stories, detective stories, realist stories, dystopian novels, and some of the most beautiful and brutal modernist realism. We will read stories that were written down two-thousand years ago and stories that were written yesterday.

Throughout it all, we will try to understand why humans have always turned to fiction to think about the meaning of our worlds, how fact can constrain fiction, how fiction can overcome fact, and how no matter how much we might hope to get beyond it, fiction has always been and will always be with us.

Required texts: Available at the Union Bookstore. You must acquire these books in their physical print form. No e-readers allowed for these!

*Note that you could save a great deal of money by purchasing some or all of your books online through abebooks.com or similar used book sites. However, be cautioned. It is your responsibility to have the books in time to read them fully and bring them to class to participate. No excuses will be made if your books are delayed in the mail.

(er) Electronic reserve readings: Many of our shorter texts, as well as supporting and critical materials, will be available only as “electronic reserve readings” on our course site. They are often PDF files, sometimes links to other webpages, and they are all clearly labeled. It is your responsibility to print these out and bring them to class on the day they appear on the calendar— if you read on an ipad, kindle, or laptop, you could simply bring them that way. You cannot read on your phone in class. Nonetheless, note that to be counted present in class you must have the assigned reading printed out or on an electronic device other than your phone.

No Phones: Let me tell you a story. Smartphones are vampires. They came to humans as undead parasites, and they latch onto your body, sucking your energy and attention. These vampires are not allowed in our class, under any circumstances. Should one of these vampires appear during class, we will, like the great vampire hunter Van Helsing himself, take every action to remove it from our midst and put its undead spirit to permanent rest in a lead coffin!

Assignments and calendar: Assignments will include reading the required texts on time and consistent, active participation in class discussions. You will find the due dates for all readings and assignments on the course calendar. The day a reading is on the calendar is the day it is due. You must have read the assignment completely before you come to class, and you must bring the text with you. Due dates are also clearly marked on the calendar for the paper assignments.

Grading: Your grade will be determined by using the following scale:

50% Reading Quizzes

50% Paper Series

Attendance: This course emphasizes class participation and interaction. To do well, consistent attendance is crucial.

FYE events: You must attend at least three events over the course of the semester for the paper series. Some events may be designated as mandatory for all students and will count as part of attendance.

Reading: Reading is the most important element in this class. You need to make the time to read both blissfully and carefully. If you read well, you'll be able to pass the quizzes, participate meaningfully in the discussions, and write great papers.

While some of what we read will hopefully delight you, other texts may well challenge you, and some will certainly disturb you or even make you angry. Remember that literature isn't about being comfortable, but about thinking and feeling in new ways—imaginatively understanding the world in ways we never would just on our own. Work to be open to this, and to respond thoughtfully to these works—especially when they most challenge what you believe about the world.

Discussion: This is not a lecture course, and so it is up to you to engage fully in discussions.

Participation and conduct: As you respond to others, do so with civility and care. The success of this course depends not only on individual assignments, but also on the class working together. A productive and interesting class emerges through our conflicts, disagreements, and debates, but in order to learn from one another we must always work within an ethic of care and mutual respect.

Standards for all written work: Everything you write in discussions, in emails, or in formal papers should consist of complete sentences reasonably free of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or typos. All quotations from literary texts should be followed with MLA in-text citation. Formal papers must rigorously follow MLA style guidelines.

You can find the basic details of MLA style here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Quizzes: You will take short quizzes daily. If you read the material, passing these will be easy. If you are not reading, the quizzes will show this. You cannot make up missed quizzes when you are late to class or if you miss class.

Deadlines: The course calendar includes the deadlines for every assignment. Deadlines are not negotiable, and late work will generally not be accepted. If you find yourself in the hands of angry gods, email me as soon as possible.

Academic honesty: Ethical use of others’ ideas is a critical part of English studies. Plagiarism (use of another’s ideas, data, and statements with little or no acknowledgment), collusion (unauthorized or undocumented collaboration), or re-submission (presenting an assignment previously completed for course credit) are not permissible. If you are unsure how to document sources or quote another writer, and your question isn’t answered by researching MLA style norms, please ask me.  Academic dishonesty will result in a zero for the assignment in question, and will be reported in accordance with WIU’s Academic Dishonesty Policy.  

Extra-Credit: Throughout the semester, there will be many opportunities for extra-credit. These include attending lectures, conferences, creative writing events, and much more. They will be announced throughout the semester, beginning right now: email your professor a photograph of novelist Rachel Kushner before our second class meeting and receive 10 points. All our other extra-credit opportunities will be announced via email with specific instructions, dates, and times.

Problems: If you experience any difficulties or frustrations with any aspect of the course, I urge you to speak with me either during office hours or by email.

Students with differences: I would like to hear from anyone who has a difference that may require some modification in seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please speak with me at your earliest convenience. See below for an official announcement from WIU on this topic.

Agreement: By remaining in this section of ENG 195, you agree to accept the policies articulated in this syllabus.

WIU brings you the following announcements: In accordance with University policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an accommodation. It is imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to the instructor’s attention, as he/she is not legally permitted to inquire about such particular needs of students. Students who may require special assistance in emergency evacuations should contact the instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow in such an emergency. Contact Disability Support Services at 298-2515 for additional services.

It is the responsibility of the student to comply with the prerequisites/corequisites for a course that he/she plans to take. Instructors who place the appropriate information on the syllabus and emphasize it during the first three class periods may exclude a student from the class who does not meet the prerequisites/corequisites by sending a note to the student with a copy to the registrar within the first two weeks of the term.