Literature Program

Director of undergraduate studies: Pericles Lewis, Room 102, 451 College St., 432-4750, maryjane.stevens@yale.edu

FACULTY ASSOCIATED WITH THE LITERATURE MAJOR

PROFESSORS

Dudley Andrew (Comparative Literature, Film Studies), Harold Bloom (Humanities), Peter Brooks (French, Comparative Literature), Kang-i Sun Chang (East Asian Languages & Literatures), Katerina Clark (Comparative Literature, Slavic Languages & Literatures), Shoshana Felman (French, Comparative Literature), Paul Fry (English), Roberto González Echevarría (Spanish & Portuguese, Comparative Literature), Cyrus Hamlin (German, Comparative Literature), Benjamin Harshav (Comparative Literature), Michael Holquist (Comparative Literature, Slavic Languages & Literatures), Carol Jacobs (German, Comparative Literature), David Quint (Chair) (English, Comparative Literature), Katie Trumpener (Comparative Literature, English), Paolo Valesio (Italian)

ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS

Ann Gaylin (Comparative Literature), Pericles Lewis (Comparative Literature, English)

ASSISTANT PROFESSORS

Ala Alryyes (Comparative Literature, English), Alexander Beecroft (Comparative Literature, Humanities), Vilashini Cooppan (Comparative Literature), Catherine Labio (Comparative Literature, French)

LECTURERS

Barbara Harshav (Comparative Literature), Richard Maxwell (Comparative Literature, English)

The Literature Major offers students the freedom to construct a program of study that reflects their intellectual goals and the multiple possibilities of literary studies today. All students planning to major in Literature should register with the director of undergraduate studies, who will work with them to develop a coherent, well-focused sequence of courses suited to their individual interests.

Three distinct tracks are offered by the Literature Major: the literature track, in which students select courses according to their focus within the guidelines of the major, including advanced work in one foreign language; the comparative literature track, in which students explore the interrelationships of national literary traditions, and pursue work in two foreign languages; and the interdisciplinary study of literature track, in which students examine the connections between literature and another discipline, e.g., Film Studies, History of Art, Philosophy, Anthropology, Music, or Theater Studies. All three tracks share the same set of prerequisites and required courses; they differ in the composition of the major focus (Area C).

The major offers a number of its own courses, which constitute the core of the program. Other courses are normally chosen from any one or more of Yale's numerous departments of languages and literatures, many of which offer courses on literature in translation. Among these departments are African American Studies, Classics, East Asian Languages and Literatures, English, French, German, Italian, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Portuguese, Slavic Languages and Literatures, and Spanish. Students who elect either the literature track or the interdisciplinary study of literature track are expected to take two courses in a foreign literature at an advanced level (usually above the second-year level). The comparative literature track is for those students with the ability or inclination to do advanced work in one foreign language and to develop competence in at least one other.

The Literature Major requires fourteen term courses selected from several areas including two prerequisites, one required course, and the senior requirement.

AREA A - PREREQUISITES AND REQUIRED COURSES

Prerequisites. LITR 120a and either LITR 142b or 143b are prerequisite to the major. LITR 120a is an introductory course on narrative. LITR 142b, World Literatures, is an introductory-level survey; LITR 143b, World Cinema, is a survey of film. Students are required to take LITR 120a and at least one term of either of the other courses in their freshman or sophomore year. (An additional term of LITR 142b, 143b, DRST 001, or ENGL 129 may count toward the major focus. See Area C below.)

Required course. Students majoring in Literature must take either LITR 240a or 300b. LITR 240a, The Art of Poetry, is a course on the theory of poetry. LITR 300b is an introduction to literary theory. Either of these courses, when not taken as the required course, may also be used toward the major focus requirement (see Area C below). They may be taken in the sophomore or junior year.

Pre-1800 course requirement. The Literature Major requires that all students take at least one course in literature before 1800. Because both genres and individual works of literature refer to, emulate, challenge, and even rewrite older works and generic conventions, students benefit from acquiring a degree of historical perspective. The pre-1800 course counts as one of the eight courses constituting the major focus (see Area C below). Students should consult with the director of undergraduate studies as to what qualifies as a pre-1800 course.

AREA B - FOREIGN LITERATURE REQUIREMENT

Awareness of the interrelationship of a language and its literature is fundamental to the understanding of literature. Prospective majors in the Literature Major are encouraged to begin the advanced study of a foreign language and literature as early as possible in their academic careers. All majors are required to be proficient in at least one classical or modern language and to include two term courses at an advanced level in that language as part of their major focus (Area C below). "Advanced level" refers to a course in which literature is read - and papers are written - in the original language. At least one such course should be taken before the senior year, and at least one must be above the introductory survey course level, for example, above the 160 level in French or German and above the 260 level in Spanish.

Students in the literature track and interdisciplinary study of literature track must include two courses in a foreign literature in their major focus (see Area C below). For those electing the comparative literature track, the major focus courses must include four courses in one foreign literature and four in another. If one of the literatures for the major focus is English, the student must demonstrate proficiency in an additional foreign language (by completing FREN 130, GMAN 130, or SPAN 130, for example).

All Literature majors are strongly urged to continue the study of at least one foreign literature throughout their four years of work. While students are encouraged to continue developing their foreign language skills by taking advanced language courses (e.g., FREN 138, GMAN 138, or SPAN 244a or b), such courses do not normally count toward the area of concentration requirement. The director of undergraduate studies may occasionally make exceptions to this rule for students who choose Russian, Japanese, or Greek as a concentration. Students interested in graduate study in comparative literature or a national literature should be aware that some programs require reading knowledge of two or three foreign languages.

Junior year or term abroad. Literature majors in all three tracks are strongly encouraged to consider the Junior Year or Term Abroad program. Usually, literature courses from approved programs may be applied toward the major focus. Students should consult the director of undergraduate studies about their specific programs and courses to determine applicability.

AREA C - THE MAJOR FOCUS

Literature track. The literature track enables students to explore literary texts across the boundaries of national traditions and historical periods. Students may pursue a particular genre, period, theme, or concern, and trace its persistence or evolution in a variety of contexts. Students are asked to select a group of at least eight term courses that define an area of concentration or an organizing principle for their studies. Two of these eight courses must be advanced courses in a foreign literature (see Area B above). The senior essay often grows out of this group of eight courses (see Area D below). The major focus may be a particular historical period, a particular genre, or a topic arising from the student's work in two different disciplines (e.g., narrative techniques in literature and film). One course in the major focus may be a single term of a survey course, such as ENGL 129 or DRST 001. Although the Literature Major has as its primary emphasis the study of literature, the major focus may include up to two term courses from departments not treating literature, e.g., Film Studies, Theater Studies, Philosophy, History, Linguistics, or History of Art.

Comparative literature track. The comparative literature track enables students to develop and apply skills in foreign languages while acquiring a general knowledge of world literature and a particular knowledge of two national literatures. It provides an opportunity to explore the interrelations of various literary traditions and the principles of comparative study. Students normally choose two major literatures for their areas of concentration by drawing courses from such departments as Classics, East Asian, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Slavic, and Spanish. In addition, they take courses offered by the Literature Major that focus on the study of genres, historical periods, and issues in poetics, rhetoric, and the history of criticism. Students who choose English literature as a field of concentration are expected to acquire competence in a second foreign language before graduation. The major provides grounding for graduate work in comparative literature as well as in either of the two literatures studied. One course in the major focus may be a single term of a survey course, such as ENGL 129 or DRST 001.

The comparative literature track requires eight term courses, four in one literature and four in another. Appropriate courses from the Literature Major and from foreign language and literature departments may count toward the comparative literature track. The director of undergraduate studies in Literature recommends advisers and oversees students' general programs of study, which should be shaped with the following guidelines in mind:

1. Students normally take at least four courses in each of the literatures in which they are concentrating; when one of the literatures is French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, or German, courses should be conducted in the original language in order to count toward the major.

2. Students should plan their programs so that they acquire expertise both in a particular period of literary history and in a particular genre. Majors are expected to take two courses in a single period (e.g., the Renaissance) and two courses in a single genre (e.g., drama) or two courses in which period and genre overlap (e.g., courses in English Renaissance drama and French Renaissance drama).

3. Students should gain some knowledge of periods and genres other than those chosen for special study. For example, a student concentrating on a modern period (after 1800) should take at least one course in classical, medieval, or Renaissance literature; a student concentrating on the novel should take at least one course that treats lyric, epic, or dramatic works.

Interdisciplinary study of literature track. In the interdisciplinary study of literature track, students have the opportunity to develop an understanding of literary history and literary form in conjunction with the study of another discipline (e.g., Anthropology, Film Studies, History of Art, or Philosophy). Students in this track are particularly encouraged to think of the six courses of the major focus and the two foreign literature courses as a coherent block. Across this range of eight courses, four should be in the field of literature and four in a single other discipline. One course in the major focus may be a single term of a survey course, such as ENGL 129 or DRST 001.

At least one course in the major focus must be in literature before 1800.

AREA D - CORE SEMINARS, THE SENIOR ESSAY

In core seminars and the senior essay, students focus intensively on particular texts, literary and cultural issues, and theoretical problems. Students are required to take at least two core seminars, preferably one in the junior and one in the senior year. The seminars provide training in literary interpretation and theory, preparing students for the senior essay. Students in the interdisciplinary study of literature and comparative literature tracks are encouraged to take LITR 480a, Critical Practices, as one of their two seminars.

Please note that comparative literature students are expected to work with texts in the original language in their core seminars as well as in their major focus courses. They should fill out a form, signed by the instructor, attesting to their intent to do so. This form is available in the department office; students should submit it to the director of undergraduate studies along with their course schedule.

In the senior essay, required of all majors in Literature, students develop a research topic of their choice and work closely with an individual faculty adviser in conducting research and writing their essay. The main focus of the senior essay may not be a text read in translation. Required deadlines for the prospectus, the rough draft, and the completed essay are listed in the course description of LITR 491a or b.

The senior essay may be written over one term (LITR 491a or b) or over two terms (LITR 492a or b and 493a or b). Students may elect to fulfill the senior essay requirement within the context of a core seminar (the "senior seminar essay"). Because no more than five students per seminar may elect this option, students petition their instructor promptly at the beginning of the term. It is understood that students choosing the senior seminar essay will work closely with the instructor throughout the term and produce a substantial paper (approximately twenty-five pages).

Yearlong senior essays are extended research projects undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. Students with an especially well-developed project may petition to write a yearlong senior essay. Interested juniors must apply to the curriculum committee by the last day of classes in the spring term. Students may count the second term of the essay as one of the eight courses required for the major focus (Area C). Students expecting to graduate in May enroll in LITR 492a during the fall term and complete their essays in 493b in the spring term. December graduates enroll in 492b in the spring term and complete their essays in 493a during the following fall term. Students planning to begin their essay in the second term should notify the director of undergraduate studies by the last day of classes in the fall term.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR

Prerequisites: LITR 120a; LITR 142b or 143b

Required courses: LITR 240a or 300b

Number of courses: Twelve term courses beyond prerequisites (including the senior essay)

Distribution of courses: Literature track - two advanced courses in a single foreign literature; six term courses relevant to major focus; Comparative literature track - four advanced literature courses in one language and four in another; Interdisciplinary study of literature track - eight courses distributed evenly between a major focus in literature and another discipline; two of these courses must be advanced courses in a foreign literature; All tracks - at least one course in literature before 1800; two core seminars

Senior requirement: One-term senior essay (LITR 491a or b); or two-term senior essay (LITR 492a and 493b, or 492b and 493a); or one core seminar (LITR 400-479) with senior seminar essay

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