ENGL 242 B
Reading Prose Fiction:
Narratives of Apocalypse
Winter 2022
Instructor: Alex McCauley, apmccau@uw.edu
Class Location: SMI 305, TTh, 11:30 – 1:20 / Week 1-3: https://washington.zoom.us/j/94036147655
Class Recordings
Office hours / Office location: PDL B31, MW, 4 - 5
Course Description
It’s hard to escape the feeling that we are living through the end of the world. Our own stories of the end of the world – plague, ecological disaster, getting dumped – are specific and important, but they’re also stories we’ve heard many times before. It’s easy to think of these narratives of death and destruction and loss purely in terms of horror and, often, that’s what they really are.
But this class starts from a different set of problems. One way of thinking about the end of the world is apocalypse, an unveiling that reveals the truth of things. But what kinds of truth? Part of what’s uncovered is the world itself. A narrative of the end of the world also makes claims about what the world is, how it works, what new world replaces the old one, and what persists in the future. What we think of the world shapes how we feel about it coming to an end – celebration for the unraveling of an unjust order, or grief for what’s been lost.
That’s all very abstract. Part of the value of reading prose fiction (or narrative in general) is the ability to bring together specifics and abstraction. That’s also the task of interpretation.
Reading itself is work, and there will be plenty of it here: three novels, a novella, and a few short stories. But the work you'll be graded on will largely be your writing. There will be no quizzes or exams.
Texts
- Victor LaValle, The Ballad of Black Tom (ISBN 978-0-7653-8786-8)
- Rebecca Roanhorse, Black Sun (ISBN 978-1-5344-3768-5)
- Rivers Solomon, An Unkindness of Ghosts (ISBN 978-1-61775-588-0)
- G. Wells, The War of the Worlds (ISBN 978-0-19-870264-1)
- Other readings available online
Course Assignments and Assessment
We’ll start out small. The first writing assignments will be a one-paragraph essays in response to Wells or Du Bois. Then an essay on Roanhorse (4+ pages), then two shorter essays on LaValle and Solomon (3+pages). These essays will not necessarily be strict literary analysis from start to finish, but we’ll talk about that more when the time comes. You’ll have a chance to revise the Roanhorse and LaValle essays, if you want, and the revised grade replaces the original grade.
Grading breakdown: Longer essay 30%
Shorter essays 50%
Paragraph essay 10%
Participation 10%
Not all of us care to speak to a room full of strangers, no matter how friendly they are, and there are other ways to contribute. Participation for this course means things like turning assignments in on time, peer review sessions, and small-group discussion.
Course Policies
Please don’t come to class if you feel sick. It’s helpful to let me know, but sometimes drafting a message is more work than it’s worth when you’re sick. But it would help to let me know if being sick means missing multiple class sessions.
Students are required to follow the University’s COVID-19 Face Covering Policy at all times when on-site at the University, including any posted requirements in specific buildings or spaces. If a student refuses to comply with the policy, the student can be sent home (to an on or off-campus residence). Student Conduct offices are available for consultations on potential violations of student conduct if needed. University personnel who have concerns that a student or group of students are not complying with this policy should speak with their supervisor, a representative of the academic unit, or report it to the Environmental Health & Safety Department.
You have a life, other classes, hobbies, jobs, pandemonium, and various external obligations. Sometimes, even after hard work, a paper doesn’t come together in time. In acknowledgement of these realities, I will accept one late assignment per student over of the course of the quarter. If you plan to make use of this policy, mail me prior to the time the assignment is due. This automatically shifts the due date by three days (including weekends)—no questions asked, no explanations necessary. All other assignments must be turned in on time. Turning in more than one assignment late will result in deductions to your participation grade.
Plagiarism, or academic dishonesty, is presenting someone else's ideas or writing as your own. In your writing for this class, you are encouraged to refer to other people's thoughts and writing--as long as you cite them. As a matter of policy, any student found to have plagiarized any piece of writing in this class will be immediately reported to the College of Arts and Sciences for review. If you find yourself tempted by plagiarism, save us all a headache and send me a message instead.
If you have any concerns about the course or your instructor, please see the instructor about these concerns as soon as possible. If you are not comfortable talking with the instructor or not satisfied with the response that you receive, you may contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies: Jesse Oak Taylor, jot8@uw.edu. If, after speaking with the Director, you are still not satisfied with the response you receive, you may contact English Department Chair Anis Bawarshi, (206) 543-2690.
If you need accommodation of any sort, please let me know so that I can work with the UW Disability Resources for Students Office (DRS) to provide what you require. This syllabus is available in large print, as are other class materials. More information about accommodation may be found at http://www.washington.edu/students/drs/ (Links to an external site.).
In other words, if you have a relationship to learning that I should be aware of – let me know.
Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Faculty Syllabus Guidelines and Resources. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form available at https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/ (Links to an external site.).
Assignment Schedule
Week 2: Paragraph 1/14
Week 5: Roanhorse Essay 2/4
Week 7: LaValle Essay 2/18
Finals Week: Solomon Essay 3/16
Reading Schedule
Week 1: Beginnings 1/4
Du Bois, “The Comet” 1/6
Week 2: Wells, War of the Worlds, 9 – 100 (Book 1) 1/11
Wells, 101 – 160 (Book 2) 1/13
Week 3: Roanhorse, Black Sun, 1 -76 1/18
Roanhorse, 77 – 160 1/20
Week 4: Roanhorse, 161 – 238 1/25
Roanhorse, 239 – 301 1/27
Week 5: Roanhorse, 302 - 365 2/1
Roanhorse, 366 – 450 2/3
Week 6: Lovecraft, “The Horror at Red Hook” 2/8
LaValle, Ballad of Black Tom, Pt. 1 2/10
Week 7: LaValle, Pt. 2 2/15
Solomon, Unkindness of Ghosts, 1-60 (Ch. 1- 4) 2/17
Week 8: Solomon, 61-143 (Ch. 5-10) 2/22
Solomon, 144 -177 (Ch. 11-13) 2/24
Week 9: Solomon, 178 – 250 (14 – 19) 3/1
No Class – McCauley at Conference 3/3
Week 10: Solomon, 251 – 349 (20 – End) 3/8
End of Days 3/10