Important Announcements and Updates

Wednesday, December 17, 2008:
I have finished grading your exams and essays, and calculated your final grades. Unsurprisingly, those who read and followed directions all semester did very well; those who did not read and follow directions did much worse! Good luck on any remaining final exams, and enjoy your break.

You may access your grades on Sonis, through the school website; they  are also posted below, by Student ID number (note: the ID number is usually preceded by the first two letters of your last name; I have deleted these numbers, and changed the order, in order to preserve confidentiality).

Monday, December 15, 2008:
Tuesday is the due date for your final essay, Essay 3: Drama,. As per the instructions, this is not a research essay; the only sources utilized or quoted should be the texts (or movies) themselves. If you are writing on the fifth topic (Compare/contrast two different screen versions of Hamlet and their treatment or adaptation of the play), remember to cite the movies as well as the text; consider looking at www.Brian-T-Murphy.com/Lit218Documentation.htm.

Tuesday is also the day of the �final exam,� Exam 3: Drama. A rather useful way to review, in addition to rereading the texts, might be to try the optional online practice quizzes on the schedule. If you want to have your exam and essay returned, be sure to bring a self-addressed stamped envelope large enough and with sufficient postage, and I will mail your work to you once I have finished grading. Otherwise, you will have to contact me next semester to make arrangements.

Finally, the answer to the first question is D. All of the above (Trifles demonstrated Unity of Time, Place and Action).

Wednesday, December 10, 2008:
I have completed grading your research essays. Of 18 students still registered, two did not submit their essays, for the remainder, the results are as follows:

On Tuesday, we will finish  Hamlet; there will be one final quiz for the semester, including extra credit. SPOILER ALERT: By the end of the play, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Polonius, Laertes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Hamlet himself are all dead! In �Tales from the Public Domain,� Claudius (Moe) is stabbed, as in the original play, but Ophelia drowns herself because "Nobody out-crazies Ophelia," Polonius (Chief Wiggum) is hiding behind a curtain when he is stabbed because he has a morbid fear of being stabbed through a curtain, Laertes (Ralph Wiggum) kills himself with a practice stab before the duel, Rosencarl and Guildenlenny are covered in contact poison and die when they give each other a high five, Hamlet (Bart) dies slipping on blood and falling, and Gertrude (Marge) kills herself with a mace because, as she states, "Sheesh, what a mess! I'm not cleaning this up!")

Monday, December 8, 2008:
Last Thursday completed research essays were due; unfortunately, several people did not bother to read the instructions on the syllabus. The instructions, which you have had since September, clearly state that the essay must be submitted in a folder, including copies of all sources used, your previously submitted Topic, Annotated Bibliography, and Preliminary Draft. I will return your essays on Thursday, December 11, and some students will undoubtedly be less than thrilled with their grades.

On Tuesday, we will continue  Hamlet; be sure to read at least through the end of Act IV, as there will be another quiz, including the play-within-the-play, �The Murder of Gonzago�  (which Hamlet calls �The Mousetrap�).

In case you're checking:  �Tales from the Public Domain� (Episode DABF08), Polonius is played by Chief Wiggum; he is hiding behind the curtain in the queen's room because he has �a morbid fear of being stabbed�; ironically, he is stabbed through the curtain.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008:
Remember that Thursday your completed research essay is due. As per the syllabus, the final research essay must be submitted in a folder, including copies of all sources used. Be sure to print out or photocopy not only the works themselves, but also all secondary sources used, and highlight all relevant passages, whether quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. In addition, you must include all supporting documents as well: your previously submitted Topic, Annotated Bibliography, and Preliminary Draft. Failure to submit a complete research essay, either in a folder according to these instructions, or otherwise bound together (i.e., with a clip or rubber band, at least!) will be grounds for failure on the assignment. In addition, plagiarism, either in whole or in part, will result in automatic failure (a grade of zero) for the assignment, and therefore failure for the course as well.

On Thursday, we will also continue  our discussion of Hamlet, so finish reading at least through the end of Act III. There will be another quiz, with questions taken largely from these acts. The additional resources I mentioned are on the main page, here.

Also, continuing the references to �Tales from the Public Domain� (Episode DABF08), the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are played by Lenny and Carl, respectively, as Rosencarl and Guildenlenny.

Monday, December 1, 2008:
On Tuesday, we will begin our discussion of Hamlet; be sure to read at least through Act I, if not all the way through the play; I may have already mentioned that we would have a quiz, so I would strongly recommend reading it carefully.

Also, in case you care, in �Tales from the Public Domain: Hamlet� (Episode DABF08), Bart is Hamlet (of course!), Homer is the ghost of King Hamlet and Marge is Gertrude (logically enough), while Moe the bartender plays Claudius.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008:
On Thursday, November 20, we will begin our discussion of Oedipus the King, as per the schedule. Please note, the translation online is different from the one in your textbook (which in turn may be different from the one I bring to class). The essentials, however, are the same: plot, characters, theme, et cetera. I believe I have mentioned that we would have a quiz, so be sure to read the text.

In addition, a finished, typed preliminary draft of the completed research essay must be brought to class for evaluation and comments.
Be sure you are familiar with the following before beginning your essays:

Finally, in the episode "Tennis the Menace" (Episode CABF07, from February 2001, with Venus and Serena Williams, among others, providing guest voices), when Marge dumps Homer as a tennis partner in favor of Bart, Lisa talks it over with Homer. "You know the story of Oedipus Rex, Dad," Lisa says, referring to the Greek tragedy. "He killed his father and married his mother." After pausing and scratching his head, attempting to understand, Homer asks, "Who pays for that wedding?"

Friday, November 7, 2008:
Remember that Tuesday, November 11, Essay 2 is due. In addition, you will be taking Exam 2 (Poetry).
The answer to question (1) is Dylan  Thomas, �Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.�

Saturday, November 1, 2008
The links for Shakespeare's �Sonnet LXXIII: That time of year thou mayst in me behold� and Cummings' �in Just-�  have been corrected;
in the future, please notify me of dead or outdated links at [email protected].

You will probably be delighted to hear that we are nearly done with poetry.

Finally, remember to vote on Tuesday! To verify your registration or to find out where to vote, check the Board of Elections of the City of New York, NYC Board of Elections Poll Site Locator, or VoteForChange.com,  or text VOTE to 62262.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Although the Annotated Preliminary Bibliography was due today, only ten students submitted it; that is, roughly half of the class.

Thursday�s readings include two poems: Christopher Marlowe�s �The Passionate Shepherd to His Love� (531-532) and Walter Raleigh�s �The Nymph�s Reply to the Shepherd�; the latter is not in your textbook, so be sure to print out a copy to bring to class. We will have a quiz on the two poems.

Also, in case you are interested, Philomel is not merely another word for nightingale. In Greek and Roman mythology, the story of Philomel (or Philomela) and her sister Procne is, well, disturbing, at best. See �Philomela� (Encyclopedia Mythica), �Philomela� (Ovid Metamorphoses Resource Page) or �Philomela� (Wikipedia). Nice story, huh?

Monday, October 13, 2008
Remember, a typed, finished Annotated Preliminary Bibliography is due in class tomorrow, October 14.

In addition, be sure you have read the following from The Seagull Reader: Literature:
Poems (363-394); Browning, Sonnet 43: �How Do I Love Thee?� (424-425); and Shakespeare, Sonnet XVIII: �[Shall I compare thee to a summer�s day?]� (558-559).

Saturday, October 4, 2008
Only two students signed up to recite for Extra Credit before the exam on Tuesday, so you will have nearly the full class period to complete the exam.

And, in case you bother to check this page before class, the answer to the first question on the exam is D: in Faulkner�s �A Rose for Emily,� the narrator is first person plural.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Students who wish to recite for Extra Credit must sign up in class tomorrow. In addition, just in case you are interested, in the episode titled "Bart's Dog Gets an F" (The Simpsons episode 7F14, originally aired Thursday March 7, 1991), Santa's Little Helper has to attend obedience school after he eats Homer's breakfast, destroys Homer's new sneakers, buries Bart's Krusty doll, and, finally, shreds the Bouvier Family Quilt, which Marge states has been in the family for five generations.

Friday, September 26, 2008
Students who submitted the Preliminary Thesis assignment and used the online fill-in form will not be penalized if they did not include the rationale for their topic selection, as the form was an outdated version. The correct version has now been posted.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Please note the room change, above: we are now meeting in W-142 on Tuesdays, apparently. Check classroom doors for room change announcements each day!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Class began on Tuesday. If you did not attend or registered late, please refer to the schedule, and check with a classmate tomorrow regarding what was covered. You have already missed the first assignment, the Diagnostic Essay, which you must submit by next Tuesday. In addition, you are also asked to provide the following information:

Thursday, August 28, 2008
The main page and syllabus have both been updated for the Fall 2008 semester.
Please remember that classes begin Tuesday, September 2.