Oakland University
Department of English

Course Information

English 500: American Satire
Spring 2000

Brian Connery, connery@oakland.edu
522 Wilson Hall
Office hours: W 11-12; T/Th 5:00-6:00 and by appointment

Course description: Satire--is it the proper object of study of literary criticism or of history? should satiric narratives be read as fiction or as rhetoric? is there an American tradition in satire comparable to that of classical Rome? of the English Renaissance and 18th-century Britain? is satire fundamentally democratic, undemocratic or neither? essentially conservative or progressive? We'll begin our exploration with a consideration of satire as a mode or genre and with a discussion of current theorizing about satire. Subsequently, we'll survey the history of verbal satire in America, primarily in verse, newspaper writing, and fiction, including works by Franklin, Freneau, Irving, Hawthorne, Lowell, Fern, Dunne, Twain, Schuyler, Mencken, Hughes, West, Vonnegut, Vizenor, O'Rourke, and Ivins. We'll be particularly attentive to satiric treatments, both overt and covert, of race and gender. If time allows, we may also consider briefly satire in the cinema. And, if there's time, we'll conclude with a consideration of satiric comedians Lenny Bruce, Moms Mabley, Dick Gregory, and Richard Pryor. Students will make one presentation (possibly with a group), write one 7-10 page paper, and take a take-home final examination. Note: Satire tends towards tastelessness, and it's not necessarily funny. You've been alerted.

TEXTS: Bakalar, ed. American Satire: An Anthology; Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson; P; Schuyler, Black No More; West, A Cool Million; Reed, Mumbo Jumbo. Bibliography: A bibliography of critical works offering theories of satire is available on the web at . The sections specifically about American satire are at and .

Policies: Faithful attendance and regular participation in class are expected. Attendance is particularly important during the compressed semester of the Spring term.

Students with special needs are welcome to discuss them with me. Some services for students with special needs are available through the Office of Disability Support Services, 157 NFH, x3266.

The grade of Incomplete is available only to students who have demonstrated regular and steady progress in the course but for whom unforeseeable and uncontrollable circumstances make impossible the timely completion of the course.

Students suspected of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Students for consideration of the Academic Conduct Committee of the University Senate. Cheating on any course assignment may result in failure for the course and suspension or expulsion from the University. For further information, please see the section on "Academic Conduct" in the Graduate Catalogue (23-24).

Classroom Decorum: Everyone in the class is responsible for ensuring that the classroom supports learning: Please arrive on time; try not to distract others; turn off your cell phone; address your comments to the class at large. In class discussion, you are encouraged to participate vigorously, even passionately, but always respectfully to your classmates and your instructor.

Schedule: Unless we grow very very weary very very fast, we will adhere to the following schedule of readings:

May Tu 2 Disorientation

Th 4 Connery and Combe, ""Theorizing Satire: A Retrospective and Introduction," coursepack Cook, "The Sot-Weed Factor," AmSat 9-30 Hopkinson, "A Pretty Story," AmSat 31-47 Swift, A Modest Proposal, (coursepack) Franklin, "On Sending Felons to America," "The Sale of the Hessians," "Rules by Which a Great Empire May be Reduced to a Small One, " AmSat 48-52; 53-60.

Tu 9 Hamilton, The Tuesday Club, AmSat 65-75 Swift, "On Poetry: A Rapsody" (coursepack) Churchill, from The Rosciad, (coursepack) Freneau, "The British Prison Ship" Cantos 2-3, AmSat 82-93, Freneau, "On the Folly of Writing Poetry," "The Distrest Theatre," "The Dying Prophecy of Tecumseh," and "Ode III" (coursepack) Lennox, from The Female Quixote (coursepack) Brackenridge, from Modern Chivalry in AmSat 95-112 AND in coursepack Irving, "Tales of a Traveler" AmSat 114-143 Hawthorne, "The Celestial Railroad," AmSat 145-161.

Th 11 Fern, Selections, AmSat 162-172 Lowell, from The Biglow Papers, AmSat 173-189

Tu 16 Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson Th 18 Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson, concluded Twain, "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg" in Pudd'nhead Wilson Twain, "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses," "Advice to Youth," and "The War Prayer" AmSat 223-236; 241-244; 255-258. Twain, "Female Suffrage" (coursepack)

Tu 23 Wharton, "Xingu" and "Expiation," AmSat 298-344. Mencken, "Rondo on an Ancient Theme," AmSat 346-350 Mencken, "Sister Aimée" and "The Educational Process" (coursepack) Dunne, selections from Mr. Dooley, AmSat 212-222 AND in coursepack Black No More

Th 25 Black No More Hughes, "Bomb Shelters," "Coffee Break," and "Simple Writes Dr. Butts" (coursepack)

Tu 30 A Cool Million

Th 1 A Cool Million In class: Viewing of Brother from Another Planet

Tu 6 Mumbo Jumbo

Th 8 Mumbo Jumbo

Tu 13 Excerpt from Report from Iron Mountain on the Possibility and Desirability of Peace (coursepack) Vonnegut, "In a Manner That Must Shame God Himself," AmSat 390-405 Buchwald, "Pictures from Vietnam" and "Telling the Truth" AmSat 414-419 Roth, from Our Gang, (coursepack) Vonnegut, "Thinking Unthinkable, Speaking Unspeakable" (coursepack) Vidal, "Ronnie and Nancy: A Life in Pictures," AmSat 420-436

Th 15 In class: Viewing of Dr. Strangelove

Tu 20 Vizenor, "Almost Browne," (coursepack) In class: Standup comics--Mabley, Bruce, Gregory, Prior. Paper is due.

Th 22 Final examination is due. Viewing of True Stories

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