Literature: Short Fiction Review

Read the following literary works, searching for articles as needed to help you understand and interpret.

Ambrose Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”  1890
Henry James, The Turn of the Screw  1898
Guy deMaupassant, “The Necklace”  1884
Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour”  1894

Literary Terms
CRITICAL APPROACHES TO LITERATURE–Following are some ways that readers may use to interpret literature. More extensive explanations can be found on websites like the following: http://www2.sdfi.edu.cn/netclass/jiaoan/englit/criticism.htm
TRADITIONAL—looks at outside sources to interpret text: e.g., author biography, other works by author, what author has said about this story or other literature
FORMALIST—assumes that text is self-contained and self-referential; would not use author biography; instead, focuses on structure, patterns, repetition, and other elements of fiction
MYTHOLOGICAL—looks for story elements and themes that are repeated throughout literature of many ages and cultures: e.g., initiation theme (often male), isolation of individual in society (often female) , the nature of God, What is love?   Sometimes finds common plot lines; e.g., the many stories that fit the “Cinderella” plot
CULTURAL—What do we learn about a historical period from the work?  What do we learn about a certain culture or society’s attitudes, values, beliefs?  How does knowledge of the culture affect/enrich our interpretation of the story?
PSYCHOLOGICAL—studies  the characters as if they are real people.  What are their motivations?  Why do they act as they do?  We can use modern psychological analysis on stories of any age.
GENDER—What does the story tell us about male and female roles in that setting?  We can study gender issues that are presented intentionally or unintentionally by the author.
READER RESPONSE—focuses on the subjective responses of the reader.  How does the reader relate to the events or issues in the literature?  The reader might respond by writing his/her own story with a similar conflict or theme.

Theory–strongly recommended–Read or view the following articles, films, and lectures.
You may need to right-click and open in a new tab or window.
*Sue’s Bumper Sticker Lecture on “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
*Sue’s bumper sticker lecture re: The Turn of the Screw  
*Sue’s bumper sticker lecture on “The Necklace”   Powerpoint presentation without narration.
*Sue’s Bumper Sticker Lecture on “Story of an Hour”  PPT version
*”Story of an Hour” presentation  http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/kate-chopins-story-of-an-hour-summary-and-analysis.html#lesson
*Literary Realism: http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/the-literary-realism-movement-a-response-to-romanticism.html#lesson If this link doesn’t work, do a websearch for Literary Realism.

Supplemental items–optional
*Film: The Turn of the Screw (faithful to the original)  https://www.kirkwood.edu/vod/3706
*Film: The Innocents (1960 adaptation of Turn of the Screw—not entirely faithful to the book) https://www.kirkwood.edu/vod/4609
*Film: In a Dark Place (a modernized and very loose adaptation of The Turn of the Screw https://www.kirkwood.edu/vod/6764
*Film: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHqnSX4SJ_A  (or find via YouTube)