Southern Gothic Literature/Authors Seminar CP 12
Instructor: Barry Fike
Office: Core Room, Second Floor
Email: bfike@oakschristian.org
Extension: 179
Cell phone: 805-404-6007
Quo Vadimus – Where are we going?
Carpe Diem – Seize the day
Course Description: Gothic literature is a reaction to mainstream American culture. Having come out
of the civil war in a state of disrepair and disillusionment, the culture sought to define itself. Thus, the
literary texts that came out of this state of chaos could be referred to as reactionary literature. By
understanding this literature we’ll gain a better understanding of problematic issues in American history
and culture. Throughout the semester, we will study the Southern Gothic tradition in American
literature from its beginning, during the mid-nineteenth century, up until today. We’ll focus on the
historical context for Southern Gothic literature based on how Southern writers are reacting in response
to issues such as race, region, and gender.
Course Objective: This introduction to Southern Gothic Literature is a course that endeavors to assist
students in analyzing the works of literature to a more scholarly degree than trying to find a moral or
simply being able to re-tell the tale to prove that it was dutifully read. Therefore, in this course, the
student learns to read the text as a scholar rather than a mere reader who reads for pure pleasure, or,
worse, because they have to read it. Gaining a broader understanding and appreciation for this specific
genre of literature, and the culture behind it, will help expand your horizons as an individual and help
aid the student in sociological considerations beyond their present one. It is the course objective to
excite the student about scholarly readership of this art form, and make that student a well-roundedscholarly reader with insights into style, argumentation, southern culture, points-of-view, redemption,
rhetorical analysis, and insightful, thoughtful consideration of the text.
Method of Instruction: The approach to this literature will employ literature criticism in the form of
psychoanalytic, sociological, and new historicism criticism. From the crumbling, burning house, to
midnight magnolias, to lace-gloved hands I hope to recreate our texts’ approach to the fable that the
South was reconstructed after the Civil War. Is the fact that the Reconstruction of the South, a fable
told to school children, something that gives rise to the Southern gothic literary genre? The texts
chosen for this course maintain a leitmotif of the dark and ugly beneath the Spanish moss of Georgia to
the upper room of the forgotten widow on the outskirts of town. Through the weekly interactive class
discussions, research projects, and writing analysis the discovery of new applications of good literature
to life will find minds searching for answers in the most bizarre and misunderstood of southern
applications.
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Southern Gothic Literature/Authors Seminar CP 12
Course Theme: This course will introduce the High School Senior to a literary genre that can only be
defined as the fiction, drama, and poetry produced by the children of a failed reconstruction of the
south, which is also known as the Southern Gothic. It is a type of fiction that celebrates the eccentricity
of the region’s people, yet it also ridicules its society for still rooting itself in a cruel class distinction that
is at odds with its religious zealousness.
Argumentation analysis: How do you get that first job, second date, A on a term paper, or steal-of-adeal on a used car? You make an argument for it. Whether in writing or through speaking, you have to
craft an organized, convincing argument for why you should be hired; go out again with that special
someone; earn that top grade; or get that car for a thousand bucks less than advertised. The purpose of
this course is also to guide you in effectively negotiating the “arguments of life.” Through readings,
discussions and activities, you will embark on a voyage toward becoming a better thinker, reader, writer,
and arguer from the Toulmin model of both written and visual argumentation.
A Note about the Approach: Regardless of your religious background, this course does not seek to
undermine your personal beliefs. Just as any instructor does not bring his personal beliefs to bear on
this course, neither should you. Students must keep an open mind. We’ll examine the philosophical
texts and literary theories that do challenge our beliefs because, as we expand our knowledge base, we
not only expand our ability to defend our beliefs in the public sphere, outside the classroom, but we also
increase our understanding and, hopefully, tolerance of those with differing views. The organizing
questions of the course are those of several ideologies: What can we know? What is real? and How
should we live? Students will wrestle with these questions from several distinct cultural and ideological
perspectives as these are represented in this thought-provoking literature. At Oaks Christian, we seek to
expand our mind; however, at times, such expansion is uncomfortable. This discomfort is a normal
feeling and is a part of the process.
Grading Procedures
This course will operate with a strict point system. There is no predetermined number of points
possible. Typically, students can earn around 700-800 points per semester..
Point values can be estimated as follows:
Homework: 10-20 pts
Quizzes: 10-30 pts
Tests: 30-50 pts
Oral examinations: 50 pts
Compositions: 50-75 pts
Final: 150-200 pts
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Southern Gothic Literature/Authors Seminar CP 12
Policies
Southern Gothic Course Objectives
1. The course presents a chronological survey of Southern Gothic literature.
2. Students seek and find the common grace of God in the lives and writing of America’s most influential
thinkers. Led by the enthusiasm and inquisitiveness of the instructor, students develop a wonder,
appreciation, and respect for those authors they encounter.
3. The instructor presents authors in the context of the authors’ worldviews, engendering a sympathetic
view. He fights his and his students’ tendency to oversimplify and judge with haste that which is foreign
or removed.
4. The students leave the class feeling humbled, made aware of how little they know and how much
deeper others have thought than they. The instructor helps students avoid being wise in their own
eyes—this is done primarily through modeling. No author studied in the course is “an idiot.” Authors
have been selected for the course because time and consideration have revealed their insight, gifting,
and value.
5. Language is a gift and those who excel in it demonstrate God’s grace, whether they acknowledge it or
not. As Calvin has said: “In reading profane authors, the admirable light of truth displayed in them
should remind us that the human mind, however much fallen and perverted from its original integrity, is
still adorned and invested with admirable gifts from its Creator. If we reflect that the Spirit of God is the
only fountain of truth, we will be careful…not to reject or condemn truth wherever it appears.”
6. The instructor leads the intellectual inquiry by insisting that precise comprehension and careful
analysis always precede evaluation, which the instructor himself refuses to dictate. Synthesis is a great
ally in this endeavor—as we compare ideological constructs and stylistic hallmarks, we enable students
to make informed evaluations on an individual basis.
7. Students use the following eight ideological categories as the basis for understanding worldview:
anthropology, axiology, cosmology, epistemology, sociology, soteriology, teleology, and theology. The
instructor does not teach the students what to decide about these matters, but about how such
decisions are made by those he presents. He guides students not so much to determine if they should
think this or that, but what processes our authors have used to make such decisions. This instruction is
accomplished by seeking to understand each American author in light of the ideological categories
provided.
8. Students review their understanding of how diction, syntax, emphasis, and rhetoric all contribute to
tone and style. Students learn to become close readers, noticing detail, nuance, context, sentence
structure, and grammatical construction.
9. Students become writers who are clear, correct, and compelling. They write frequently and for a
variety of purposes. Though the course emphasizes literary analysis, compositions of exposition,
exploration, analysis, research, and poetry are all required.
10. Students become speakers who are confident and controlled.
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Southern Gothic Literature/Authors Seminar CP 12
11. The class teaches and insists upon grammatical and mechanical precision in writing.
12. Students review and use the following rhetorical strategies: parallelism, antithesis, anadiplosis,
chiasmus, polysyndeton/asyndeton, synechdoche/metonymy, anaphora, epistrophe, anthimeria,
ellipsis, syllepsis, metabasis, procatalepsis, hypophora, irony, hyperbole, litotes, allusion, apostrophe,
climax, ethos, pathos, logos.
13. Students learn to recognize and employ the following poetry strategies: connotation/denotation,
imagery, figurative language, rhythm and meter, rhyme, structure/form, sound.
14. The class requires all work to be submitted in MLA formatting.
15. Vocabulary study emphasizes grammatical constructs, word conjugations, and reading
comprehension.
16. Students apply grammar and increase their flexibility and sophistication in writing style by
completing 3 sentence reworking activities per quarter.
17. Students study Toulmin’s Argumentation Model for better understanding the role of logic in
paragraph writing and to check their own validity of argument in their academic writing.
18. Students will explore the five primary forms of Warrant/Reasoning: deductive, inductive, abductive,
narrative, and analogy. This will enable them to recognize how another writer is going about his or her
argument as well as help them choose the best form of persuasion by which to present their own
argument in their compositions.
19. Students will learn the following informal logic: ad hominem, ad populum, appeal to tradition, straw
man, equivocation, amphiboly, emotive language, begging the question, non-sequitur, false analogy,
hasty generalization, false cause, slippery slope.
20. Students will take apart nonfiction arguments of American authors, detailing claims, evidences,
warrants (implied or stated). After creating outlines of argument, students will identify fallacies in the
argumentation.
21. Students will compose evaluative compositions of authors’ arguments, identifying strengths and
weaknesses in the arguments.
Southern Gothic Course Management
Approximate Percentage/Point Emphasis
Composition—46% or 300 points
Cycle Assessments—24% or 150 points
Oratory—15% or 100 points
Final Exam—15% or 100 points
Grading Procedures
Grades will be accumulated on a total points system, operating out of 650 possible points.
A Zero vs. F
Grades are entered as a zero only if the assignment is not completed; A 50% F is given if the assessment
shows poor to no understanding of the material.
Format
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Southern Gothic Literature/Authors Seminar CP 12
All assignments should be typed and formatted according to MLA Style guidelines.
Deadlines
All work must be submitted at the time of the class meeting on the due date in order to be considered
on time. Alternatively, if the work is collected on Canvas, all work must be submitted by the time given
on Canvas as the due time. Work time stamped late will be treated as “Late Work” (see below).
Late Work
Assignments not turned in at or before the time of collection are considered late; however, a late
assignment may be turned in for half credit within the same quarter it was assigned.
Revisions
Some papers may be rewritten as many times as you would like within the quarter that the paper was
assigned. Please staple the new version on top of the previous draft and highlight all changes. Rewrites
not following these requirements will be returned ungraded.
Make-Up Policy
I enforce the make-up policy outlined in the Student Handbook.
Academic integrity
The following pledge must be adhered to whether it’s physically on an exam or paper. You
might read over it carefully. Any violation of this will result in your receiving a zero on the work assigned
and a trip to the Academic Dean to determine what punishment is appropriate for your academic
dishonesty.
“To honor Christ through my integrity, I hereby pledge that the
work on this test is my own and I further acknowledge that I did
not receive nor will I give information about this test to other
students. I understand that my actions to the contrary carry
serious consequences to be determined by the school.”
“Reading without reflection is like eating without
digestion.” -Edmund Burke
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Southern Gothic Literature/Authors Seminar CP 12
Schedule of Readings and Assignments (Tentative and subject to change)
Cycle 1
Course introduction and Syllabus
Carson McCuller’s oral exam on “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter”
Lecture on American Southern Gothic Literature
Writing the Southern Gothic novel: Mark Cobington
Cycle2
Daniel Decatur Emmett: “Dixie’s Land” (music)
Lynyrd Skynyrd: “Sweet Home Alabama/ Neil Young “Southern Man” (music)
The Paris Review: Southern Gothic article
Joel Chandler Harris: Uncle Remus and a misunderstood author
VQ1
Cycle 3
Begin reading “The Violent Bear it away” Flannery O’Connor (chapters 1,2)
“Some Aspects of the Grotesque in Southern fiction” Flannery O’Connor article
“Parker’s Back” Flannery O’Connor short story
VQ2
Cycle 4
Short story “Revelation”: Flannery O’Connor
Flannery O’Connor’s “Revelation” Some vast construction work article
The Violent Bear it away (chapters 3,4,5)
VQ3
Cycle 5
The Violent Bear it away (chapters 6,7,8)
Illusions, Assertions and Denials: Redemption by Faith or by Fact in the Violent Bear it away (article)
Zora Neale Hurston: “Sweat” (short story)
VQ4
Cycle 6
The Violent Bear it away (chapters 9,10,11,12)
“The Life you Save may be your own” short story/ Flannery O’Connor
(pick Southern Gothic short story or bonus novel to report on)
VQ5
Cycle 7
The Violent Bear it away oral exam
Barn Burning: William Faulkner (short story)
A Rose for Emily: William Faulkner (short story)
VQ6
Cycle 8
Second book: P.D. East “On the Attainment of Distinction”
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Southern Gothic Literature/Authors Seminar CP 12
“A good man is hard to find” Flannery O’Connor (short story)
“A & P” John Updike (short story)
VQ7
Cycle 9
“The Petal Paper” articles
“The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson (short story)
“The River” Flannery O’Connor (short story)
VQ8
Introduce Visual Argumentation and paper
Cycle 10
“The Petal Paper” articles
“The Yellow wallpaper” Charlotte Perkins Gilman (short story)
“A worn path” Eudora Welty (short story)
VQ9
Cycle 11
Southern Gothic poetry
VQ10
Cycle 12
Southern gothic oral presentations on stories or bonus book
VQ11
Visual Argumentation paper due
Visual argument oral presentation
Cycle 13
Charles Chestnutt: Po Sandy (short story)
VQ12
Research articles:
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Project Muse: ghosts and shattered bodies, or What does it mean to Still be Haunted by
Southern literature?
The Church and the Fiction Writer, Flannery O’Connor
Disturbing signs: Southern Gothic Fiction from Poe to McCullers, Joseph Gant Bain
(Doctoral dissertation)
Showboat (1936) “Old Man River song”
Porgy and Bess (Gershwin) musical
Bonus Books:
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The Robber bridegroom Eudora Welty
The Magnolia Jungle P.D. East
Black like me John Griffin
The Member of the Wedding Carson McCullers
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Southern Gothic Literature/Authors Seminar CP 12
STUDENT/PARENT SIGNATURE FORM
I have read and understood Mr. Fike’s Classroom Management Plan for English 12CP and am
willing to abide by all ideas and rules contained herein.
__________________________
_____________________________
Student signature
Student’s name PRINTED
__________________________
______________________________
Parent signature
Parent’s name PRINTED
__________________________
______________________________
Date:
Phone number:
Academic Integrity Pledge:
I have read the policy in the student handbook and understand the serious task of
maintaining academic integrity at all times. This means that I avoid and guard against activity
which demonstrates a lack of such integrity, including the following: copying the work of
others whether handwritten or published; not properly acknowledging sources of
information (plagiarism); cheating in any way on tests and quizzes; facilitating cheating;
exaggeration or falsification of data; or violation of copyright law.
________________________________________
_______________________
Signature
Date
COMMENTS:
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