English 354 The Bible as Literature and in Literature and the Arts

ENGLISH 354

The Bible as Literature
and in Literature and the Arts

Caravaggio: The Sacrifice of Isaac [Genesis 22]

Section 01: MWF 12:10-1:20 Bldg. 10-225
Instructor: Steven Marx
smarx@calpoly.edu
http://cla.calpoly.edu/~smarx
Faculty Office Building 47-25E, 756-2411
Office hours: MWF: 1:30-2:30 P.M. and by appointment

Fall 2004 Schedule

Week	Date	Topic	Primary Reading Due	Companion Reading	Other Assignments Due	Report Topics and Materials	Lecture Notes and Resources
I	9/20	Introduction:	The Book of Ruth	NSRV translators' preface Introduction to Reading the Old Testament (RTOT) RTOT Ruth	get class email		Biblical texts and search engines Four Christian versions 1917 Jewish version Canons of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Paradigm for Literary Analysis Women's Early Art--Ruth
	9/22	Hebrew Bible: HISTORY Genesis, generations, genealogy	Genesis 1-11	Historical Overview of Old Testament Period Prologue to the Torah RTOT, chapter 1	report preferences		Images of God and Man in the Sistine Chapel Sistine Chapel interior Separation of Light from Darkness Creation of Adam The Fall The Flood Notes on Genesis
	9/24	The Chosen Clan: Abraham	Genesis 12-22	RTOT chapter 2 part 1	report preferences possible topics for paper #1	Soren Kierkegaard: Fear and Trembling (Essay) Bob Dylan: Highway 61 revisted (song) Sacrifice of Isaac: Caravaggio and Rembrandt(Paintings)Scott Morrison	Notes on Abraham
II	9/27	Family Matters: Isaac and Jacob	Genesis 23-36	RTOT chapter 2 part 2	Paper #1	Anita Diamant: The Red Tent(novel)Laura Oates Frederick Buechner: Son of Laughter(novel)	Notes on Genesis
	9/29	Sibling Rivalry: Joseph and his Band of Brothers	Genesis 37-50	RTOT, chapter 2, part 3	Quiz #1	Joseph and his Technicolor Dream Coat(musical) John Tsui Joseph and Potiphar's Wife (painting)Kristine Ray	"Prosperity and Posterity: Genesis and The Tempest"
	10/1	Deliverance of the Tribes	Exodus 1-19	RTOT, chapter 3, part 1		Exodus by Leon Uris (novel) (film)
III	10/04	Nation Building in the Wilderness	Exodus 20-40 Numbers 1-2, 9-14, 16-17, 20- 21, 31-32	RTOT, chapter 3, part 2		The Ten Commandments (film)Paul McGowan	No tes on Exodus
	10/06	The Promised Land: Exploration and Conquest	Deuteronomy 30-31,34 Joshua 1-6	RTOT, Chapter 6, part 1	Quiz #2	"Go Down Moses" and "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho"(African American Spirituals)Marci Palla [Music and Commentary] Michaelangelo's Moses Joseph te Velde	Notes on Numbers Moses and Machiavellism
	10/8	Self-rule and its problems	Judges 1-2, 11, 13-16,19-21	RTOT on Samson		Samson and Delilah (film) John Milton: Samson Agonistes (poetic drama)
IV	10/11	The Origins of the Monarchy	I Samuel	RTOT Chapter 8 Part 1 and 2	Paper #2	Michaelangelo's David Katie Davis Caravaggio: David and Goliath version 1, version 2. version 3Kelly Enrico Rembrandt: David and Saul and David and JonathanRex Lanier King David (film)Robert Becker	Notes on Samuel I and II
	10/13	The House of David	II Samuel	RTOT, Chapter 8, part 3	midterm exam study guide	David and Bathsheba (film)Andrew Descary Amnon and Tamar(painting)Jonathan Senigaglia Steven Vincent Benet: "King David" (poem)Hilary Berg Joseph Heller: God Knows (novel)
	10/15	The House of David	II Samuel (continued)
V	10/18	Solomon and his followers	I Kings 1-11,16-19, 21-22; II Kings 22-5	RTOT, Chapter 9, parts 1, 3c and 4	Quiz #3	Huckleberry Finn Chapter 14 [On Solomon]Kris Monte
	10/20				Midterm exam
	10/22	Hebrew Bible: THE NATIONAL LITERATURE Psalms	Psalms 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 19, 22, 23, 24, 42, 46, 51, 110, 130, 137, 148, 150	RTOT Part 3 Introduction and Section 1--Biblical Poetry RTOT Chapter 14		Holy Sonnets by John Donne Psalms translated into Metrical verse by Mary Sidney ~1590
VI	10/25	Poetry attributed to Solomon: Ecstasy and Despair	The Song of Songs Ecclesiastes	RTOT Chapter 16 Parts 1 and 4 RTOT Part 3 Section 2--Wisdom Literature		"Let Him Kiss Me with the Kisses of his Mouth," Edward Taylor (Puritan poem) "The Vanity of All Worldly Things," Anne Bradstreet (Puritan Poem) Jeff Comer Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises (novel)Aaron Wordley
	10/27	Poetry attributed to Solomon: The Middle Way	Proverbs 1, 5, 7, 10, 22:17 -29, 31:10-31	RTOT Chapter 15--Proverbs and Job		William Blake, "Proverbs of Hell" (poetic satire, part of "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell")Robert Beighley
	10/29	Job	Job 1-31	RTOT Chapter 15--Proverbs and Job
VII	11/1	Job	Job 38-43		Quiz #4	Blake's Illustrations of JobClinton Willey Archibald Macleish, J.B (1950's Broadway play)Scott Watson	'Within a Foot of the Extreme Verge': The Book of Job and King Lear
	11/3	Hebrew Bible: PROPHETIC BOOKS	Amos 1-3,6-7; Isaiah 1-6,9,11; Jeremiah 1-3, 31	RTOT Introduction to Prophets RTOT First Isaiah RTOT Jeremiah		Michelangelo's Portraits of the Prophets on the Sistine Ceiling
	11/5	Prophets(2)	Ezekiel 1-4, 34, 37:1-14, 40:1-10; Isaiah 40-44, 47, 49, 52-55; 65-66	RTOT Ezekiel RTOT Second and Third Isaiah		Handel, The Messiah, Part I
VIII	11/8	New Testament: GOSPEL The Return of the King	Matthew 1-13	Brief History of the New Testament Introduction to Matthew(NAB) Introduction to Matthew (Blue Letter Bible)	possible topics for Paper#3
	11/10	Passion and Resurrection	Matthew 14-28				Gruenwald crucifixion Gruenwald resurrection reading notes for Matthew
	11/12	Gospel Variants(1)	Luke 1-2, 17: 11-19, 18:1-14, 23-24	Introduction to Luke(Blue Letter Bible) Introduction to Luke (New American Bible)	Quiz 5 Creative project assignment
IX	11/15	Gospel Variants(2)	John 1-5, 11-12, 17-20	Introduction to John(Blue Letter Bible) Introduction to John (New American Bible)
	11/17	The Gospel Story in Painting, Music and Film(1)			Paper#3 due Final Exam preparation	Paintings by Raphael and Rembrandt Dora Mountain J.S. Bach, Christmas Oratorio(midi) (commentary)Reuben Westmoreland Jesus Christ Superstar (film) 1973 version 2000 versionAaron Stearrett Jesus of Montreal (film)James Paasche
	11/19	The Gospel Story in Painting, Music and Film(2)			Creative Project Proposal due	Jesus of Nazareth (film) James Irons Monty Python, Life of Brian (film)Garet Zook The Passion of the Christ (film)Jessica Uhlenoff J.S. Bach, The Saint Matthew Passion(oratorio)
X	11/22	New Testament: HISTORY The Early Church	Acts 1-28	Introduction to Acts(Blue Letter Bible) Introduction to Acts (New American Bible)		Paintings by Caravaggio Jessica Van Dyke
	11/24	holiday
	11/26	holiday
XI	11/29	New Testament: EPISTLES Paul's Letters	Romans 1-6, 9-11; 1Corinthians 5-7, 10, 12-14; 2Corinthians 10-13			The Last Temptation of Christ Kayla Muldur
	12/1	New Testament: APOCALYPSE	Revelation	Introduction to Revelation (New American Bible)		The War in Heaven in Milton's Paradise Lost Danny Lord Michelangelo: The Last JudgementAndy Zonnenfeld Albrecht Durer: The Book of Revelation Peggy Ramey-Renk	reading notes for Revelation "The Masque of Revelation," Steven Marx
	12/3	Creative Project presentation			Paper#5 Creative Project
	12/7 [10:10-11:30]	Final Exam

Texts and Resources

Primary text:

No specific version of the Bible is prescribed. Select your own favorite. I'll be using the Oxford Study Bible to read and for footnotes. The course syllabus has links to ECanon, which allows alternate versions of any passage.

Companion texts:

We'll have the privilege of using the free online version of an excellent textbook, Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, by Barry Bandstra. For the New Testament classes, we'll be using parallel Introductions provided by Catholic and Protestant authorities.

Web links on syllabus:

Some of these links to works of art and literature inspired by the Bible can enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the primary text. They provide the basis for student reports.

Supplementary web and library resources

This small selection of the vast array of books, journals, and websites on Biblical subjects is for those who want to explore further.

Dr. Marx’s Special Formula for improved grades on English papers

Workload and Grading

Quizzes=25%

Five Scantron quizzes, ten questions each.

Papers and projects=50%

Students produce five papers. Each paper fills one word-processed page, appears attractive, is free of spelling and grammatical errors, and develops a single major point. Papers can refer to but not repeat material raised in class. Each paper focuses on a different reading.

Papers take a variety of approaches, e.g.: discussion of a narrative pattern, explication of the rhetorical design of a single passage, exploration of a strand of images or recurrent theme, discussion of a character or a change in character or a relationship, study of an intense dramatic moment, argument in attack or defense of a character or a moral judgment by a character, comparison of an element in two or more readings, research on a relevant historical item, examination of a moral or philosophical issue raised in the text.

One of the five papers is presented to the class and treats a later version or variation of a biblical text and its relation to the original. More details on Report Schedule.

The final submission, a creative project presented on the last day of class, has a non-expository format but expresses or implies critical insight into a Biblical text, e.g.: a supplemental scene or speech, a parody, or modernized version, a dramatization on video or performed live; a drawing, painting or sculpture, song, poem, costume piece, prop or other construction. Students write a one page description relationg their projects to the Biblical text which inspired them. More details on Project Proposal.

Exams=25%

Both Midterm and Final are one hour essay exams. The midterm counts 10%; the final counts 15%. Each can fulfill the Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR).

Rules

Late papers are penalized one full grade for each class session's delay unless a postponement is granted by the instructor in advance.

Three unexcused absences lower the grade by one half letter; seven unexcused absences result in no credit. Three unexcused latenesses count for one absence. Absences can be excused with written medical or other certification.

Plagiarism or other forms of cheating result in a failing grade and referral to the dean. Students are responsible for understanding the definition of plagiarism, which is provided here.

Behavior to avoid: arriving late or leaving early; having cell phones going off; packing up disruptively before the class is dismissed; eating in class; sleeping in class; reading newspapers; chatting with neighbors.