By Bruce Weigl

E-mail: engstef@acsu.buffalo.edu

In this course I will expand the standard definition of "Best Seller" to include works that continue to have an enduring influence on our cultural life; works that have changed the way we think and feel about how we live, here and now. We’ll look at American cultural life from the period shortly after WW II to the moment when the election scandal that was Florida in 2000 became the symbol of how we conduct our public processes.

I will ask students to comb news and magazine archives, and to do other kinds of first-level research in addition to reading all the books on the main reading list and attending all the video screenings.

Here are some of the books we’ll be studying:

Don DeLillo, White Noise; Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Jack Kerouac, On the Road; Elmore Leonard, Out of Sight; Carl Hiaasen, Striptease, Mary Karr, Liars’ Club. We will consider a genre I’m calling "War Stories," including Hemingway, In Our Time; Larry Heinemann, Paco’s Story; and Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried. I will put a small recommended list on reserve, including Hiaasen’s screed on the wonderful world of Disney: Team Rodent : How Disney Devours the World. A reference work is required: M.H. Abrams, Glossary of Literary Terms.

Video Screenings: A small number of videos, documentary as well as fiction film, in class, on the general subjects of "outsiderdom" and media frenzy- "celebritydom." Some titles: Victor Nunez, Ruby in Paradise, Robert Epstein, Times of Harvey Milk. Peter Davis, Hearts and Minds.

Course Requirements: two analytical papers (3 in-class impromptus=1 paper), one library-archive research project (fairly brief), some quizzes as a check on your reading. You must have readings done before you come to class. Bring the text for the day to each and every class. This class meets twice a week. Therefore more than two absences will put your grade in serious jeopardy.

Texts: University Bookstore

Aug. 28.-- Introduction. Surveying the territory

Aug. 30.-- More Introduction. Assignment: Read the first 40 pages or so of One Flew…

Sept. 4.-- One Flew… read to the middle of the book.

Sept. 6.-- Finish One Flew…

Sept. 11-- Guest Lecture: Austin Booth—Univ. Libraries— Making the most of Bison/ Internet resources. About 30 min.

Rest of class hour. In Our Time: On the Quay At Smyrna and Chapter Intertitles (the very brief short stories in italics.)

Sept. 13.-- In Our Time

Sept. 18.-- Rosh Hashanah – No Class

Sept. 20-- In Our Time—finish. Start The Things They Carried.

Eng. 374— Calendar cont.

Sept. 25. – First in-class impromptu.

Sept. 27.-- Yom Kippur -- No Class

Oct. 2.-- The Things They Carried –Finish

Oct. 4.-- Paco’s Story

Oct. 9.-- Paco’s Story –finish

Oct. 11.-- First paper due: Topic—"Chief Broom and Paco as ‘Invisible Men’." This paper must have a thesis about invisibility. It must use quotes form both texts to support your argument. It should be 5+ pages long. Word-processed, spell-checked, of course.

Reading assignment: Opening section of White Noise.

Oct. 16.-- White Noise

Oct. 18. -- Finish White Noise

Oct. 23.-- Out of Sight

Oct. 25. -- Film: "Out of Sight"

Oct. 30. -- "Out of Sight"

Nov. 1. -- Library-Archive Assignment Due: A media-hyped event in the period 1967-1972. Details to be announced.

Reading: Start Striptease. Chap. 1 of Team Rodent (on reserve).

Nov. 6.-- Finish Strip Tease.

Nov. 8.-- In class impromptu (open book). Details to be announced

Nov. 13.-- Film: "Times of Harvey Milk"

Nov. 15.-- On the Road

Nov. 20.-- On the Road

Nov. 22.-- Turkey Daze

Eng. 374— Calendar cont.

Nov. 27.-- Start Liars’ Club

Nov. 29.-- Liars’ Club

Dec. 4.-- Summary and Catch-up.

Dec. 6. -- Second paper due: Topic "Mary Karr’s take on the American cult on Masculinity" Refer, if you wish, to Bruce Weigl‘s poem (at the head of the syllabus).

Length: about 5 pages. Again, the paper must have a thesis.