Book Report/Review

English Literature (Classic and Modern)

write short (1-2 page),
response papers, in addition to 2-3 questions to be used for class discussions.
Response papers should focus on engaging critically with at least two of the assigned readings €“ unless
otherwise notated €“ and contextualizing these works within the broader purview of the class.
Some topics of inquiry to be considered for each response:
1. How do the readings portray €“ or, some instances, imply €“ the site of the house, either as a
material object or a textual or critical conceit?
2. How does the author spatialize’ the distinctions between interior and exterior space?
3. How does the house function as setting, character and cipher for each author?
4. In what way does the author portray the house as a source of haunting for its inhabitants?
5. In what way does the concept of haunting afford a further understanding of the writer’s
perspective on modern modes of dwelling; for example, in terms of themes like fantasy,
pathology, sexuality, everydayness, etc.?
6. How does each author confront the socio-political complexities of his surroundings within the
context of public and private space, interiority and exteriority, etc.?
7. In what manner do the readings engage (and critique) either directly or indirectly with the
thoughts posed by authors from previous classes?
8. In what way does the topology of the house exist as a separate and unique form of lived space
distinct from traditional narratives of functional/commercial architecture?