English/History 481 Boston in History, Literature, and Film

GOALS, TEXTS, SCHEDULE, GRADING, JOURNALS AND RESPONSES, MIDTERM PAPER, FINAL PROJECT, AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS OF FICTION SET IN BOSTON (under construction),

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ballison@suffolk.edu (617) 573-8510 (617) 723-7255 Beacon 25th

grichman@suffolk.edu (617)573-8279 (617)305-1744 Fenton 227 TTh 4:00-4:30, F 10:30-12:50, and by appointment

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English/History 481A Boston in History, Literature, and Film F 1:00-3:40 Sawyer 921

Profs. Robert Allison and Gerald Richman

A True Bostonian

Annonymous c. 1900

A soul from Earth to Heaven went
To whom the Saint as he drew near
Said, "Sir, what claims do you present,
To us to be admitted here?"
"In Boston I was born and bred,
And in her schools was educated;
I afterwards at Harvard read,
And was with honors graduated.
In Trinity a pew I owned
Where Brooks is held in such respect;
And the society is known
To be the cream of the select.
In fair Nahant a charming spot,
I own a villa, lawn, arcades,
And last a handsome burial lot
In dead Mount Auburn's hallowed shades."
St. Peter mused, and shook his head,
Then as a gentle sigh he drew,
"Go back to Boston, friend," he said,
"Heaven isn't good enough for you."

Quoted in Susan Wilson, Literary Trail of Greater Boston (Houghton Mifflin, 2000): 116.

"This town of Boston has a history. It is not an accident, not a windmill, or a railroad station, or cross-roads tavern, or an army-barracks grown up by time and luck to a place of wealth; but a seat of humanity, of men of principle, obeying a sentiment and marching loyally whither that should lead them; so that its annals are great historical lines, inextricably national; part of the history of political liberty. I do not speak with any fondness, but the language of coldest history, when I say that Boston commands attention as the town which was appointed in the destiny of nations to lead the civilization of North America." (Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Boston" )

GOALS

There are two related goals in this course:

to analyze and understand the history and image of Boston as presented in literature and films
to analyze and understand in their historical context and in their own terms some important works of literature and film set in Boston

Texts: Multi-Century

Robert J. Allison, A Short History of Boston (2004). Commonwealth Editions

William Martin, Back Bay (1979). Warner Books

Texts: Puritan and Revolutionary Boston

Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Howe's Masquerade: A Legend of the Province House" (1838). Kellscraft Studio

------. "My Kinsman, Major Molineux" (1832). Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library

------. The Scarlet Letter (1850). Dover Thrift Edition

Texts: Nineteenth-Century Boston

Edward Bellamy. Looking Backward (1887) (Ed. Geoffrey Sauer) (selections)

William Dean Howells. The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885). Signet

Glory. Dir. Edward Zwick. Perf. Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Denzell Washington, 1989.

DVD. Sony Pictures, 1998.

Robert Lowell. For the Union Dead (1960) (Ed. Sarah Luria, Holy Cross)

J.W. Page. Uncle Robin in his Cabin in Virginia and Tom Without One in Boston (1853) (Wright

American Fiction 1851-1875, Indiana U)

George Thompson, Venus in Boston and Other Tales of Nineteenth Century City Life (1849). UMassP

Texts: Twentieth-Century Boston

Nat Hentoff. Boston Boy. (1986) 2nd ed. Paul Dry Books

Robert Lowell, For the Union Dead (1960) (Ed. Sarah Luria, Holy Cross)

Edwin O'Connor, The Last Hurrah (1956). Little, Brown.

Dorothy West, The Living Is Easy (1948). The Feminist Press

Films and Television Shows

Several films and television shows will be used to analyze Boston in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. See Movies with Boston Sets and Scenes (BU Libraries) and Television Shows Set in Boston (BU Libraries).

Schedule

DATE	READINGS	WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
January 20	Introduction: Physical History and Maps	Blackboard
January 27	Puritan Boston--Robert Allison, A Short History of Boston, pp. 6-22; Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter 33-180	Journal 1
February 3	Revolutionary Boston--Robert Allison, A Short History of Boston, pp. 23-40; Nathaniel Hawthorne, "My Kinsman, Major Molineux" and "Howe's Masquerade"; William Martin, Back Bay	Response 1 Journal 2
February 10	Crime and Business in Nineteenth-Century Boston--Robert Allison, A Short History of Boston, pp. 41-67; George Thompson, Venus in Boston; William Martin, Back Bay	Response 2 and Journal 3
February 17	Reform in Nineteenth Century Boston--Robert Allison, A Short History of Boston, pp. 41-67; Robert Lowell, For the Union Dead; J.W. Page, Uncle Robin in his Cabin in Virginia and Tom Without One in Boston (1853) Chapters XIII A Trip to Boston 240-56 and XIV Cruel Mercies 256-65; William Martin, Back Bay	Response 3 and Journal 4
February 24	William Martin, Back Bay. Class visit by William Martin	Response 4 and Journal 5
March 3	Class in Nineteenth-Century Boston--Robert Allison, A Short History of Boston, pp. 68-74; William Dean Howells, The Rise of Silas Lapham	Response 5 and Journal 6
March 10	Class Struggle in Nineteenth-Century Boston--Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward: Editor's Introduction (2000), Chapters 01, 02, 03, 04, 28, and Postscript; William Martin, Back Bay	Response 6 and Journal 7
March 17	No class	Midterm Paper Evacuation Day St. Patrick's Day
March 24-31	African-American Boston--Robert Allison, A Short History of Boston, pp. 39, 56-67, 99-103; Dorothy West, The Living Is Easy	Respons 7 and Journal 8 Response 8 and Journal 9
April 7-14	Irish Boston--Robert Allison, A Short History of Boston, pp. 52-54,73-80, 83-89, 90; Edwin O'Connor, The Last Hurrah	Response 9 and Journal 10 Response 10 and Journal 11
April 21	Brahmins and Immigrants--Robert Allison, A Short History of Boston, pp. 77, 80-81, 86, 89-91; Robert Lowell, For the Union Dead; Nat Hentoff, Boston Boy	No Journal or Response Discussion Questions
April 28 May 5	In-Class Presentations	Final Projects

REQUIREMENTS AND GRADES

Education requires active participation of the whole class. We all have the obligation to contribute to the education of others in the class as well as our own. The only way to accomplish this is to attend class regularly, read texts carefully before class, complete assignments on time, bring books to class, and contribute to the discussion.

Each week there will be 300-500 word Journals and Responses designed to provoke discussion and to provide practice in written analysis. These writings will be graded mainly for insight, originality, and supporting evidence.

A Midterm and a Final project will provide the opportunity to develop a topic in more detail.

Attendance

Education is a contact sport. If you are not in class, you can not contribute to your own education and that of the other students; therefore, more than two absences during the semester will lower your grade. If you miss more than three classes, you will be in danger of failing the course and should see one of the instructors to discuss your options.
If you miss a class, you are responsible for the material discussed in that class. Be sure to obtain notes (preferably from more than one student).
But attendance in itself is not sufficient. Your grade will also be based on the quality of your participation. Bring your books to class.
Please come to class on time prepared to stay the whole period. It is very annoying to the class if students are constantly coming and going. (Let me know, of course, of special circumstances.) There will be a ten-minute break approximately half-way through.
Please turn-off cell phones and pagers!

Students with Disabilities

Students with documented disabilities who wish to request accommodations to ensure full participation in this and other courses should contact Assistant Dean Chris Giordano at (617) 573-8239.

Late Assignments

Please contact us if you are having trouble keeping up with readings and assignments. More than three late Journals during the semester will lower your grade.
You are responsible for all the material covered in class. Late Journals and Responses should reflect but not simply repeat class discussion, and will be graded accordingly. Better late than never, however.
To pass the course, you must complete every assignment. Please speak to us if you are having trouble keeping up with readings and written work.

Class Web Site

The syllabus, daily class materials, all assignments, exams, internet readings, and other resources are available on the class web site.
Check the web site regularly for changes and addition of new resources.
If you have any suggestions for adding to and/or improving this page, just let us know. Your contributions are welcome.

GRADING

Requirement Percentage of Grade

Journals and Responses 50%

Midterm Paper 20%

Final Project 20%

Class Participation 10%

Email	Voice Mail	Fax	Office	Office Hours
ballison@suffolk.edu	(617) 573-8510	(617) 723-7255	Beacon 25th
grichman@suffolk.edu	(617)573-8279	(617)305-1744	Fenton 227	TTh 4:00-4:30, F 10:30-12:50, and by appointment

	URL	Username:	Password:
Blackboard	elearn.cas.suffolk.edu	initial first name initial middle name last name: girichman	i.d. number

Requirement	Percentage of Grade
Journals and Responses	50%
Midterm Paper	20%
Final Project	20%
Class Participation	10%