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Academic Year 2002/2003

The Simple Life
GERM 230 SP
Crosslistings:
GELT 230

Beginning with the songs of shepherds in ancient Greece, the genre of pastoral literature evolved side by side with Western civilization, often idealizing the "simple life" as a contrast to sophisticated urban life, which was generally perceived as decadent. Related to this genre, but not bound by its conventions, are narratives about, and sometimes by, peasants, farmers, and other country folk who experience nature at first hand as they carry on an existence frequently characterized by unremitting physical labor, material deprivation or scarcity, and geographical limitation. In this course we will examine a wide selection of such narratives, both fiction and nonfiction, to discover the thematic and stylistic constants in portrayals of rural life and to determine what values inform these narratives. Particular attention will be paid to individuals and groups who have deliberately chosen the "simple life."

MAJOR READINGS

Henry David Thoreau, WALDEN
Ole Rolvaag, GIANTS IN THE EARTH
Laura Ingalls Wilder, FARMER BOY and THE LONG WINTER
Edith Wharton, ETHAN FROME
Donald Hall, STRING TOO SHORT TO BE SAVED
Helen Neering, THE GOOD LIFE
Sheila Gibbons, COLD COMFORT FARM
other works to be announced, and films

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Weekly short papers; oral presentations; one final project, which may be creative in nature.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

Sophomores will be admitted during the Drop/Add period if spaces are available.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA GERM    Grading Mode: Student Option   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-18-2003

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