Department of Slavic and Central Asian Languages & Literatures
Bashiri
1043 Heller Hall
Telephone: 624-3314
e-mail: bashi001@umn.edu
web: irajbashiri.com
Office hours: M, 11:15-12:00; F, 1:15-2:00
Or by appointment
SYLLABUS
Persian Fiction (in Translation)
CAS 3601/5601; MELC 3601/5601
Conceptual Frame:
This course deals with oppression both in its domestic mode and in the modes by which individuals and nations view and exploit human and natural resources. Rather than directly, as would a course in political science, this course examines the dynamics of oppression in urban and rural centers as these are portrayed by the writers of fiction native to the area. The course specifically deals with political oppression, especially as it applies to intellectual groups and women.
Objectives:
· Acquaint students with cultures other than their own.
· Show students that
oppression, unless "institutionalized," does not recognize race,
gender,
class, and nationality boundaries; furthermore,
that oppression is experienced differently
depending on one's sex, social status, and
political leaning.
· Allow students to view the
West and the
other cultures.
· Teach students that different
cultures have different values and, consequently,
different issues to
tackle; what is a major issue in one culture
might not necessarily be an issue in another.
· Allow students to observe
situations in cultural context and analyze and assess
the impact of their
dynamics using the values of the native culture.
Class Sessions:
January
21 Introduction to the course; course
content; materials to be covered; office
hours;
tests; book report; paper; grades.
Assignment: W103.
Iran: a Concise Overview.
23
General Discussion of modern Iranian history
Assignment: W121. From the Hymns of Zarathustra to the Songs
of Borbad
26
Discussion of the Indo-European Background of the Iranian peoples
Assignment:W121.
From the Hymns of Zarathustra to the Songs of Borbad
(same file: Cyrus the Great, Darius the Great, Xerxes)
28
Discussion of the culture of ancient Iranians
Assignment: W118.
Firdowsi's Life
30
Emergence of the epic genre
Assignment: W120.
The Role of Farr in Firdowsi's Shahname
February
2
Suppression of Iranian culture and use of symbolic representation
Assignment: W125.
Iran and Islam to A.D. 1400
4 Development of Court and Sufic Poetry.
Assignment: W125. Iran and Islam to A.D. 1400
6
Persian Art and Architecture
Assignment: The Adventures of Hajji
Baba of Ispahan, pp. 1-27.
E-reserve URL: http://eres.lib.umn.edu/eres/coursepage.aspx?cid=1603
7
European view of Iranian society at the end of the 19th century
Assignment: W111. The Bakhtiaris of Iran
11 "In Search of Grass"
13 Review session. Study Guide I is distributed.
16
Exam One: Covers the background
cultural history discussed.
Assignment: W126.
M. A. Jamalzadeh's Life ; W127.
"Persian is Sugar";
W128. "Six of One,..." ;
Kamshad, pp. 90-112
18
Establishment of the short-story genre by M. A. Jamalzadeh
Assignment:W129.
Hedayat's Life (Chapter 1 of The Fiction of Sadeq
Hedayat); W130. "Story with a
Result"
20
Discussion of the earlier works of Sadeq Hedayat.
Assignment:W131. "Haji Murad" ; W131a. "Three Drops of Blood"
23
Discussion of Hedayat's technique of short story writing.
Assignment:W132.
"Dash Akol" ; W133. "Don
Juan of Karaj" ;
W134. Social Setting and Themes in the Works
of Hedayat
(Chapter
4 of The Fiction of Sadeq Hedayat)
25 "Dash Akol"
27
Social change reflected in Hedayat's works (1920s-1940s)
Assignment: W135.
"The Stray Dog" ; W136.
"The Water of Life"
March
2
The role of the intellectuals, the government, and the clergy in deciding
Assignment:W137. "The Dark House" ; W138. "The Patriot"
4
"The Iranian Press"
Assignment:W139. The
Blind Owl
6
No class
Assignment:W139. The
Blind Owl
9
Discussion of Hedayat's incorporation of the concept of "liberty" in
his "Blind Owl."
Assignment:W140.
The Pearl Cannon
11
Discussion of Hedayat's fiction and its impact on future writers of fiction in
13 Study Guide II is distributed.
23 Exam Two: Covers Hedayat's life
and analyses of the stories covered in class.
Assignment: W141.
Chubak's Life ; W142. "Justice"
25
Discussion of Chubak's life and works
Assignment: W143.
"The Baboon Whose Buffoon Was Dead" ; W142a. "The Oil Seller";
Optional: "Diplomatic Wives" (Enloe, pp. 93-123)
27
Discussion of the social dimensions of Chubak's stories.
Assignment: W144.
Ibrahim Gulistan's life; W145.
"Carrousel"
30
April
1
The impact of a half century of change on the lives of the people of
Assignment:W149.
Simin Danishvar's life ;
W150. "A Land Like Paradise"; The
Bluest Eye
3 Comparison of the plight of Mehrangiz with that of Pecola (group discussion)
6
Assignment: W146.
Jalal Al-i Ahmad's life W147. The China
Flowerpot;
W148. "Weststruckness"
8 A
new generation of Iranian writers
10
W234. "The Reforms of the Pahlavis: Phase
One" ;
Optional: Sexism and Tourism (Enloe, pp. 19-41)
13 Study
Guide III is distributed..; Aqa Julu's
modest scheme versus the international scene
Assignment:;
W235. "The Reforms of the Pahlavis: Phase
Two" ;
Optional: "Blue Jeans and Bankers" (Enloe, pp. 151-176)
15
Discussion of The Bluest Eye
17 "Divorce Iranian Style" The lives of Iranian women reflected in Persian fiction
20 Open
22
Exam Three:
Covers the lives of the authors discussed and analyses of stories covered.
Assignment:W151. Nasir Taqva'i's life ; W152. "Aqa Julu" ;
24
Discussion of life in rural
Assignment: W153.
Shapur Qarib's life W154. "The Warm
South"; Abrahamian, pp. 281-326
27
The exploitative actions of the old man in the Warm South are given perspective
Assignment: none
29 The White Revolution and its impact on Persian fiction
Assignment: W155.
Amin Faqiri's Life; W156. Water;
W157. The Bathhouse
May
1 Discussion of the Communist Movement in
Assignment: W158.
Samad Behrangi's life ;
W159. "The Little Black Fish"
6 "Boycott"
8 Study Guide IV is
distributed. Evaluation of the
course
Exam Four:
Covers the lives of the authors discussed and analyses of stories read.
Friday, May 15, 2009; 10:30am – 12:30 pm.
Assignments:
There will be four exams (see above), one final paper, and one book report
1. Exams:
The exams will cover both classroom discussions and reading assignments. Questions will be from stories read, analyzed, and discussed in class. The responses should clearly show that you understand the stories and can satisfactorily discuss their structures, contents, and import.
The first three exams will be during the weeks indicated. An exact date will be provided.
The Final (4th exam) will be on Friday, May 15, 2009; 10:30am – 12:30 pm. The first three exams carry 10 points each; the final exam carries 15 points. There will be no make-up tests
2. Book
Report:
A report on a book chosen by
the student but with the
consent of the instructor.
Guidelines
for Writing Book Reports will assist you in getting started on the
report. The book report carries 15 points.
The book report is due on May 4, 2009.
3. The
Paper:
The paper, 10 pages, typed, double-spaced, should deal with aspects of fiction
in
The paper carries 30 points as follows:
|
Aspects of paper |
# of points |
|
presentability |
2 |
|
relevance and originality |
5 |
|
introduction |
3 |
|
structure |
4 |
|
content |
8 |
|
conclusion |
3 |
|
footnotes & bibliography |
5 |
|
Total |
30 |
4. Attendance:
Attendance carries 3 points. Each absence is worth .5 points.
5. Participation:
Classroom participation entails a) discussion of assigned readings and stories
when called upon in class; b) active participation in group discussions, and c)
leadership.
Participation carries 7 points.
6. Grading:
Grading is done according to the number of points earned during the semester.
The total points earned is measured against the following chart:
|
# of points |
Grade |
# of points |
Grade |
|
95-100 |
A |
65-70 |
C/S |
|
90-95 |
A- |
60-65 |
C-/S |
|
85-90 |
B+ |
55-60 |
D+ |
|
80-85 |
B |
50-55 |
D |
|
75-80 |
B- |
45-50 |
D- |
|
70-75 |
C+/S |
40-45 |
F |
Important Note:
Those taking the course at the 5xxx level will write an analytical essay on a topic
assigned by the instructor. This essay should not exceed five (5) pages.
The following readings
are available at the Reserve Room, Wilson Library, or from the general
collection at
Al-i Ahmad, Jalal,
"
Bashiri, Iraj, "Hedayat's Life," "Hedayat's Learning," and
"Social Setting and Themes," The Fiction of Sadeq Hedayat,
Mazda Publishers, 1984.
Behrangi, Samad, "The Little Black Fish," Three Continents Press,
1966.
Enloe, Cynthia: Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of
International Politics, U of
Faqiri, Amin, "The Bathhouse," "Water" (trans. Iraj
Bashiri), The Doleful Village, 1967.
Hedayat, Sadeq, "Story with a Result," "Dash Akol,"
"Don Juan of
Jamalzadeh, Muhammad Ali, "Persian is Sugar,Literature East and West ,
vol. XX, 1976. pp. 11-20.
Massell, Gregory, J. The Surrogate Proletariat: Moslem Women and
Revolutionary Strategies in Soviet
Morrison, Toni, The Bluest Eye,
Nyrop, Richard F., "History of the People,"
Selected References
Aitmatov, Chinghiz, Piebald Dog Running Along the Shore and other Stories.
______. Tales of the Mountains and the Steppes.
______.The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years (tr. John French).
Attwood, Lynne. The New Soviet Man and Woman: Sex-Role Socialization in the
Azari, Farah, ed., Women of
Bashiri, Iraj. The Fiction of Sadeq Hedayat.
Behrangi, Samad.The Little Black Fish.
Browne, E. G. Literary History of Persia , 4 vols.,
Enloe, Cynthia: Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of
International Politics, U of California Press, 1989.
Fanon, Frantz Omar: The Wretched of the Earth, 1965.
Fernea, Elizabeth W. and Basima Qattan Bezirgan, eds.: Middle Eastern Muslim
Women Speak, U of
Fernea, Elizabeth W. ed., Women and the Family in the Middle East: New
Voices of Change, U of
Friedl, Erika, Women of Deh Koh: Lives in an
Ghanoonparvar, M.K. Prophets of Doom: Literature as a Socio-political
Phenomenon in Modern
Haeri, Shahla, Law of Desire: Temporary Marriage in Shi'i
Hillmann, Michael C. Literature East and West, Major Voices in Contemporary
Persian Literature. Vol. XX, 1976.
Kamshad, Hassan. Modern Persian Prose Literature,
Kassymbekov, T. The Broken Sword.
Lapidus, Gail W.: Women in Soviet Society: Equality, Development and Social
Change
Massell, Gregory, J. The Surrogate Proletariat: Moslem Women and
Revolutionary Strategies in Soviet
Morier, James. The Adventures of Hajji Baba of
Morrison, Toni, The Bluest Eye,
Nashat, Guity, "Women in the Islamic
Niyasi, S. At the Foot of
Orwell, George: Animal Farm,
Rypka, Jan. History of Iranian Literature, Dordrecht-Holland: D. Reidel
Publishing Co., 1968.
Wellek, Rene and Austin Warren, eds. Theory of Literature,
Windfuhr, G. L. and John R. Workman. "Literature in Translation--Iranian
into English,"
Yeganeh, Nahid and Nikki R. Keddie, eds. "Sexuality and Shi'i Social
Protest in
Zavarzadeh, Mas'ud. "The Persian Short Story Since the Second World War:
An Overview," The Muslim World, 58(1968), pp. 308-316.