This page is the online cla** page for Augie's ENGL 200C--The Literary Experience--course.
We will add to this page as the semester continues. But this page will be our home base for texts that we are annotating online and, perhaps, for your response essays.
Some important links:
Student guide to Genius
Cla** list
Texts we're annotating
Model annotations
After discussing the worth of literature using opinions by Thomas Jefferson (who called it "poison") and E.L. Doctorow (who essentially said literature was crucial for survival of humanity), one of our first a**ignments is to--in groups--come up with definitions of literature. In addition, these groups will consider some genres and works that might or might not be considered literature. Here are our results:
Group 1
Literature is any type of composition--written or spoken--that holds any type of value or purpose to the audience or writer.
In
Instruction manuals
Poetry
Books (fiction and non-fiction)
plays
music
Out
sci-fi
On the border
playbill
self-help books
Group 2
Any work involving words that is seen, read, heard, or created by people expressing their thoughts, experiences, opinions, or ideas regardless of merit.
In
fiction
movies
music with lyrics
advertisements
poetry
news/journalism
Out
sculptures
paintings
On the border
music without lyrics
Group 3
Any written work that leaves an impact and includes literary elements.
In
fiction
poetry
autobiographies
theater
Out
news
magazine articles
textbooks
On the border
music
movies
some children's books
Group 4
A written or reported piece of work--fiction or non-fiction--telling or depicting an idea, concept, or story of lasting importance or influence.
In
orchestral music
textbooks
broadway shows/theater
Out
street art
newspaper articles
On the border
movies
music with lyrics
Group 5
Any written work that could be published and has a purpose that can convey meaning or a story that make the audience think.
In
novels
poems
shorts
plays
Out
social media
On the border
music
magazine articles
leveled children's books
Since some of you mentioned music and specifically discussed spoken-word and hip-hop, here's a page with some excerpts from Jay-Z's writing
And another