Related issues include the concept of the self, the mirror image, the quest for perfection, and the difference between healthy and pathological narcissism. We will begin with Ovid's myth of Echo and Narcissus and explore various psychoanalytic theories of narcissism. There is also a weekly diary. The deadline for the first essay is Oct. 22 and for the second essay is Dec. 1. If you wish, your second essay can focus on a novel that is not on the reading list.
Attendance is very important.
I believe strongly that students have a great deal to contribute to class discussions, and I try to involve everyone in our discussions. I will take attendance every class. An indispensable part of English 382 will be a weekly diary that I am asking you to keep. The purpose of the diary is to encourage you to become as psychoanalytically self-aware as Possible, not simply with narcissism theory as it applies to literature, but with its application to real life. Please be as honest as you can in your diaries.