Literary theory lectures

Thank you, dear readers.

I know that many of you offered prayers for my recovery. Last April 15, after more than a month battling severe pneumonia (that included a fortunately brief stay in the ICU of St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City), I was declared by my doctors as cured. I still need to recover my energy, but I can soon return to active participation in projects, meetings, and so on.

Because the disease revealed that my heart is not as healthy as I thought it was, my doctors have warned me to cut down drastically on my activities, so I shall gradually withdraw from several of my various positions in schools, organizations, and government bodies.

I never lost hope that I would be cured, not only because the Lord is my shepherd, but because I have so many friends who sent me kind words of concern and who asked heaven to give me another chance to make a difference in our world. Thank you, dear friends and readers. I owe you my second life.

LITERARY THEORY LECTURES. Next month I shall give ten lectures on “Literary Theory for Teachers” in the Case Study Room of the Nicanor Reyes Hall of Far Eastern University in Sampaloc, Manila.

Since 1972, when I first started on my doctoral studies at the University of Maryland, I have been studying and practising literary theory. The FEU lectures will be the last I shall give in the field. After the series, I intend to retire completely from theorizing, as well as from teaching.

Literary theory was the biggest thing that hit international literary studies in the last quarter of the last century. Theories became the in-thing, with literary critics from around the world all pitching in (unlike earlier movements that were more or less started by or limited to one country or continent). A number of literary fortunes were made in the field. Several theorists became household names, not just in literary circles, but in the popular media, among secondary school students, and online.

Like all literary fashions, however, literary theory came and went. At the turn of our century, the leading literary theorists were proclaiming the death of theory. I myself, in 2004, delivered a lecture at UST entitled, “What Was Literary Theory?” In a sense, the FEU lectures will be my own summing up of what I have learned and done in the field.

Instead of delivering lectures meant only for the top experts in the field, however (which is what I used to do in international conferences), I decided to share what I know with teachers in our secondary and tertiary schools. I decided to relate literary theory to the practical teaching of literature in our classrooms.

This is the way the event is billed: “A series of public lectures on the use of Literary Theory in teaching literature on the secondary and tertiary levels. The lectures will acquaint teachers with the fundamentals of literary theory, from its beginnings in China to Ecocriticism and Wikcrit. The lectures will focus on the way literary theories can be applied in practice to understand and to teach literary texts and other narratives, such as films. No prior knowledge of literary theory and criticism is required. The lectures will be conducted in English, but texts in several languages will be used as examples.”

The series is open to high school and college teachers of Literature, Filipino, and English. Teachers may attend the individual lectures for P300 per lecture and earn Certificates of Attendance. Teachers may earn three graduate credits by attending all lectures, staying for an extra hour for tutorials after every lecture, and sitting for an oral final examination; in this case, the university’s regular tuition fee will be charged.”

This is the schedule of lectures:

9 May, 9-11 a.m.: Literature as Self-Expression: The Birth of Theory in China

9 May, 2-4 p.m.: Literature as Mirror: Plato Begets Aristotle

10 May, 9-11 a.m.: Literature as Prayer: Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic

10 May, 2-4 p.m.: Literature as History: Rizal and Realism

11 May, 9-11 a.m.: Literature as Object: New Criticism & Structuralism

11 May, 2-4 p.m.: Literature as Weapon: Marx and the Marxists

12 May, 9-11 a.m.: Literature as Self-Contradiction: Poststructuralism

12 May, 2-4 p.m.: Literature as Sexual Politics: Feminism and Gay Criticism

13 May, 9-11 a.m.: Literature as World Politics: Postcolonial Theories

13 May, 2-4 p.m.: Literature in the 21st Century: The Death of Theory Online.

Both the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education have issued circulars endorsing the lecture series. This is important for teachers that need permission to leave their campuses or to spend institutional funds.

Because slots are limited, interested teachers are asked to contact Cherry H. Cajucom (7357629 or 7355621 local 323) or Dhean R. De Ocampo (7360008 or 7355621 local 286), or email [email protected] or [email protected] as soon as possible.

ALERT ON SENATE BILL: Last week, the Senate held a public hearing on SB 489, entitled “An Act Strengthening the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Amending for the Purpose R.A. No. 7722, Entitled ‘An Act Creating the Commission on Higher Education, Appropriating Funds Therefore, and for other Purposes.’” I join everybody in the academic community in condemning this bill. Read it and weep!