Welcome to English 206/2

with Professor Len von Morzé

To let thee at once into a secret, which is unknown to these people themselves, their democracy is a pure unadulterated LOGOCRACY or government of words. The whole nation does everything viva voce, or, by word of mouth, and in this manner is one of the most military nations in existence. Every man who has, what is called, the gift of the gab, that is, a plentiful stock of verbosity, becomes a soldier outright, and is forever in a military state. The country is intirely [sic] defended vi et lingua, that is to say, by force of tongues.

- Mustapha Rub-a-Dub Keli Khan, supposed prisoner from Tripoli, describing U.S. society in the fictional Salmagundi letters by Washington and William Irving, and James Kirke Paulding (1807)

Syllabus

Student Profiles

Class Portfolio

   America is neither a land nor a people,

   A word's shape it is, a wind's sweep--

   America is alone: many together

   Many of one mouth, of one breath.

- "It Is a Strange Thing To Be an American" by Archibald MacLeish

2/6: This course website is now up and running. You will find all assignments on, obviously enough, the Assignments page; you will eventually be making contributions to class discussion on the Writing Room page; you'll find course slides and other goodies in the Media Room; and you'll be able to download electronic texts and find links to other websites on the Resources page.

2/21: A point of clarification on the quiz tomorrow, in case you missed class: It covers the entirety of "Bartleby" and the first half of Benito Cereno. That is, through page 75 (as stated on the syllabus). If you’re using a different edition than the one ordered, it’s exactly halfway through the novella: through the paragraph beginning “He accosted Don Benito, and they slowly walked together.”

Bartleby's view onto Wall Street: