ENGLISH
273: Reading and Writing Short Fiction
DESCRIPTION/OBJECTIVES: This
course functions as, 1. an introduction
to the elements of fiction, 2. an introduction to writing, appreciating, and
thinking critically about literature, 3. a discussion of the “location” of
imaginative work in relation to culture, history, and politics, 4. an
introduction to the craft of writing and revising fiction. The course will draw out
connections among these activities. We will discuss elements of fiction (plot,
character, dialogue, figurative language, point of view, tone, setting, theme,
genre); discuss the located-ness or enmeshment of texts in history and culture
by way of some basic literary theory and terminology; and do a series of
exercises that develop creative and critical techniques. With each text or
exercise, the aim will be to broaden your understanding of the challenges,
mechanics, pleasures, ethics, purposes, stakes of literary acts (including your
own), and to produce thoughtful and imaginative responses. Students will
produce a critical paper and several short stories.
TEXTS: We will
read one novel, William Kennedy’s Ironweed,
available from Revolution Books. Short stories, essays, and critical articles will
be available on Laulima.