English 261-011
Introduction to Short Stories
Instr: Van Pelt, William
Office: CRT 505; 229-4326
e-mail: vanpelt@uwm.edu
Office hours: TBA
Course Information: MWTR; 1:00-3:35pm; AUP 189
Course Description
In this course, students will read a wide variety of American short stories from the nineteenth and twentieth century. We will study these stories as literary experiences, as historical markers of our evolving American ethos, and as cultural signifiers of what we are and who we might become. We shall also pay close attention to the rhetorical aspects of the short story, including the social contexts of author and the author's audience, the language and persuasive authority of the text, and impact the story has on our view of literature, history culture, and life. The course requires substantial reading, regular in-class quizzes, group work, and exams.
Required Book: Major American Short Stories, edited by A. Walton Litz, Third Edition, Oxford University Press, 1994. Available in the UWM Bookstore.
Tentative syllabus available at: http://www.uwm.edu/~vanpelt/261Syllabus-04s.doc
