Course Descriptions
350-261
Spring, 1997
Linda Straubel, Instructor
AMERICAN SHORT STORY
THIS COURSE FULFILLS THE HUMANITIES REQUIREMENT
This course will focus on some of the finest American short
stories ever written. We will read, savor and discuss the stories of
such perennial favorites as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ernest Hemingway, F.
Scott Fitzgerald, Flannery O'Conner and Raymond Carver. Add to these the
diverse writings of James Baldwin, Louise Erdrich and Joyce Carol Oates
and the genre writing of Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King. Since we'll
be
exploring general literary topics such as form, diction, plot, symbolism
and theme, this course will provide solid grounding in reading and
analyzing fiction that will stand you in good stead in any literature
course you take next semester or any time in your literary studies.
More specifically, you will learn a new appreciation for this
newest of literary forms, the short story. What makes the short
story unique? Besides the fact that you can read it in one sitting? What
do some of the leading experts in the field have to say about this? How
did Poe define the short story and how have writers since Poe refined and
elaborated on his definition to transform the short story into the
marvelously flexible art-form that it is now?
But the stories we'll be reading are more than simply stories;
they are American stories. What heady brew of aspirations,
individualism and rebelliousness makes these stories and their characters
particularly American? How has the "Americanness" of these stories
changed as America has changed? What can we learn about American
aspirations from the chorus of new voices in our ever-expanding curriculum
of short story writers?
Finally, we'll explore some of the distinctions between so-called
literary and more popular genres of the American short story, such as
horror and fantasy/sci-fi.
POLICIES: 50% of your grade will be based on attendance and class
participation. Everyone will be expected to read these delightful stories
and come to class prepared to discuss them. The other 50% of your grade
will be based on mid-term and final exams, one final project and a group
presentation.
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