Introduction to Fiction
Syllabus
This reading schedule is intended to be suggestive, not prescriptive. In the event we find that we need to spend more time on a text/film than originally allocated, we can adjust our syllabus accordingly. You should also know that one of the signs of a good class discussion is that we will not have time to address all the reading that has been assigned for a certain day. Let's proceed with the understanding that this class, like life, is a set of contingencies. — I will announce at the end of each class what specific portion of a text we will be discussing closely for the following session. Within the context of our readings, we will (naturally) also talk about the place of fiction in the culture of science & technology, about what makes a book "good" and/or a "classic," about the differences between fiction and film, and how to write well about writing. Please stay tuned!
As a kind of first, informal assignment, explore our textbook (as print or e-book) and consult its TOC (with TLC) for the pagination of our readings and the bio sketches and author index. I will also supplement our syllabus with additional short weblinks, as appropriate.
| Week 1–4 |
Opening Meeting
Getting our Feet Wet in the Morass of Deep/Short Fiction
Characterization
Setting, Symbols, and Stuff
**** NOTEBOOKS DUE (1) AT THE END OF WEEK 4 **** |
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| Week 5–7 |
An Old Classic: Book Burning, Data, and Mind Control - Then and Now
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| Week 8-11 |
Emigrants/Immigrants – The Trauma of Discloation (again, Then and Now)
**** NOTEBOOKS DUE (2) AT THE END OF WEEK 8 **** |
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| Week 12–14 |
Family Dynamics in the Deep South – (Jesmyn Ward at NULC/WSU, April 2019)
**** NOTEBOOKS DUE (3) AT THE END OF WEEK 11 OR 12**** |
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| Week 15 |
Last week of class, in which nothing is concluded
**** PAPER DUE, Monday, 3 December 2018, hard copy & in class **** |
