TOPICS IN LITERATURE: THE RISE OF THE SHORT STORY

ENGLISH 108, SECTION 01

T, TH 3:30-4:45 p.m., 332 Curry Building

 

Professor: Porter Shreve

E-Mail: portershreve@aol.com

Phone: 334-4692

Office: 119 McIver Building

Office Hrs: T, TH 2-3 and by appointment

Text: The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction,

unabridged fifth edition, edited by Ann Charters

 

Course Description

In this course we will read love stories and war stories and everything in between from some of the finest and most imaginative fiction writers of the past one hundred and fifty years, including James Joyce, Eudora Welty, Chinua Achebe, Nikolai Gogol and Flannery OConnor. The course will be divided into three overlapping themes: power struggles, journeys and connections/disconnections. We will focus on the tensions that give rise to individual short stories and also on the progression of literary influence. We will track, for example, how the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez owes a debt to the experimental ficciones of Jorge Luis Borges and how the spare language and heightened emotion of Anton Chekhov influenced the minimalist realism of Ernest Hemingway and Raymond Carver. Requirements: three examinations, one group presentation, one final paper.

Student Learning Goals

At the completion of this course, you should be able to:

    1. Identify and understand the varied characteristics of literature
    2. Apply the techniques of literary analysis to texts
    3. Use literary study to develop your skills in careful reading and clear writing
    4. Demonstrate an understanding of the diverse social and historical contexts in which the assigned literary texts have been written and interpreted

Requirements

Workload

    1. Participation in class discussions
    2. Three Exams
    3. One group presentation (20-30 minutes)
    4. Final Paper (7-10 pages)

Attendance

Since this course depends on a full and lively classroom, we all suffer when seats are empty. The attendance policy, therefore, is strict and absolute: Any unexcused absences will affect your grade. Perfect attendance will be rewarded. Good attendance can nudge you up. But if you miss two classes, each subsequent absence will cost you a third of a letter grade.

 

Participation


Active participation in classroom discussion is critical to the success of this class. Come prepared, and be aware that in my effort to get everyone involved I will call on people. If for whatever reason you have not done the reading for a given class, dont skip it. Come and listen, catch up, and dont neglect the reading again. If youre quiet or nervous about speaking in class, stop by my office hours and well talk about it.

Late Work

Late work will be penalized. Because of our tight schedule you need to get your prospectus and both " Eudora Welty

"Why I Live at the P.O." Eudora Welty

"Is Phoe