Fall 2005

E 348 • Twentieth-Century Short Story (CANCELLED)

Course Description

Although we will review the various critical approaches to short fiction, the emphasis of this course will always be upon the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the storyteller. In this sense, the focus will remain on technique. What does it mean to say that a story reaches the status of a value when the technique matches what it comprehends? We will read a variety of modern stories and study in detail four important writers: Flannery O'Connor, Alice Munro, Denis Johnson, Oscar Casares. There will be five analytical essays and regular pop quizzes. If you cannot keep up with regular and close reading, this is not the course for you.

Grading Policy

Five analytical essays (4-8-pages each) 75%
Pop quizzes 15%
Discussion 10%

Texts

Everything that Rises Must Converge, Flannery O'Connor
Brownsville, Oscar Casares
Jesus Son, Denis Johnson
A small packet of stories

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