Spring 2006

E 379S • Senior Seminar

Course Description

Using The O.Henry Prize Stories 2003 and 2005, the class will read and discuss at least thirty short stories in the course of the semester. The goal of such reading is to be able to approach any short story with an open mind and a sense of how the artfulness of the writer works within the form to create character, setting, time, and plot.

Grading Policy

The student will write two drafts of a paper (8-10 pages per draft) on a short story not included in the O.Henry collections, and create an approach to the story, showing the ways in which form and content are intertwined. A prospectus is required (500 words), describing the subject's life, the focus of the student's interest, and the libraries and research materials to be used.

Writing 60%
Class participation 40%

Texts

The O.Henry Prize Stories 2003, Laura Furman, series editor (New York: Anchor Books, 2003)
The O.Henry Prize Stories 2005, Laura Furman, series editor (New York: Anchor Books, 2005)
Stories not included in the two O.Henry collections will be distributed from time to time.

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