Time Schedule:
Louisa J. Peck
ENGL 242
Seattle Campus
Critical interpretation and meaning in works of prose fiction, representing a variety of types and periods.
Class description
For SUMMER 2007: Modernist Short Fiction. Much of the allure of Modernist writing derives from the shifts in both perspective and technique which characterize it. In this course, we’ll examine these innovations in light of the social changes that pushed writers (and all artists) of this period to forge new modes of expression. What, exactly, does Modernism reject, and what, if anything, does it affirm in its place? What aspects of this heritage have endured, and with what repercussions? These are a few of the questions we’ll consider as we seek to develop our critical awareness as readers and hone our rhetorical skills as writers via in-class discussion and impromptu group presentations, weekly in-class writings, and two 5-page argumentative essays. To adjust for the compressed nature of this B-term class, we will consider a wide array of short stories as well as one novella. Texts: Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, Shorter Seventh Edition; Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness; Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio; Ernest Hemingway, In Our Time; photocopied course packet
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
