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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

  • Why "Literature"?
  • Edgar Allan Poe, ""
    • The Alan Parsons Project,
  • James Baldwin, ""
    • CP, "" and ""
    • Ken Burns, Dedicated To Chaos (Jazz,#7, video)
  • Of Topical Interest:
    • – an anthology of Latino/a science fiction & fantasy
    • DFW,  "," (audio)

Characterization

  • David Foster Wallace,
  • Junot Diaz,

Setting, Symbols, and Stuff

  • Charlotte Perkins Gilman, ""
  • Tim O' Brien, "The Things They Carried"
  • DP #1 _____________________________________
  • Eudora Welty, "Why I Live at the P.O."P.O. Discussion Questions
  • Raymond Carver, "Cathedral"
  • Jhumpa Lahiri, "Interpreter of Maladies"
  • DP #2______________________________________
  • Reading More Fiction – Overflow Hour – Our Glossary

**** NOTEBOOKS DUE (1) AT THE END OF WEEK 4 ****

Week 5–7

An Old Classic: Book Burning, Data, and Mind Control - Then and Now

  • Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 (1953)
  • film screeening, Fahrenheit 451 (Francois Truffaut, 1966, or Ramin Bahrani/HBO, 2018)
    • FYI: A book on film, again: (5/18)
  • , Discussion Questions 1,
  • DP #3 ______________________________________
  • DP #4 ______________________________________
  • DP #5 ______________________________________
 
Week 8-11

Emigrants/Immigrants – The Trauma of Discloation (again, Then and Now)

  • W.G. Sebald, The Emigrants (1992)
  • Emigrants Focus Questions (TBA)
  • DP #6 ______________________________________
  • DP #7 ______________________________________
  • DP #8 ______________________________________
  • Please be prepared to make schedule arrangements for our film screenings. Details TBA.

**** NOTEBOOKS DUE (2) AT THE END OF WEEK 8 ****

 
Week 12–14

Family Dynamics in the Deep South – (Jesmyn Ward at NULC/91¶ÌÊÓƵ, April 2019)

  • Jesmyn Ward, Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017)
  • DP #9 ______________________________________
  • DP #10 ______________________________________

**** NOTEBOOKS DUE (3) AT THE END OF WEEK 11 OR 12****

 
Week 15

Last week of class, in which nothing is concluded

  • DP #11 ______________________________________
  • DP #12 ______________________________________
  • Final Exam Review and Final Exam

**** PAPER DUE, Monday, 3 December 2018, hard copy & in class ****

 

Concluding Note

 

The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. My door is always open (and if not, please knock; I will answer if I am there). Please don't hesitate to stop by during my office hours or to make an appointment via email, if you're having trouble getting started or want to talk about your ideas or progress.

Let's Connect!


mwutz@weber.eduPhone  801-626-7011
Skype  michaelwutz007

LebenslaufCurriculum Vitae
Weber – The Contemporary West

Mailing Address

 

Michael Wutz, Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor
Editor, Weber - The Contemporary West
Department of English, 1404 University Circle
91¶ÌÊÓƵ
Ogden, UT 84404-1404 USA