21L.000/21W.041 (L1)  Writing About Literature: The Art of the Short Story

For this semester, we’ll focus on the brevity, tautness, and focus of the short story, and ask ourselves how so few words can add up to so much. We’ll read a variety of stories by writers including Jamaica Kincaid, Raymond Carver, Tim O’Brien, William Faulkner, and Alice Munro. Of course, reading stories for the sheer pleasure of it is one thing; thinking about what they might mean and how they convey that meaning is another; expressing those thoughts in writing is still another. In this class, we’ll be doing all three. My hope is that you come to enjoy reading and understand stories more fully and that you come to feel more confident in your ability to express yourself effectively, efficiently, and gracefully.

Designated both HASS-H and CI-HW, Writing about Literature is a writing- and communication-intensive class that requires students to produce at least 5000 words of polished writing with an emphasis on revision and to fulfill an oral requirement. This class will include three short papers, each of which will be revised, and one longer researched essay that will be submitted in stages. The oral component will be fulfilled by participation in class discussions and workshops, as well as by at least one researched and assessed oral presentation, followed by student-led class discussion.

Note that this class shares its syllabus and assignments with Lecture 2, taught by Prof. I. Lipkowitz (TR 11:30-1 in 5-231), who designed the class.