English 135.301   Creative Non-Fiction Writing   Fall, 1999
D.Espey   407 Bennett  898-7360     despey@english.upenn.edu

	This is a course in writing the informal essay, a creative form of
non-fiction. One of the problems of non-fiction as a category is that
there are so many different kinds of non-fiction. The term "non-fiction"
includes most writing outside of fiction, poetry, and drama: academic
writing, journalism, trade books, writing in business and the professions.
These kinds of non-fiction writing observe certain conventions in style,
organization, and subject matter.   The word "creative" suggests a measure
of freedom in these choices; when you write informal essays, you can use
techniques of fiction: narration, dialogue, construction of character,
scene, and event. 

	Most of the material for your essays will be drawn from your own
memory and experience.  The readings furnish examples of the informal
essay and are intended to give you ideas for topics and approaches.  

	Class meetings will consist of two kinds of activities: discussion
of the readings and workshop critiques of each other's writing.  A
secondary aim of the course is to develop your skill as a critic, a skill
in commenting on other students' work for purposes of revision and
editing.  The primary aim is, of course, to develop your own skill and
fluency as writer, to give you a practical sense of all that you can do
with the very flexible form of the essay, to develop your "voice" as an
essayist.  

	Keep a portfolio of all your writing:  drafts, revisions,
critiques of other students' work.  I won't grade your work during the
semester.  At the end of the course, you will submit the portfolio, which
will constitute 70% of your grade.  The other 30% will be classwork:
attendance, preparation, participation, and e-mail postings.   No absences
(note three
classes are cancelled for conferences). One late paper allowed.

	You will be responsible for making copies of your papers to
distribute one period ahead of time for workshop.  For each critique,
return the paper with your comments to the student who wrote it, and  give
me a copy of your comments.	The Roman numerals indicate which group is
responsible for e-mail postings.  These should be brief responses to the
readings, intended to incite discussion.

Texts:  Photocopied Packet of Essays  (Campus Copy Center)
        New Yorker Magazine (Student group subscription)
(We'll read New Yorker articles when relevant)		

Th., Sept. 9        Introduction

Tu., Sept. 14        Movie Reviewing   (Film to be determined)

Th., Sept. 16        Movie Reviewing     Zinsser, "Simplicity"

Tu., Sept. 21        #1 Due   Essay/Review    Read Orwell, "Why I Write"

Th., Sept. 23         Workshop      Read Conroy, Wolff    (I)

Tu., Sept. 28         #2 Due   Relate "Why I Write" to "Such, such were
the joys..."

Th., Sept. 30          Workshop     Read  Powell, Greene, Tan ("Two
Kinds")    (II)

Tu., Oct. 5            # 3 Due    Childhood Narrative   Conferences   No
Class

Th., Oct. 7 	       Workshop       Read McCarthy   (III)

Tu., Oct. 12           # 4   Revision Due       Read Lee, Epstein ("The
Personal Essay")    (IV)
							  
Th., Oct. 14            Workshop      Read Tan ("Mother Tongue") Sachs
(1)

Tu., Oct. 19            #5   Due     Profile      Read   Soto, Graham (II)

Th., Oct. 21            Workshop    Read Brown, Fussell    (III)

Tu., Oct. 26            Workshop    Read  Capote, Conroy   (IV)

Th., Oct. 28           Workshop    Read Eighner, Frazier, Morris   (I)

Tu, Nov. 2             # 6   Due    Travel, Place, Work   Conferences   No
Class

Th., Nov. 4	      Workshop    Read Epstein, Doctorow (II)

Tu., Nov. 9            Workshop   Read   Talbot    Conference (III)

Th., Nov. 11         Workshop   Read Shapiro, Dickerson   (IV)

Tu., Nov. 16         #7   Revision Due      Baker, Frazier, Allen (Parody)
(I)

Th., Nov. 18              Workshop       Read Swift, Ads, NY Times article
(II)

Tu., Nov. 23         No Class   # 8  Due   Parody, Satire, Popular Culture  
		
Tu., Nov 30          Workshop        Reading to be announced      

Th., Dec. 2            Workshop       Reading to be announced     

Tu., Dec. 7           # 9   Due      Free Topic   Conferences     No class

Th., Dec. 9           Workshop             

Fri., Dec 17         Portfolio Due