Department of English

Fulfills General Requirement in Arts and Letters, Writing Requirement

This is a course is a survey of the traditional and contemporary short story, beginning with Poe, Hawthorne, and Melville, who helped create the American short story. We will read both traditional and experimental pieces and compare two masters. Chekhov and his disciple, Raymond Carver, to discuss the issues of influence and originality. We will then begin looking at stories thematically, grouped around such issues as initiation, love, marriage, and the confrontation with death. Each session, you will be responsible for reading between 75 and 100 pages of material. Because this class is also writing-intensive, you will be asked to do brief pieces for each session, some informal writing in class, and a take-home final. We will give significant attention to the process of writing and revision.