COURSE SCHEDULE
NOTE: This is an approximation of the schedule for the term. The actual schedule with specific dates will be distributed in class.
Course Schedule
Week 1
Intro to Close Reading & Focus on the short stories of Flannery O'Connor
Readings: Tuesday RLW Ch.1 Close Reading, Ch. 2 Words, Ch. 3 Sentences
Stories: A Good Man is Hard To Find” & “Good Country People”
Readings: Wednesday “Revelation” & Parker’s Back” (O’Connor) & OCW The Nature and Aim of Fiction” (handout, O’Connor).
Homework: Each of you will be assigned a paragraph from a story & be expected to give us a close reading and lead the discussion on that section.
Always be prepared to discuss the assigned readings and to apply the techniques from RLW.
*By Thursday each of you should inform me which O’Connor short story you want to do a presentation on from the collection. Students are not allowed to present on the same story, nor on stories covered in class.
Week 2: Flannery O'Connor, 3rd Person POV & Structure
** Please note that June 2nd is a National Holiday (no class); makeup class will be attending one extra literary event & writing a 3-page response. This makeup assignment is due by June 16th. Please submit via email and as hard copy.
Reading Monday: OC: “Some Aspects of the Grotesque in Southern Fiction” & “The Fiction Writer and His Country” & “Writing Short Stories”(Handouts/Moodle); RLW Ch. 4 Paragraphs, Ch. 5 Narration
Presentations (Monday 5/30 & Tuesday 5/31); Each student will give an oral presentation of a close reading of an O’Connor story.
Wednesday: Read from MANUAL: “My Jockey”, “Angel’s Laundromat”, “Unmanageable”, “So Long”, and “A Manual for Cleaning Women” & “Carmen”
Week 3
Contemporary Short Stories & Stream of Consciousness in the Short Story: Lucia Berlin
Reading: 1st half of week: MANUAL; Read “Here it is Saturday” “Let Me See You Smile”, “Wait a Minute”, “Phantom Pain” & “Mama”
Reading: 2nd half of Week: TBD + RLW Ch. 6 Character, Ch. 7 Dialogue, Ch. 8 Details
Homework: Each of you will be assigned a paragraph from a particular story & be expected to give us a close reading and lead the discussion on that
Thursday, June 9th: Midterm Papers Due. (Midterm Papers will be on Lucia Berlin’s work, specific guidelines TBA)
Week 4: Course Wrap Up
Dialogue and Details
Homework: Each of you will be assigned a scene/section/chapter (TBD) & be expected to give us a close reading and lead the discussion on it.
Reading: RLW Ch. 9 Gesture
Week 5: Turning Close Reading into Fiction Writing; Readings (TBD)
Homework: Each of you will be assigned a scene/section/chapter (TBD) & be expected to give us a close reading and lead the discussion on it.
Final Papers Due in class. No late papers. No extensions. No exceptions.