Advanced English: The Modern Short Story NES/HSE Bachelor s Program Fall 2011 Instructor: Olga Aksakalova E-mail: OAksakalova@nes.ru Office: TBA Office Hours: Wed. 9:00-1:00 Description This course is designed to be a survey of short stories, focusing mainly on twentiethcentury texts written in or translated into English. It aims to introduce students to a variety of topics addressed by short story writers over time and the ways in which each writer has used the resources of the genre to articulate his/her themes. While examining the form and content of each work, we will discuss the tenets of contextually relevant movements in literary history, such as romanticism, realism, modernism, and postmodernism. This will deepen students understanding of the thematic preoccupations, variations in style, technique, and renditions of experience in the works of different authors. As we explore aesthetic, historical, philosophical, cultural, and moral dimensions of each story, we will return to the question of whether/how a given text and the genre as a whole are relevant to the present day reality. The course emphasizes interactive learning. This means most of our class sessions will take the form of seminar. Short lectures will take place, but they will not extend over an entire class session. Students will be expected to participate actively in class discussions and rigorous writing workshops. Through a wide range of intensive communication practices performed individually and collaboratively -- students will develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills and learn to articulate complex ideas with precision and clarity. Course Goals After this course, the student should be able to 1. discuss the evolution of the modern short story and its salient features in relation to major developments in literary history; 2. demonstrate the ability to think, read, write, and speak critically about literature; 3. perform literary analysis that effectively integrates close reading, pertinent biographical and historical facts, as well as aesthetic and theoretical perspectives; 4. develop a strong understanding of the conventions of oral and written academic communication in English; 5. analyze the quality of his/her own work and offer constructive feedback to peers; 6. demonstrate an increased English proficiency. Course Objectives To meet these goals, the student will 1
1. explore aesthetic preoccupations of each author and historical and cultural contexts of each story; compare and contrast the ways in which authors from different cultures and historical periods handle similar themes; 2. learn effective close reading strategies ranging from initial observations of striking moments in the text to construction of thematic patterns to formulation of sophisticated interpretation; observe how different elements of fiction plot, character, setting, narrative perspective, style, and theme work together to produce meaning; 3. learn to distinguish between summary and analysis; acquire strategies to develop a strong interpretive stance and support it with relevant sources; 4. engage in informal and formal writing and communication assignments, including thesis-driven analytical essays; 5. engage in peer reviews of essays and oral presentations; 6. expand English vocabulary and enhance sentence structure; work on eliminating major patterns of error. Students are admitted to the course based on the results of a placement test. Once admitted, they take a writing diagnostic test to determine the course of learning activities and ensure that these activities meet the needs of the group. Students are encouraged to approach course topics from interdisciplinary perspectives, i.e., to draw on the material learned in other courses. Course outline WEEK 1 Brief historical overview of short fiction Fundamentals of literary analysis Writing Diagnostic WEEK 2 Tales of the Romantic Era Required Readings: Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado ; Nathaniel Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown Suggested Reading: Nikolai Gogol, The Overcoat WEEK 3 Realism and Subjectivity Required Readings: Guy de Maupassant, The Necklace and The Writer s Goal ; Kate Chopin, The Story of an Hour ; Anton Chekhov, The Darling and Techniques in Writing the Short Story (read in Russian and English); Ambrose Bierce, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge WEEK 4 Modernism: Epiphanies and Transformations Required Readings: James Joyce, Araby and Eveline ; Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis Suggested Reading: Ann Charters, Translating Kafka WEEK 5 Modernism: Minimalism, Iceberg Theory and the Role of the Reader 2
Required Readings: Ernest Hemingway, Hills Like White Elephants, Soldier s Home, and The Art of the Short Story Images: Paul Strand s photographs WEEK 6 Regionalism: Place, Voice, Gender, Race, and Class Required Readings: Zora Neale Hurston, Sweat and How It Feels to Be Colored Me ; William Faulkner, That Evening Sun ; Truman Capote, A Christmas Memory Suggested Reading: Alice Walker, Zora Neale Hurston: A Cautionary Tale and a Partisan View WEEK 7 Postmodernism: Fantasy, Time, Allegory, and Narration Required Readings: Jorge Luis Borges, The Circular Ruins and Borges and I ; Ray Bradbury, August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains ; Gabriel García Márquez, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings WEEK 8 Postmodernism: Representation, Reality, and Temporality Required Readings: Italo Calvino, The Distance of the Moon and A Sign in Space ; John Cheever, The Swimmer and Why I Write Short Stories WEEK 9 Writing workshops and individual conferences WEEK 10 Meta-fiction or Writing Stories about Writing Stories Required Readings: Margaret Atwood, Happy Endings ; Grace Paley, A Conversation with My Father ; Ann Beattie, Snow WEEK 11 Commonplace Objects and Language Required Readings: Raymond Carver, A Small Good Thing and On Writing WEEK 12 Conflict, Categorization, and Control Required Readings: Tim O Brien, The Things They Carried ; Bobbie Ann Mason, On Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried WEEK 13 Culture, Identity, and Language Required Readings: Jumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies ; Gish Jen Who Is Irish? WEEK 14 Graphic Narratives Required Readings: Joe Sacco, Refugeeland ; Alison Bechdel, Old Father, Old Artificer WEEK 15 Oral presentations 3
WEEK 16 Oral presentations Required Texts and Course Resources 1. Charters, Ann, ed. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin s, 2011. 2. Additional readings available in electronic and print formats 3. Writing and communication resources (web and print) 4. English learning resources (web and print) 5. Consultations at the Writing and Communication Center Assignment Types and Requirements Informal Writing: Completed in and outside of class, these short writing pieces will give students the opportunity to generate ideas for class discussions and longer essays; get acquainted with different writing genres (response papers, creative exercises, summary, explication, argumentation, comparison/contrast, narration, exposition); gain practice with individual essay elements (thesis statement, integration of quotations, paragraph structure, revision and editing); and reflect on their own work as academic writers, readers, and speakers. Formal Essays: In the course of the semester, students will complete a sequence of three analytical essays ranging from 2 to 5 pages. The topics will be provided by the instructor. Before submitting essays for evaluation, students will go through a drafting process and receive substantial feedback from both peers and instructor at different stages of composition. We will spend a significant amount of class time on writing strategies, and students are also encouraged to visit the Writing and Communication Center. Oral Presentations: In addition to class participation, students will be expected to prepare an oral presentation on a topic of interest. While working on the presentations, students can seek consultations at the Writing and Communication Center. All assignments must be completed on time. Late submission will result in a reduced or failing grade. Grading Informal writing assignments: 15% Class participation: 20% Oral presentation: 15% Essay #1: 15% Essay #2: 15% Essay: #3: 20% 4
If a student receives a failing grade for the course, he/she can resubmit the assignments with unsatisfactory scores during the resubmission period as designated by the program. Course Policies Academic Integrity: Students must comply with the accepted academic ethical standards. All borrowed ideas, language, and images must be cited in accordance with the MLA guidelines, which will be provided and discussed at length. Plagiarism is a serious violation that will result in the failing grade for the course. Attendance Policy: Coming to class on time and prepared will be absolutely essential if students expect to make any progress in the course. Missing more than 4 classes will result in the failing course grade. If a student is late by 10 or more minutes, he/she will be considered absent. Class Behavior: Laptops and other electronic devices are not allowed to be used in the classroom. Students must show respect toward all people in the classroom at all times. 5