Course Description:

In the first half of the semester, we’ll briefly introduce the historical background of the rise of the novel (as a genre) and situate modern fiction in the context in which it emerged as what came after and broke away from the realist tradition. The first part of the course will be focused mainly on short stories, which presumably are easier for undergraduates (in terms of length, at least), before we deal with novels later in the semester. Our approaches will be primarily based on our close readings of the texts themselves (as opposed to, for instance, the biographical information or the historical contexts), although different frameworks of interpretation are welcome after we gain familiarity with the texts. To cover as many novels as possible, the teacher will ask students to choose one novel from a short list and do an oral presentation on the chosen novel with his/her group members in the last one-third of the semester.