Week 1

Fiction: Fantasy, Realism, and Truth

Aug. 21
Introduction: Fact, History, Fiction, and Truth. Tomasula, from The Book of Portraiture. pp. 1-15

Aug. 23
Kafka, “Before the Law” and “An Imperial Message” (er). pp. 3-4.

Week 2

The First Storyteller: Scheherazade

Aug. 28

From The Arabian Nights, “The Story of King Shahrayer and Shahrazad,” pp. 5-68

Aug. 30

From The Arabian Nights, “The Story of the Fisherman and the Demon” pp. 36-68

Paper 1 Due

Week 3

The First Storyteller: Scheherazade

Sept. 4

From The Arabian Nights, “The Story of the Porter and the Three Ladies” pp. 80-171

Sept. 6

Coupland, from Generation X, (er).

Week 4

Stephen King, a modern Scheherazade

Sept. 11

King, Carrie

Sept. 13

King, Carrie

Paper 2 Due

Week 5

The roots of modern horror

Sept. 18

Poe, “Hop-Frog” (er)

Sept. 20

Hoffman, “The Sandman” (er)

Paper 3 Due

Week 6

Theme: two contemporaries fictions on the truth of love—fantastic and realist

Sept. 25

Saunders, “Escape from Spiderhead” (er)

Sept. 27

Roupenian, “Cat Person” (er)

Week 7

Detective fiction, the fantastic, and the truth of a nation

Oct. 2

Zoo City pp. 1-186

Oct. 4

Zoo City

Paper 4 Due

Week 8

Dectective fiction, the fantastic, and the truth of a nation

Oct. 9

Zoo City pp. 186-372

Oct. 11

Zoo City

Week 9

The roots of modern detective fiction, noir and classic

Oct. 16

Doyle, “A Scandal in Bohemia” (er)

Oct. 18

Chandler, “I'll Be Waiting” (er)
Paper 5 Due

Week 10

Fiction, truth, and the making of a world

Oct. 23

Orwell 1984

Oct. 25

Orwell, 1984

Week 11

Fiction, truth, and the making of a world

Oct. 30

Orwell, 1984

Nov 1

Orwell, 1984

Paper 6 Due

Week 12

Fiction, seeing the everyday world anew

Nov. 6

Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

Nov. 8

No Class

Week 13

Fiction, seeing the everyday world anew

Nov. 13

Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

Nov. 15

Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

Paper 7 Due

Week 14

Thanksgiving

Nov. 20

No class

Nov. 22

No class

Week 15

The truth of style

Nov. 27 Paper

Hemingway, In Our Time

Nov. 29 Paper

Hemingway, In Our Time

Paper 8 Due

Week 16

The Life of a reader

Dec. 4 Paper

Davis, Selected Stories

Dec. 6 Paper

Lecture: Developing a Reading Life
Paper 9 Due

Finals Week

Dec. 12
Final Exam Session—8:00 AM