In this class, will take a narratological approach (a close study of the elements of fiction) to explore mythical, historical, political and satirical narratives by great American authors such as Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Willa Cather, John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Ralph Ellison, Flannery O'Connor, Kurt Vonnegut, Raymond Carver, Kelly Link and George Saunders, among others. The class will investigate the familiar elements of fiction and the short story and novel forms, as well as theories of narrative. For the four week (summer) version of the course, we will read Stephen Crane's, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, and Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse Five, as well as numerous short stories. Class will be a mixture of brief lectures, discussion, multi-media content, readings and in-class writing/drafting of literary analyses and creative imitations.

Students will be expected to attend class prepared to discuss the assigned reading and their written reader responses, submit the reader responses on time and complete two drafted essays of 5-7 pages each.

Students will be evaluated in terms of attendance, preparedness, participation and written work (content, development and polish).