E 348  Twentieth-Century

Instructor: Doherty, B Areas: J Unique #: 35815 Flags: Writing Semester: Fall 2013 Restrictions: n/a Cross-lists: n/a Computer Instruction: No

Prerequisites: C L 315, E 603B, 316K, or T C 603B.

Description: In this short story class we will classic and contemporary texts in the genre. The 40 Short Stories anthology will give us a glimpse into transformative writers like Chekhov, Joyce, Kafka, Garcia-Marquez, and O’Connor. We’ll use our Course Reader to go a little more thoroughly into the writer’s styles and concerns—so on Joyce day we will have two Joyce stories, three stories by Carver, etc. We’ll pay some attention to the periods or styles in which the writers are usually placed (realist, modernist, southern gothic, magical realist, etc.) and the historical issues addressed in the work. In a brief departure from the survey course of the short story, we’ll take a sustained look at one of the acknowledged masters, reading most of ’s 2002 collection (hoping to time it with the release of the film based on the title story). And we will have some days where we will read the work of writers who are reading in Austin, and writers who are published in the most recent volumes of publications like The New Yorker.

Requirement & Grading: Test on the classic authors. (Author biographies, literary periods, plot points) 20% Two short (2-3-page) papers on individual stories: 20% Periodic quizzes on the day’s reading (best 5 of 7 taken for grade): 10% Participation in class discussion analyzing the stories: 10% Prospectus for sustained analytical paper (2-3 pages): 10% Final paper (6-8 pages) 30%

Attendance in Class is required. Students may miss up to 4 classes with no penalty. For each missed class beyond 4, there will be a 7-point deduction from the student’s cumulative grade. This includes absences for any reason.

Plus and minus grades will be used in the class. A = 93-100; A- = 90-92.9; B + = 88-89.9; B = 83=87.9; B- = 80-82.9; C+ = 78-79.9; C = 73-77.9; C- = 70-72.9; D = 65-69.9. Below 65 = F.

Please be aware of University policies and services for students with disabilities: http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/.

Please be aware of the University Standard for Academic Integrity: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acint_student.php.

Texts: 40 Short Stories, Beverly Lawn, ed. The Vintage Alice Munro, Alice Munro. A course reader with additional short stories and essays.

Schedule of Readings/ Assignments:

Aug. 29: Introduction. Go over course syllabus.

Sept. 3: Classic American author, long short story. Herman Melville, “Bartleby, The Scrivener.” 5: Anton Chekhov day. “A Blunder,” and stories in the course reader

10: James Joyce day. “Araby,” and stories in the course reader 12: Two by D.H. Lawrence. “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and a story in the course reader

17: Another kind of modernism. Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” (in one day!) 19: Kafka deserves another day. “In the Penal Colony,” “Report to an Academy,” and a couple of parables.

24: Junot Díaz. 26: Test on attributes of realism, modernism, the Kafkaesque, author biographies, cultural history, etc.

Oct. 1: James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues.” 3: Two by Flannery O’Connor. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People.”

8: Two stories from The New Yorker published since the beginning of September (to be decided by a panel of experts). 10: Egyptian authors. Naguib Mahfouz, “Zaabalawi.” Nawal al-Saadawi, “In Camera.”

15: Bharati Mukherjee, “The Management of Grief,” and “Buried Lives.” 17: Raymond Carver, “Cathedral” and “A Small, Good Thing.”

22: Toni Cade Bambara, “The Lesson.” Alice Walker, “Everyday Use.” 24: Sherman Alexie. “What You Pawn I Shall Redeem.”

29: Tim O’Brien, “The Things They Carried” and “How to Tell a True War Story.” 31: Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” “Death Constant Beyond Love,” and one other story

Nov. 5: Alice Munro, “The Moons of Jupiter” and “.” 7: Alice Munro, “Carried Away.”

12: Alice Munro. “Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage.” 14: Two short stories from The New Yorker, published since early October.

19: Discuss final paper prospectus in class. Final paper workshop. 20. Wednesday night at the movies. Screening of . 21: Alice Munro. “The Bear Came Over the Mountain.”

26: Short Stories by the winner of the Booker Prize in the UK.

Dec. 3: Short Stories by the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. 5: Last Day of class. One Day to learn everything we haven’t yet learned.