Lerninhalte |
The genre of the short story has a 200-year history. In this period, it has produced some of the finest fictional prose in English. Even though it has been (and continues to be) marginalized by a book market which favors the better-selling novel, the genre has remained lively and innovative until today. In the course, we will read and discuss a range of contemporary short stories by a broad spectrum of writers against the backdrop of issues of genre, narratology and literary history. As part of the course requirements, participants will be expected to engage in some very short creative writing themselves. Even though we won't read the lot, I suggest you buy The Penguin Book of the Contemporary British Short Story, ed. Philip Hensher (ISBN-13: 978-0141986210). The stories give you a good idea about the wide variety of contemporary short stories. Additional stories will be provided as we go along. |