ENGL 190-01/02, The American Short Story, Fall 2010

Abstract

This course is an introductory survey of the American Short Story, specifically covering the 20th century. What exactly is a short story? How does one behave? Are they simply prose narratives of a particular length or do they have specific aesthetic qualities of their own, making them dis-tinct artifacts with their own conventions? And why has the short story thrived in America of all places? And how has its place within the broader literary culture changed over the past 100 years? These are some of the questions that will guide this introductory literary course. We will read story collections mostly from the past 100 years, beginning in the 19th century with Edgar Allan Poe and ending in the 21st with George Saunders, using the short story as a porthole into the larger aesthetic concerns contained within American literature. The class will be dedicated to close readings of the individual stories, as well as to considering the stories in the context of their publication both in books and periodicals. As with all English 190 courses, this class will introduce you to some of the methods used and issues confronted within the English major.