English 190

Other Readings and Media

Hersey, J.: Hiroshima; Mailer, N.: The Armies of the Night: History as a Novel, the Novel as History; Capote, T.: In Cold Blood; Didion, J.: Slouching Towards Bethlehem; Herr, M.: Dispatches; Wolfe, T.: The New Journalism

Description

This course focuses on the intersection of literature and journalism, with particular attention to the emergence of the New Journalism. The genre, defined in terms of its application of literary techniques to news reporting, often constructs stories around scenes, employs extended dialogue, or portrays another’s thoughts, all the while remaining confined to verifiable facts. Over the course of the semester we’ll both examine the way our different authors deploy such techniques and place their works and the genre as a whole in historical context. We will also examine the category in more theoretical terms, interrogating its stability and self-proclaimed novelty.

Please read the paragraph on page 2 of this Announcement of Classes for more details about enrolling in, or wait-listing for, this course.