English 143C

Book List

Bolaño, R: Distant Star; Brennan, M: The Visitor; Carson, A: Autobiography of Red; Chekhov, A: The Complete Short Novels; Garcia Marquez, G: Chronicle of a Death Foretold; Hammet, D: The Big Knockover; Himes, C: Cotton Comes to Harlem; Kis, D: Garden, Ashes; Le, T: The Gangster We Are All Looking For; Lispector, C: The Hour of the Star; Roth, J: Flight Without End; Roth, P: The Prague Orgy; Torres, J: We the Animals; West, N: The Day of the Locust/Miss Lonely Hearts

Description

In this class, we’ll be reading and discussing various novels under 150 pages from a diverse group of authors. The point is to take a close look at a text of manageable size, paying attention to its structure – how the author manages to tell the story. We’ll analyze pacing, scene selection, point of view, and other aspects of style. In addition, the class will be composing collectively a short novel of our own, using this piece to put into practice the things we’ll learn along the way about plot, tone and character.

To be considered for admission to this class, please submit 10-15 photocopied pages of your fiction, along with an application form, to Daniel Alarcon's mailbox in 322 Wheeler, BY 4:00 p.m., TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, AT THE LATEST.

Be sure to read the paragraph concerning creative writing courses on page 1 of this Announcement of Classes for further information regarding enrollment in such courses!