English R1A

Other Readings and Media

Richard Brautigan, Trout Fishing in America ; Charlotte Bront�, Jane Eyre; Bob Dylan, Chronicles, Volume 1; Diana Hacker, Rules for Writers (Fifth ed.); Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping ; Course Reader

Description

"At the beginning of Trout Fishing in America, Richard Brautigan frets over accurately remembering and recording his own memories, saying, �I�d like to get it right.� What does this mean? �Getting it right� may not always mean reporting it the way it happened, or trying to tell an objective truth. In this course, we�ll read a variety of �autobiographical� writing in order to explore how an author (or a fictional character acting as an author) makes and manages his or her own memories. We�ll also consider how texts make a collective memory via what and how their makers choose to remember and record. Crucial semester-long inquiries will include the choices writers make and how writers manage their texts.



The primary goal of this course is to improve critical reading, thinking, and writing, and to give you analytical tools to use in the world outside of our class. We�ll develop methods of approaching texts, posing useful questions, and constructing clear and convincing arguments. We�ll also constantly work on your writing skills, from grammar to argumentation, ideally to write papers that you think are interesting, provocative, and useful."