English 125E
The Contemporary Novel
| Section | Semester | Instructor | Time | Location | Course Areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spring 2020 | Snyder, Katherine
|
Lectures MW 9-10 in 20 Wheeler (note new location) + one hour of discussion section per week in different locations (sec. 101: F 9-10; sec. 103: F 10-11) |
Book List
Atwood, Margaret: Oryx and Crake; Egan, Jennifer: A Visit from the Goon Squad; Hamid, Mohsin: The Reluctant Fundamentalist; Ishiguro, Kazuo: Never Let Me Go; Lerner, Ben: 10:04; McCarthy, Cormac: The Road; Watkins, Claire Vay: Gold Fame Citrus; Whitehead, Colson: The Underground Railroad
Description
While the novel has a rich and storied past, its newness—its NOVEL-ty—is built into its very name. In this course, we will consider the innovations, formal and otherwise, through which the novel continues to surprise and engage us in the 21st century. How does this literary form represent our contemporary world? What does the novel have to say about our very recent past, about our present moment . . . and about our future? Let's find out.
The readings for the course will include some but not all of the listed novels, so don’t buy any of them until you get the syllabus on the first day of class. We will also read some book reviews as well as some popular and scholarly essays. Written assignments for the course will include frequent bCourses posts, several short essays, and a final exam.
Discussion Sections
| 101 | Ullman, Alex
|
F 9-10 | 106 Wheeler |
| 103 | Ullman, Alex
|
F 10-11 | 300 Wheeler |
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University of California, Berkeley
English Department
322 Wheeler Hall,
Berkeley, CA 94720-1030
general phone: 510-642-3467
office hours: M-F, 10-12 and 1-4
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