English 134
Contemporary Literature
| Section | Semester | Instructor | Time | Location | Course Areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fall 2019 | Falci, Eric
Hejinian, Lyn |
Lectures MW 12-1 in 141 McCone + one hour of discussion section per week in various locations (sec. 101: F 10-11; sec. 102: F 12-1; sec. 103: Th 11-12; sec. 104: Th 1-2) |
Book List
Clevidence, Cody-Rose: Beast Feast; Coates, Ta-Nehisi: Between the World and Me; Gladman, Renee: Calamaties; Hayes, Terrance: American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin; Lerner, Ben: 10:04; Tei Yamashita, Karen: I Hotel
Other Readings and Media
Course Reader
Description
In this course we will look at examples of very recently published literary works across a range of genres. We’ll explore some of the many ways that writerly innovation is challenging aesthetic norms (including those of “the novel,” “the poem,” and “the essay”), psychosocial norms (who is “I”? where are “we”? what should we do?), and cultural expectations (what does literature do? what is reading for?). A central question will focus attention on the ways in which some key contemporary writers are experimenting with literary forms in the context of difficult issues. Some of the works are about difficulty, some of the works themselves constitute a kind of difficulty. The texts that we’ll be reading are dynamic, often vertiginous, sometimes quite weird, and always intriguing. In addition to the required books, readings will be available in a course reader and/or on bCourses.
Discussion Sections
| 101 | Laser, Jessica
|
F 10-11 | 305 Wheeler |
| 102 | Laser, Jessica
|
F 12-1 | 300 Wheeler |
| 103 | Reid, Angus
|
Thurs. 11-12 | 300 Wheeler |
| 104 | Reid, Angus
|
Thurs. 1-2 | 300 Wheeler |
Other Recent Sections of This Course
spring, 2021 |
||
134/1 |
Contemporary Literature: Contemporary British Fiction (and a few films) |
|
summer, 2021 |
||
134/1 |
Contemporary Literature: You Are Not an Individual: Contemporary Literature and Collectivity |
|
spring, 2019 |
||
134/1 |
||
spring, 2018 |
||
134/1 |
||
Back to Semester List
University of California, Berkeley
English Department
322 Wheeler Hall,
Berkeley, CA 94720-1030
general phone: 510-642-3467
©UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT