ENG 1070 - The American Short Story

Credits: 4

While short, stories are not simple. They are not the first twenty pages of a novel. Short stories are a beguiling, vexing art form all to themselves, a feat of economy and power and mood. Though short stories have time-honored roots throughout the world, this country boasts a strong tradition in story writing, and even a skim off the top will reveal something deeply American in our characters’ quest for a place in the world. In this class, we will read a sampling of short stories by American authors across two centuries, from Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” (1819) to Karen Russell’s, “Orange World” (2018). The course will study the evolution of the genre, with attention to structure, narrative technique, aesthetic choices, and thematic concerns.
Fulfills: AL in LS Core