This unit is a departure of sorts. We will be focusing on hyper-contemporary writing: writing that is being published weeks and months ago, not years and years. I've selected three well-known fiction writers who have experienced both critical and popular success: George Saunders, Esther Freud, Sally Rooney, and Colson Whitehead. People actually buy and read their work with pleasure.
Choose one of the stories below. Feel free to read all three stories before deciding which one to focus on. I decided to replace the Sally Rooney story for one by Cynthia Ozick, because Sally Rooney is so new that the scholarly literature on her work is meagre. Only four records came up on JStor for Sally Rooney.
Each of the stories can be read in a single session, so your investment is minimal. Learn a little bit about the authors.
For your single-spaced two-column essay (include a picture in the top left, if you please) provide a solid interpretation of the story you have chosen. What is important or unique about it? Why does it work (or not work). Does it speak to issues in your private world? or the public world of 2021? How? Why? Your essay need not be appreciative or positive.
Find, at minimum, one secondary source on JStor that discusses the writing of the author you have chosen. Because these stories were published weeks or months ago, you won't find much directly about them in a JStor scholarly article. You will, however, find lots of articles that talk directly about the authors' other work. Make connections. Remember to cite your source or sources in MLA format. At the conclusion of your essay skip a few lines then write either "Work Cited" (if you only incorporate a single article), or "Works Cited" (if you used more than one secondary source).
Monday, October 25: Introduction of new module
Wednesday, October 27: Discussion & Brainstorming
Monday, November 1: Required Draft Due, workshop
Wednesday, November 3: Final Essay Due, Critique
Note on Access: The New Yorker will try to get you to subscribe for access. Do not subscribe! If you open up an incognito window and paste the URL in your browser, you should be allowed free access. If you have any issues with this, please contact me immediately. Thanks. Below are links to the stories.
Questions: csmith@dcad.edu
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