21L.705 | Fall 2005 | Undergraduate

Masterworks in American Short Fiction

Course Description

For some reason, American literature (like French, Irish, and Russian, among others) has been especially productive in major works in fictional forms shorter than the novel. Our task in this course will be to survey that field, by looking at particular moments of high accomplishment. We will, in addition, consider some …
For some reason, American literature (like French, Irish, and Russian, among others) has been especially productive in major works in fictional forms shorter than the novel. Our task in this course will be to survey that field, by looking at particular moments of high accomplishment. We will, in addition, consider some of the ways in which literary formulae can be used and varied, and some of the impacts of elements of narrative construction.
Learning Resource Types
Written Assignments
Image of Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne, circa 1883. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [reproduction number, LC-USZ62-2358 (b&w film copy neg.)])