Required Text
[The Art of the Short Story] = Gioia, Dana, and R. S. Gwynn, eds. The Art of the Short Story. Longman, 2005. ISBN: 9780321363633.
Readings By Session
Please note: The later sessions do not have assigned readings. This is due to the fact that the second half of the course is devoted to workshopping students’ stories and examining the writing process.
| SES # | TOPICS | READINGS |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction, Process, the Origins of “Story” | ||
| 1 | Introduction and Discussion of the Process and the Nature of the Story | (no readings) |
| 2 | Discussion of Readings and Exploration into the Notion of What Makes a Short Story |
The following are all one-page essays: Anderson, Sherwood. “Hands.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 19. Gordimer, Nadine. “A Company of Laughing Faces.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 345. Munroe, Alice. “How I Met My Husband.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 661. Updike, John. “Separating.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 808. Wharton, Edith. “Roman Fever.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 841. |
| Use of Biography in Story | ||
| 3 | Biography, Slice of Life, and the Use of Real Life in Creating a Story |
Cisneros, Sandra. “Barbie-Q.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 160. Silko, Leslie Marmon. “The Man to Send Rain Clouds.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 739. ———. “Author’s Perspective: Silko on the Basis of ‘The Man to Send Rain Clouds’.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 792. |
| 4 | Exercise in Developing Story From Incident and Life | (no readings) |
| Beginning Character | ||
| 5 |
Begin Discussion of Character Character as the Center of the Story |
Gogol, Nikolai. “The Overcoat.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 311. ———. “Author’s Perspective: Gogol on Realism.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 331. |
| Character | ||
| 6 | Creating Characters |
Mansfield, Katherine. “Miss Brill.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 562. Oates, Joyce Carol. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 664. Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use Walker.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 810. |
| 7 | Exercise/Workshop in Character Creation (Bring in a Character Sketch) | (no readings) |
| Plot | ||
| 8 | What is a Plot and How can it be Constructed? |
Achebe, Chinua. “Dead Men’s Path.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 10. Hurston, Zora Neale. “Sweat.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 378. Jin, Ha. “Saboteur.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 420. O’Connor, Flannery. “A Good Man is Hard To Find.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 678. |
| 9 | Exercise in Creating Plot | (no readings) |
| Point of View | ||
| 10 | Examination of the Idea and Usage of Point of View |
Atwood, Margaret. “Happy Endings.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 22. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 297. Updike, John. “Separating.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 800. |
| 11 | Exercise on Point of View | Note: This exercise is best executed if it is printed out and distributed to students without them knowing what appears on the later pages. |
| Description | ||
| 12 | Description as a Central Element and Metaphor |
Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 238. London, Jack. “To Build a Fire Faulkner.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 548. Mishima, Yukio. “Patriotism.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 629. |
| 13 |
Exercise with Description Discuss Reading in Terms of All Techniques Discussed in Class |
Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” In [The Art of the Short Story]. p. 238. |
| Workshop and Revelation | ||
| 14 | Workshop: The Forms and Methods of Revelation | (no readings) |
| 15 | Workshop (Story 1) | (no readings) |
| Where to Start | ||
| 16 | Making the Decision Where to Begin | (no readings) |
| 17 | Workshop (Story 1) (cont.) | (no readings) |
| Place | ||
| 18 | Workshop | (no readings) |
| Strategies for Rewriting | ||
| 19 | Discussion of Place as Part of the Story | (no readings) |
| 20 | Rewriting and Overcoming Writers’ Block | (no readings) |
| Workshop | ||
| 21–22 | Workshop (cont.) | (no readings) |
| Workshop | ||
| 23–24 | Workshop (cont.) | (no readings) |
| Publishing | ||
| 25 |
The Way a Professional Writer Works in the World The Business of Publishing (About Conglomerates, Agents, Distributors, etc.) |
(no readings) |
| 26 |
Evaluations Discussion of Getting Published in the Real World |
(no readings) |
