Advanced practice in the original composition of fiction for discussion in regularly scheduled workshop meetings. The curriculum allows the student to develop writing skills, provides an introduction to the possibilities of contemporary literature and offers perspective on the place of literature among the liberal arts. Criticism by practicing writers and talented peers encourages the student’s growth as both creator and reader of literature.
Advanced Fiction 303-02, WRITING THE DARK SIDE:
In the advanced fiction workshop section 02 taught by Patrick McGrath, the focus will be on pathological elements in storytelling. Edgar Allan Poe will be our starting point, and with him we’ll explore how powerful stories can emerge from disturbed minds. Among other narrative topics of interest will be the effective handling of the unreliable narrator; moral transgression; the psychotropic house; mad love; and figures of decay. An emphasis on subtlety in the psychological arousal of horror will be central.
Reading/Writing assignments:
One manuscript per week submitted. Reading of other students’ submissions in advance of the workshop in which they are to be discussed. Other assigned readings and exercises. 50-100 pages of reading per week.
Prerequisites and Restrictions:
By application only. Students must have completed two 200-level CWR courses prior to applying.
