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.
Distribution Area: LA
Prerequisites and Restrictions
Students must have completed two 200-level CWR courses prior to enrollment. For enrollment permission, please register for CWR 304.
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Section C01: The Short Novel — An Advanced Workshop
Taught by Kirstin Valdez Quade
Wednesdays, 1:30 – 3:50 p.m.
“A short story is a love affair; a novel is a marriage,” Lorrie Moore has said. “A short story is a photograph; a novel is a film. A short story is a weekend guest; a novel is a long-term boarder.” A short novel, then, is an in-between form: a common-law union, perhaps, or a stop-motion animation or a subletter. In this class, we will read and discuss several short novels, paying particular attention to structure and character development. We will then workshop the opening chapters of students’ own short novels. Come prepared to read closely and deeply and to explore the possibilities of this exciting form!
