Fiction—whether it’s highbrow literature, horror, or sci-fi—is able to transport us into other worlds. Some of these worlds seem utterly unlike our own: others, no matter how bizarre, may strike us as uncannily familiar. The surreal, the grotesque, and the fantastic are all terms that describe works of fiction that have a fraught relationship with reality, that strike a tone somewhere between nightmarish and dreamlike.
In this course, we will be reading an eclectic assortment of texts, including: Greek and Roman myths; surrealist detective fiction; the classic horror stories of Edgar Allen Poe; the magical realism of Jorge Luis Borges; “Southern Gothic” fiction by Flannery O’Connor and Carson McCullers.
By paying attention to everything that makes each text strange in its own way, you will come to master the art of close reading and critical thinking. But this class is not simply about understanding stories on their own—it will also provide you with the skill set needed to discuss them in an academic context. Our primary readings will be supplemented by snippets of literary criticism, theoretical texts, and writing instruction, all of which will offer paradigms for understanding—and crafting effective arguments about—literature. The course will build your confidence as a writer as you write four essays of increasing length and complexity, culminating in a paper based on your own original research.
Intended Audience:
No experience with fantasy literature is required.