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It's best to take courses in order—but not necessary.
1 Literature Matters: Why We Read What's the difference between serious fiction and pulp? And why should we care? In this course, we attempt to answer those questions. Read—Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin —Calculating Love by Alicia d'Marvel Take the course.  2 The Novel: A Mirror of the World Where did the novel come from? This course offers a brief history of realistic fiction, the baby of the literary world. Read—A Case of Identity by Arthur Conan Doyle Take the course. 3 How to Read: Finding Meaning Learn to read deeply—and open up another level of meaning. This course is the first in a series that explores setting, plot, characters, and much more. Read—Powder by Tobias Wolff Take the course. 4 How to Read: Title & Setting "It was a dark and stormy night"—how's that for setting? We'll talk about titles and settings and the clues they give us for understanding fiction. Read—Digging by Seamus Heaney —A & P by John Updike Take the course. 5 How to Read: Character Good writers create characters that jump off the page—some live in our memories forever. This course explores different ways to think and talk about fictional characters. Read—Babylon Revisited by F. Scott Fitzgerald Take the course. 6 How to Read: Plot How do authors create plots that keep us turning the page? We'll look at some of the plot devices writers use to develop their story lines. Read—A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Take the course. 7 How to Read: Point of View Whoever tells the story shapes the story. So how does the author decide who does the telling? We'll talk about why that decision is so important. Read—Why I Live at the P.O. by Eudora Welty Take the course. 8 How to Read: Irony Authors love to use irony—making readers expect one thing but giving us something else entirely. That's the fun of irony. Read—Roman Fever by Edith Wharton Take the course. 9 How to Read: Symbolism Symbols are some of the most powerful tools a writer has to create meaning. This course explores how they work. Read—Horse Dealer's Daughter by D.H. Lawrence Take the course. 10 How to Read: Theme This is the biggie: after all the words, paragraphs, and pages, what is the author trying to say, really? We'll look at how you can begin to think about the larger meanings of a work. Read—Eveline by James Joyce Take the course. |
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