English 217 Literature and Culture: Fall Fiction 2007
Writers of Litchfield County: Fiction

”…what we search for in fiction is not so much reality but the epiphany of truth.” Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi

August 29 - December 5, 2007

Lecturer: Davyne Verstandig
Wednesday evenings 6:30-9:00pm

Texts: 

• Presence, Arthur Miller (short stories) and “The Misfits” (short story)
• It’s About Your Husband, Lauren Lipton, (novel)
• Black & White, Dani Shapiro, (novel)
• Trading Up, Candace Bushnell, (novel)
• A Perfect Stranger, Roxana Robinson, (short stories)
• Frank McCourt’s new book, if available

Some of the topics we will be addressing this semester are:

• Defining literature
• Is writing by women essentially different from writing by men, if so, how is it different? Defining “chick lit” and “gender genre” and looking at their similarities and differences.

• We will reflect onNietzsche’s statement, “We have art so that we shall not be destroyed by truth.”

• What effect does marketing/media have on the way we read, what we read and how does it affect how writers create?

Class Schedule (subject to change)

August 29                             Introduction to the course and Arthur Miller’s Presence as well as the short story The Misfits

Lecture 1 MP3 for download (coming soon)

September 5                        Discussion of Arthur Miller stories

Lecture 2 MP3 for download

September 12                      Documentary film screening, "The Making of the Misfits" and discussion

Lecture 3 MP3 for download

September 17 (Monday)    Screening of film, “The Misfits”

September 19                      Discussion of It's About Your Husband

Lecture 4 MP3 for download

September 26                      Lauren Lipton, It’s About Your Husband (author’s appearance)

Lecture 5 MP3 for download (coming soon)

October 3                              Discussion of Black and White

Lecture 6 MP3 for download

October 10                           Dani Shapiro, Black &White (author’s appearance)

Lecture 7 MP3 for download

October 17                           Discussion of Trading Up

Lecture 8 MP3 for download

October 24                           Candace Bushnell, Trading Up (author’s appearance)    

October 31                           Discussion of A Perfect Stranger

November 7                         Roxana Robinson, A Perfect Stranger (author’s appearance)

November 14                       Discussion

November 21                       Thanksgiving

November 26 (Monday) Slide presentation of Inge Morath’s new book The Road to Reno presented by John Jacobs. These photographs were taken when Morath was hired by Magnum to photograph “The Misfits.”

November 28                       Discussion

December 5                         Discussion