ENG118

Description

Section information text: This course is an introduction to stories and storytelling. What is narrative? We will consider the various forms, genres, and structures of narrative, including such aspects as point-of-view, chronology, plot, unreliable narrators, and the relationship of narrative to history and memory. In the second half of the course, we will turn our attention to the ways in which storytelling has changed in the era of globalization. We now live in a world of webs, labyrinths, and networks--metaphors that suggest the breaking down of borders and increased connectivity across cultures, nations, markets, and geographies. This course will introduce you to writers and theorists seeking a language fitting to an age of constant newness. We will consider different sorts of fictions associated with the era of global culture: reflexive modes of storytelling that break down boundaries between artists and audiences; sweeping historical novels that weave together the real and the "magical"; and multimedia narratives that combine texts and technology. Our focus will be on the dialogues that take place among genres and disciplines, and on narrative experiments that make it increasingly difficult to draw clear distinctions between fiction, poetry, drama, and visual culture. Students enrolled in this course should enjoy working with texts that at times can be abstract and philosophical.