32211

Connecting the Plots: Making Sense of the American Short Story Collection

Julie Dickson

Kommentar

The linked short story collection, or cycle, has long been considered a marginalized form. Caught between the short story and the novel (and yet neither), these ambiguous books pose challenges to definition, study, and even conventional reading. But they have a robust tradition in American Literature, from 19th-century regional sketchbooks to Modernist experiments to the wave of collections in the late 20th century representing marginalized groups. Indeed, because these books usually forego a central protagonist or overarching plot, scholars argue that they present an alternative paradigm to that of the traditional novel and are particularly apt at portraying community and the fragmentation of modern life. This seminar will explore these many facets of the collection through a selection of representative texts by 19th-century short story writers, as well as Sherwood Anderson, Gloria Naylor, George Saunders, Carmen Maria Machado, and others. As we move chronologically, we will cover the history of the form’s development in the US, its quintessential structures and evolving conventions, and the contexts that have shaped its production. How do these books reflect/construct changing concepts of community and identity? What modes of making meaning do they give rise to? How have conditions of literary production shaped these books and our expectations of them? It is arguable that collections are more diverse and popular now than ever, and so we will ultimately try to make some observations regarding what is at stake in “connecting the plots” today. Schließen

13 Termine

Regelmäßige Termine der Lehrveranstaltung

Mo, 10:00 - 12:00 13 Termine

Mo, 15.04.2024 10:00 - 12:00

Dozenten:
Julie Dickson