4:00P-5:15P  MW  (25) 3 cr

COAS INTENSIVE WRITING SECTION

In this course we will trace the development of fiction from the earliest "Novel" --
GILGAMESH -- to contemporary, self-conscious, literary short stories.  We will place special
emphasis on the way oral tradition influences written fiction, comparing Amos Tutuolo's
PALM WINE DRUNKARD to William Faulkner's AS I LAY DYING in order to see how
both authors draw on the African storytelling narratives of the journey to the land of the dead.
The other text in the course, THE HEATH INTRODUCTION TO FICTION, will provide us
with an excellent historical anthology of short stories.

Written work for the course will consist of four papers -- three critical and one creative
-- and one examination.  The creative assignment will be a 7-10 page narrative, based on the
voice of one of the characters in the Heath Anthology, which will be photocopied by the
student and distributed to each member of the class for discussion.