Masterworks: Fiction

A "masterwork" of fiction is a literary text that has achieved both broad recognition for artistic excellence and an extraordinary level of influence within and beyond its culture of origin. In this course, students will engage such works from an aspiring writer’s point of view, drawing on them to develop a deeper understanding of the way structure, style, character, theme, and cultural values work together in the most powerful fiction works of modern times. Discussions and writing assignments will focus on how exposure to the fiction of different countries can help us see our own literary and cultural assumptions with fresh eyes.