LITR 236 Creative Nonfiction Spring 2015 Instructor Room No. Office Hours Email Telephone Secretary/TA TA Office Hours Course URL (if any) Dr. Naveed Rehan 137, English (New) Wing, Ground Floor, Acad Block TBA naveedr@lums.edu.pk Course Basics Credit Hours 4 Lecture(s) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Recitation/Lab (per Nbr of Lec(s) Per week) Tutorial (per week) Nbr of Lec(s) Per 2 Duration 1 hr 50 mins Duration Duration Course Distribution Core Elective Open for Student Category Close for Student Category YES All COURSE DESCRIPTION Creative Nonfiction or The Fourth Genre as it has been called, emerged as a distinct genre in 1983 at a meeting of the National Endowment for the Arts. Since then, it has become one of the most widely discussed literary forms in academia today. Its three main sub-genres--literary journalism, personal essay and memoir enjoy wide popularity not only among the general reading public but also among academics. In the words of Robert Root: This may well be a golden age of nonfiction. The books, the essays, and articles in our literary journals, magazines, and Internet websites, the extension of nonfiction into film, graphic memoirs, video essays, weblogs, and online essays, the experimental and exploratory and idiosyncratic approaches this is a very good time to be an essayist, a travel writer, a nature writer, a memoirist, an immersion journalist, an experimental critic, a writer willing to explore self and place and genre and venture into new literary territory as well as draw on traditional forms and strategies (The Nonfictionist s Guide 200-201). Although nonfiction writing is as old as writing itself, creative nonfiction refers to truthful narratives rendered with grace and style the kind of writing where the author does not hide behind a supposedly objective exterior but implicates himself or herself in the story, thus giving it a human interest that is missing in dull, badly written prose.
COURSE PREREQUISITE(S) None COURSE OBJECTIVES To acquaint the students with the genre of creative nonfiction and to enable them to distinguish between good nonfiction writing and clichéd, banal and sentimental prose. To enable students to write in this genre. To enable students to critique their own work as well as the work of their peers. To enable students to see how and why creative nonfiction aspires to be an art form. Learning Outcomes The course will explore the main sub-genres of creative nonfiction through readings from the anthology as well as through original student writing. At the end of the semester, students will have a clear idea of how to critically appreciate and compose creative nonfiction. We will workshop student writing in the fields of literary journalism, personal narrative and personal essay. At the end of the course we will have public readings where students will read out one of the essays written for this class. Grading Breakup and Policy Assignment(s): Paper 1: Literary Memoir 10% Paper 2: Personal Essay 10% Paper 3: Literary Journalism 10% Final Paper: 20% Class Participation: (Workshops): 20% Attendance: 10% Midterm Examination: 20% Grading will be absolute. The following cut-offs will be used: A+ = 90+ A = 85-90 A-= 80-85 B+ = 70-80 B = 65-70 B- = 60-65
C+ = 55-60 C = 50-55 C- = 45-50 D = 40-45 Below 40 = F Examination Detail Midterm Exam Yes/No: Combine Separate: Duration: Preferred Date: Exam Specifications: YES 1 hr 50 mins Closed book/closed notes Final Exam Yes/No: Combine Separate: Duration: Exam Specifications: NO COURSE OVERVIEW THIS IS A TENTATIVE OUTLINE AND MAY BE AMENDED AS NEEDED Topics Recommended Readings - Introduction from Roorbach Introduction to the course: What is pp. 1--8. creative nonfiction? -Literary Diaries and Journals pp. 9 11. Literary diaries and journals -Read May Sarton. From Journal of a Solitude. pp. 23-- 30 1 -Discussion on Sarton. In-class writing. -Read Gretel Ehrlich. From the Journals. pp. 50 65. -Short assignment on journal writing. Objectives/ Application 2 Literary Memoir -Class reading and discussion. -Read Literary Memoir pp. 79 81 and Mary McCarthy: Yonder Peasant, Who Is He? pp. 83 94. -Class discussion on assigned
readings. -Paper 1 Assignment: Literary Memoir. Workshops next week --Read The Personal Essay pp. 191-193 and E. B. White: Once More to the Lake. pp. 193 197. 3 4 5 6 Personal Essay Workshop/discussion Literary Journalism Personal Essay Workshop -Personal Essay continued. Ralph Ellison: On Being the Target of Discrimination. pp. 206 210. -Jane Shapiro: This is What You Need for a Happy Life. pp. 275 286. -Workshop for Paper 1 -Workshop for Paper 1 contd. -Paper 1 due at the beginning of class. -The Personal Essay. Discussion of readings from White, Ellison, and Shapiro -Paper 1 due at the beginning of class. -The Personal Essay. Discussion of readings from White, Ellison, and Shapiro. -Paper 2 Assignment: Personal Essay. Workshops -Literary Journalism pp. 303-305. -Read John Hersey. From Hiroshima. pp. 305 317. -Discussion on assigned readings. -Workshop for Paper 2 7 -Workshop for Paper 2 contd.
-Paper 2 due at the beginning of class. 8 9 Literary Journalism Literary Journalism Nature Essay -Literary Journalism continued. -Barbara Ehrenreich. From Nickel-and-Dimed: On (Not Getting By in America) pp. 370 389. -Midterm Exam -Read Naomi Shihab Nye: One Village. pp. 465 476. -Paper 3 Assignment: Literary Journalism. Workshops -Read The Art of the Particular: Creative Nonfiction Classified by Subject. pp. 421 423 and -Nature Essay. Sue Hubbell: From A Country Year. pp. 429 441. -Literary Travel. One Village. 10 Literary Travel The Science Essay -Workshop for Paper 3 -Literary Travel contd. Reading to be provided. -Read Lewis Thomas: The Medusa and the Snail (Science Essay). pp. 500-502. 11 Creative Cultural Criticism -Discussion on the Travel Essay and Science Essay. -Paper 3 due at the beginning of class. Read David Foster Wallace Shipping Out. pp. 534 563.
12 13 Lahore University of Management Sciences -Discussion on Wallace. -Final Paper Assignment. -Recap / Addressing common problems. 14 15 16 -Public Reading 1 -Public Reading 2 -Public Reading 3 Textbook(s)/Supplementary Readings LITR 236 coursepack Additional handouts may be used.