21L.000J / 21L.010 / 21W.734J Writing About Literature, Fall 2006

Abstract

Writing About Literature aims: To increase students' pleasure and skill in reading literary texts and in writing and communicating about them. To introduce students to different literary forms (poetry, fiction, drama) and some tools of literary study (close reading, research, theoretical models). To allow students to get to know a single writer deeply. To encourage students to make independent decisions about their reading by exploring and reporting back on authors whose works they enjoy. The syllabus includes an eclectic mix: William Shakespeare, Herman Melville, Henry James, Michael Frayn, and Jhumpa Lahiri. We'll explore different ways of approaching the questions readers have about each of these texts.