Six Novellas

An in-between genre, the novella wanders like a novel but narrows in like a short story. In this seminar we will explore the form and meaning of six novellas by exceptional writers of modern and contemporary fiction. Texts will include Toni Morrison’s Sula, Marguerite Duras’ The Lover, Tao Lin’s Shoplifting from American Apparel, Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy. Students will respond both formally and informally to these works through literary analysis and narrative criticism. Discussions will include critical attention to constructions of race, gender, dis/ability, class, and sexuality as well as investigation of notions of home, family, and spirituality. 3 hrs. sem.