Prof.
Michael Gossett | michael.j.gossett@gmail.com
Introduction to
Contemporary Prose & Fiction
Palmer Hall | Room 208 | M–F | 9AM–11 AM | 1 PM–3 PM
Palmer Hall | Room 208 | M–F | 9AM–11 AM | 1 PM–3 PM
Office Hours:
305 Palmer Hall; 3:00 – 4:30 PM
–n.b.
The best way to get in touch with me is to meet me in my office during office hours, but you can always e-mail me. Just be patient; I will respond as soon
as is reasonable (i.e. not during the witching hours).
Course Description
Introduction
to Contemporary Prose & Fiction
is primarily an inquiry into what distinguishes our literature books from our
instruction manuals, our love stories from our love sonnets, our
living, breathing generation of writers from the 'dead old white men'
that dominate our high school English classes (We're
looking at you, Orwell!).
In other words, we're pretty much here to figure out what the real, important
differences between fiction and non-fiction, prose and poetry, the
contemporary and the old-fashioned, actually are, and how we can
successfully steal from each of these categories in order to create
writing that someone other than our grandma will get excited about
(Sorry,
Grammy!).
I believe that the literary
prose and fiction of our contemporary writers borrows more from the
history of poetry than has any other generation's, and that the culture's recent fascination with and exploration of the subgenre of flash fiction (a.k.a. microfiction, short-short stories) is all the better
because of it. Poetry is ultimately the oldest form of literature we
have and is an exploration of what is arguably the most complex,
profound, and ubiquitous expression of human experience. A primary
goal of the class is to use the tools and language of poetry to develop our
ability to see in contemporary prose that patterns made from the sounds of words, the structures of syntax, the vividness of images, and the startling
presence of metaphor, leads us to a mode of imaginative thinking founded
on paradox and ambiguity—what the English poet John Keats calls
“Negative Capability”—that allows us to talk about what it's
like to be alive now in a way that we couldn't have otherwise.
Why You're Here
Being
alive now is exciting! Have you seen what Google Glass can do? Did you know that 1,200-year-old cities are being found underwater? Aren't you drooling over having an Xbox One that lets you watch the NBA Finals with a friend in New York City while playing Halo 9 with an enemy from Cincinnati? But being alive is also very weird! Can you believe that
scientists recently discovered that Earth has a second moon? Does it perplex you that can we grow ears on mice but have an impossible time creating a human face that feels real?
To be able to think
poetically—even in our prose!—allows us to perceive and interpret
this weird and exciting world of ours in more intricate and satisfying ways. Learning to
read contemporary writing, with all of its strangeness and difficulty
and telepathic talking horses (oh yes—just wait), helps us to think
poetically and to see that such thinking engages and improves every
aspect of human endeavor: science, politics, work, religion, art.
It also provides us with unique ways of comparing, across epochs and
cultures, human responses to living, dying, and carrying giant whale
hearts in the back of a truck. You're here because some small (or
large) part of you wants to feel and talk about the weird and
exciting things in your life. I'm here for the very same reason.
Or maybe your family just sent
you here to pick up a few early college credits and to keep you from eating all of the kettle cooked jalapeno chips in the pantry this summer... but I like to think
there's more to you than that.
Texts
+ several links & in-class handouts
Grades
Show up. Do the work. Try hard.
Speak up. Listen well. Read more. Write more. Think more. Be more. Do
everything in such a way that you won't even have to concern yourself with grades.
Still concerned about grades? Know that your participation and your writing skills are equally weighed, and that I am more interested in evaluating where you stand at the end of the course than where you stood at the beginning. An A is typically awarded to those who demonstrate excellent work. If you come in with an eagerness to write, trust that I have some things that I can teach you about writing, and do all of the things I ask of you (see the preceding paragraph) you will be doing excellent work.
Should you choose to meet with me, I will be more inclined to speak to you about how to improve your performance and understanding of the material, not necessarily your grade.
No story will be considered final until your final portfolio.
Should you choose to meet with me, I will be more inclined to speak to you about how to improve your performance and understanding of the material, not necessarily your grade.
No story will be considered final until your final portfolio.
Formatting
Your Writing
Type it. Put it in 12-point, Times New Roman font. Single space it. Give it reasonable margins (1-inch). Put your first and last name on it. Give it a title ("Untitled" or "Writing Exercise #3" is not a title). Proofread it. Submit via the homework instructions on the Schedule. Handwritten work will never be accepted.
The Final Portfolio
The final portfolio will consist of four (4) revised pieces from the 400-600 word stories you've composed this term. Revision-ing your stories--literally, "re-seeing" them--will be discussed at length in class, and will far exceed minor word or sentence changes. Portfolios that do not demonstrate substantial revision will not be accepted.
Deadlines
All work is due at the beginning of the morning session, unless otherwise noted. Only in a case involving unusual and documented circumstances can you be given a 24-hour extension. I will employ the strictest possible definitions of "unusual" and "documented," so be forewarned that it is exceedingly difficult (read: almost impossible) to warrant an extension. Computer issues, although documentable, are not unusual and will not merit an extension. Being abducted by aliens, although unusual, is not documentable and therefore will not merit an extension. In other words, consider all deadlines in this course "hard" deadlines.
Any issues regarding sickness will need to be handled by Dr. Finlayson.
Technology
Computers and tablets are okay. Phones and mp3 players are not.
