Week 10: Voice in Contemporary Literature

The reading assignment for this week is to read the novella (long short story) by Karen Russell entitled Sleep Donation. Having read her short story, "Vampires in the Lemon Grove," in-class you should be prepared to describe her "voice" as a contemporary writer. In writing your blog post consider what do we mean when we talk about a writer's voice? What are some of the elements we might describe? What do we mean by "tone" as a general term and how might we describe the "tone" Karen Russell has in her fiction? What is the relationship between an author's tone and an author's voice?

Here is a link to a helpful short article on an author's tone.

Here is a link to a very short article on an author's voice and how an author's voice is distinct from the voices of an author's characters.

Week 8: Reading Virtual Realities

This week we will complete a writing assignment on worldbuilding before we begin reading our final novel of the semester. Using the list of questions from Junot Diaz listed in last week's blog entry and used in our in-class reading, read and comment on one of the the worldbuilding responses posted by members of our class last week. In writing your comment, use just one of the questions.

Then, using the list of questions again, write a response to one of the questions in relation to either Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao or to Edwidge Danticat's Dewbreaker (if you read more of Dewbreaker than what we read in class). Post your response on your blog.

We will be reading in class again this week so please bring your laptop or tablet.

Junot Diaz on Why to Read Authors Who Don't Look Like You

Week7: Building Worlds of Your Own

The Writing assignment for this week is to represent a world that you know. Provide us what we need to know to envision your world as you know it. Be specific and concrete in what you represent. You only have to create the world, you don't have to people it with characters or create any plot, events or action. 

We will be reading in-class and responding there as well so please bring your laptop or tablet.

You Love Pizza Rat but You Don't Own Pizza Rat--article

In Class: In relation to worldbuilding, we will undertake to examine the following questions (feel free to think about them before coming to class):
(From the syllabus of Junot Diaz for his course in world-building for the Writing program at M.I.T.)
What are the primary features of this world--spatial, cultural, biological, fantastic, cosmological? 
What is the world’s ethos (the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize the world)? 
What are the precise strategies that are used by its creator to convey the world to us and us to the world? 
How are our characters connected to the world? 
And how are we the viewer or reader or player connected to the world?”
A Map of the Literary World

Week6: Reading in Present Tense

Junot Diaz 

This week we will be reading one of the most notable novels of the 21st century, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. The focus will be on reading this week. There is no writing assignment due this week, all your time should be spent on reading as much of novel as you can before coming to class. Consult the course resource page. 

Salon Interview with Junot Diaz