Rhetoric of Fiction

This class is an introduction to the advanced study of written narrative fiction as a rhetorical device. Non-majors are welcome. The class will build on everyone’s existing knowledge (since one learns about story from the cradle, and has a first unit on it in third grade), refining its concepts and applying it to more complex texts. Through close reading and interpretation of individual short stories and two novels, we will explore the rhetorical techniques, functions and effects of written narrative, examining in detail its component parts, such as plot, character and setting, narration, point of view, irony and so forth.

Students will complete regular close reading homework exercises, an in-class midterm exam, a small-group oral presentation, and a final analytical paper.

Texts:
Chatman, Reading Narrative Fiction
Robinson, Gilead
O’Brien, The Things They Carried