The course introduces you to the genre of the short story. A range of important examples from different periods, national contexts, and languages will allow you insight into the genre’s diversity and historical development. We will think about how a given text is situated in a particular historical and literary context, but also discuss its general mechanisms and effects. Cognitive and narrative theory provides a framework for our exploration of the impact stories have on readers (we will learn, for example, about how texts generate surprises, how they position us cognitively-emotionally, and how they tell us which details to pay attention to in reading). This theoretical background will help us understand what makes short fiction special, and to address the issue of definition.
The course will also help you develop general analytical expertise. It will hone your close-reading skills and equip you with terminology to discuss textual structures and effects. Through integrating oral presentations and writing exercises, seminars will help you improve your ability to express complex arguments in an academic register.