Discuss major new work by today’s top writers, including emerging novelists, award-winners, and established favorites, all of whom are central to today's cultural conversation. We will investigate a variety of inventive narrative strategies, explore the psychology of numerous fascinating characters, and examine important topics within a context of changing times, changing lives and a changing world. We will explore tales of New York City and a Los Angeles tale of noir intrigue involving the making of Gone with the Wind; an old man and a mysterious horse in the high desert of central Nevada; a famous fraud and a sharp smart woman in London; a bat-mitzvah, a Christmas play, an interfaith family, and a young girl’s coming of age in Italy; six cosmonauts traveling through space as they behold and record our blue planet; magic in the Mexican highlands. Readings: Amor Towles Table for Two; Willy Vlautin, The Horse; Anita Desai, Rosarita; Zadie Smith, The Fraud; AB Yehoshua, The Only Daughter; Samantha Harvey, Orbital. Students should read Rosarita, by Anita Desai for the first class.
Continuing Education Units (CEU) : 0
You'll walk away with
- Increased cultural literacy, including intercultural knowledge and competence
- An understanding of current contemporary fiction, including its themes, meanings, and historical and cultural contexts
Ideal for
- The curious and creative
- Professionals who use critical thinking
