Literature
The American Short Story: Contemporary Genres
An Improver-level literature course examining contemporary American short stories through tutor presentations, close reading and group discussion.
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Upcoming classes
1 class
About this course
Participants study American short fiction from the latter twentieth century onwards, considering Black American writing, science fiction, Weird and New Weird fiction, postmodern experimentation and Blank Generation writing by women. The course places these works within the history and development of the form, including the role of the magazine market. Teaching combines tutor presentation with small-group and whole-class discussion. In class, learners examine key passages and explore genre, character, consciousness, setting, structure, plotting and audience alignment across a range of stories.
What you'll learn
- Trace how the American short story tradition has developed in relation to contemporary history and society.
- Analyse how writers use different genres and modes to depict individual and collective experience.
- Identify dramatic and literary techniques used to represent society, customs and politics.
- Examine how features such as character, setting, structure, plotting and audience alignment shape a story.
Is this course right for you?
The course is intended for learners with some experience of studying literature, although the source does not present this as a formal requirement. Participation involves reading complete stories, considering different interpretations and contributing to small-group and whole-class discussion.
- Learners should be willing to listen to differing views about literary interpretation.
- Independent reading between classes forms part of the course.
Before you go
- An anthology and supporting extracts are provided.
- Learners are expected to read the stories in full and use guided reading materials for independent study.