Literature
Women with a View: Memoirs and Tales
A beginner-level literature course examining three contemporary women’s memoirs through close reading, lectures and group discussion.
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Upcoming classes
1 class
About this course
The course studies Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking, Margo Jefferson’s Negroland and Rebecca Solnit’s Recollections of My Non-Existence as works of literary non-fiction. Discussion will consider how each memoir relates individual experience to wider social and cultural contexts. Teaching combines short lectures, PowerPoint presentations and discussion in large and small groups. Participants will use close reading to examine the memoir form and are expected to read the assigned texts before each class session.
What you'll learn
- Identify the social and cultural contexts surrounding each memoir
- Apply close reading to analyse how the memoir form creates meaning
- Discuss memoirs as literary texts
Is this course right for you?
The course is intended for beginners with an interest in literary memoir writing. No previous literary study is required. Participation includes discussing the texts, listening to others’ views and completing reading before each session.
- Suitable without previous literary study
- Requires reading assigned texts before class
- Includes both large- and small-group discussion
Before you go
- Participants should obtain The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Negroland by Margo Jefferson and Recollections of My Non-Existence by Rebecca Solnit.
- The tutor supplies all other course materials.