Advanced English: The Modern Short Story
NES/HSE Bachelor’s Program
Fall 2011
Instructor: Olga Aksakalova
E-mail: OAksakalova@nes.ru
Office: TBA
Office Hours: Wed. 9:00-1:00
Description
This course is designed to be a survey of short stories, focusing mainly on twentiethcentury texts written in or translated into English. It aims to introduce students to a
variety of topics addressed by short story writers over time and the ways in which each
writer has used the resources of the genre to articulate his/her themes. While examining
the form and content of each work, we will discuss the tenets of contextually relevant
movements in literary history, such as romanticism, realism, modernism, and
postmodernism. This will deepen students’ understanding of the thematic preoccupations,
variations in style, technique, and renditions of experience in the works of different
authors. As we explore aesthetic, historical, philosophical, cultural, and moral dimensions
of each story, we will return to the question of whether/how a given text and the genre as
a whole are relevant to the present day reality.
The course emphasizes interactive learning. This means most of our class sessions will
take the form of seminar. Short lectures will take place, but they will not extend over an
entire class session. Students will be expected to participate actively in class discussions
and rigorous writing workshops. Through a wide range of intensive communication
practices – performed individually and collaboratively -- students will develop critical
thinking, reading, and writing skills and learn to articulate complex ideas with precision
and clarity.
Course Goals
After this course, the student should be able to
1. discuss the evolution of the modern short story and its salient features in relation
to major developments in literary history;
2. demonstrate the ability to think, read, write, and speak critically about literature;
3. perform literary analysis that effectively integrates close reading, pertinent
biographical and historical facts, as well as aesthetic and theoretical perspectives;
4. develop a strong understanding of the conventions of oral and written academic
communication in English;
5. analyze the quality of his/her own work and offer constructive feedback to peers;
6. demonstrate an increased English proficiency.
Course Objectives
To meet these goals, the student will
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1. explore aesthetic preoccupations of each author and historical and cultural
contexts of each story; compare and contrast the ways in which authors from
different cultures and historical periods handle similar themes;
2. learn effective close reading strategies ranging from initial observations of
striking moments in the text to construction of thematic patterns to formulation of
sophisticated interpretation; observe how different elements of fiction – plot,
character, setting, narrative perspective, style, and theme – work together to
produce meaning;
3. learn to distinguish between summary and analysis; acquire strategies to develop
a strong interpretive stance and support it with relevant sources;
4. engage in informal and formal writing and communication assignments, including
thesis-driven analytical essays;
5. engage in peer reviews of essays and oral presentations;
6. expand English vocabulary and enhance sentence structure; work on eliminating
major patterns of error.
Students are admitted to the course based on the results of a placement test. Once
admitted, they take a writing diagnostic test to determine the course of learning activities
and ensure that these activities meet the needs of the group. Students are encouraged to
approach course topics from interdisciplinary perspectives, i.e., to draw on the material
learned in other courses.
Course outline
WEEK 1
Brief historical overview of short fiction
Fundamentals of literary analysis
Writing Diagnostic
WEEK 2
Tales of the Romantic Era
Required Readings: Edgar Allan Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado”; Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Young
Goodman Brown”
Suggested Reading: Nikolai Gogol, “The Overcoat”
WEEK 3
Realism and Subjectivity
Required Readings: Guy de Maupassant, “The Necklace” and “The Writer’s Goal”; Kate Chopin,
“The Story of an Hour”; Anton Chekhov, “The Darling” and “Techniques in Writing the Short
Story” (read in Russian and English); Ambrose Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
WEEK 4
Modernism: Epiphanies and Transformations
Required Readings: James Joyce, “Araby” and “Eveline”; Franz Kafka, “The Metamorphosis”
Suggested Reading: Ann Charters, “Translating Kafka”
WEEK 5
Modernism: Minimalism, “Iceberg Theory” and the Role of the Reader
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Required Readings: Ernest Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants,” “Soldier’s Home,” and
“The Art of the Short Story”
Images: Paul Strand’s photographs
WEEK 6
Regionalism: Place, Voice, Gender, Race, and Class
Required Readings: Zora Neale Hurston, “Sweat” and “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”; William
Faulkner, “That Evening Sun”; Truman Capote, “A Christmas Memory”
Suggested Reading: Alice Walker, “Zora Neale Hurston: A Cautionary Tale and a Partisan View”
WEEK 7
Postmodernism: Fantasy, Time, Allegory, and Narration
Required Readings: Jorge Luis Borges, “The Circular Ruins” and “Borges and I”; Ray Bradbury,
“August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains”; Gabriel García Márquez, “A Very Old Man with
Enormous Wings”
WEEK 8
Postmodernism: Representation, Reality, and Temporality
Required Readings: Italo Calvino, “The Distance of the Moon” and “A Sign in Space”; John
Cheever, “The Swimmer” and “Why I Write Short Stories”
WEEK 9
Writing workshops and individual conferences
WEEK 10
Meta-fiction or Writing Stories about Writing Stories
Required Readings: Margaret Atwood, “Happy Endings”; Grace Paley, “A Conversation with My
Father”; Ann Beattie, “Snow”
WEEK 11
Commonplace Objects and Language
Required Readings: Raymond Carver, “A Small Good Thing” and “On Writing”
WEEK 12
Conflict, Categorization, and Control
Required Readings: Tim O’Brien, “The Things They Carried”; Bobbie Ann Mason, “On Tim
O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried’”
WEEK 13
Culture, Identity, and Language
Required Readings: Jumpa Lahiri, “Interpreter of Maladies”; Gish Jen “Who Is Irish?”
WEEK 14
Graphic Narratives
Required Readings: Joe Sacco, “Refugeeland”; Alison Bechdel, “Old Father, Old Artificer”
WEEK 15
Oral presentations
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WEEK 16
Oral presentations
Required Texts and Course Resources
1. Charters, Ann, ed. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011.
2. Additional readings available in electronic and print formats
3. Writing and communication resources (web and print)
4. English learning resources (web and print)
5. Consultations at the Writing and Communication Center
Assignment Types and Requirements
Informal Writing: Completed in and outside of class, these short writing pieces will give
students the opportunity to generate ideas for class discussions and longer essays; get
acquainted with different writing genres (response papers, creative exercises, summary,
explication, argumentation, comparison/contrast, narration, exposition); gain practice
with individual essay elements (thesis statement, integration of quotations, paragraph
structure, revision and editing); and reflect on their own work as academic writers,
readers, and speakers.
Formal Essays: In the course of the semester, students will complete a sequence of three
analytical essays ranging from 2 to 5 pages. The topics will be provided by the instructor.
Before submitting essays for evaluation, students will go through a drafting process and
receive substantial feedback from both peers and instructor at different stages of
composition. We will spend a significant amount of class time on writing strategies, and
students are also encouraged to visit the Writing and Communication Center.
Oral Presentations: In addition to class participation, students will be expected to prepare
an oral presentation on a topic of interest. While working on the presentations, students
can seek consultations at the Writing and Communication Center.
All assignments must be completed on time. Late submission will result in a reduced or
failing grade.
Grading
Informal writing assignments: 15%
Class participation: 20%
Oral presentation: 15%
Essay #1: 15%
Essay #2: 15%
Essay: #3: 20%
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If a student receives a failing grade for the course, he/she can resubmit the
assignments with unsatisfactory scores during the resubmission period as designated
by the program.
Course Policies
Academic Integrity: Students must comply with the accepted academic ethical standards.
All borrowed ideas, language, and images must be cited in accordance with the MLA
guidelines, which will be provided and discussed at length. Plagiarism is a serious
violation that will result in the failing grade for the course.
Attendance Policy: Coming to class on time and prepared will be absolutely essential if
students expect to make any progress in the course. Missing more than 4 classes will
result in the failing course grade. If a student is late by 10 or more minutes, he/she will be
considered absent.
Class Behavior: Laptops and other electronic devices are not allowed to be used in the
classroom. Students must show respect toward all people in the classroom at all times.
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