The study of prose--literature written in a linear fashion, rather than, say, in short-lined stanzas like poetry, or in character-driven dialogue like plays and other dramas--requires very close reading, building a personal working vocabulary of literary terminology with which to discuss and critically analyze various narratives, and developing an appreciation of writers and the literature they have created.
The structure of the Prose Module will roughly follow a chronological timeline, beginning with the earliest types of prose literature--myths and legends--and move forward into the Oral Tradition of folk tales, fairy tales, and tall tales, and from there into the short story and contemporary fiction. We will examine different forms of prose literature, delve into the basic elements and structure of narrative fiction--characters, settings, emotion and theme--working to uncover meaning, motive, and structure, using a specialized vocabulary to communicate our findings.
In this course, the readings will begin with a number of fairly short myths and supplemental pieces, while we begin exploring and expanding our literary terminology. As the semester progresses toward midterm, however, the number of readings will decrease, but, conversely, the readings increase in length. After midterm, we will leave prose literature behind and turn our focus to poetry and drama.
The course is designed in a series of modules, one each for the types of literature we will be reading: prose, poetry, and drama. In each module (represented by a tab at the top of the page), will have a drop-down module where you can access each part of the module. Each part will roughly represent a week's worth of reading. Your assigned readings per week are located on the "Home" tab, along with other important course information.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The readings for the course will require you to set aside or dedicate time for close reading as well as time for reflection and thought about the narrative. PLEASE do not procrastinate or fall behind in your reading. A great amount of your understanding of the course content will depend on reading critically, and making the inherent connections between the literary terminology and analyzing the texts. Should Life happen to intervene, and I do understand that it often does, please do not hesitate to reach out to me so that we can discuss methods to keep you current and on schedule.
A NOTE ABOUT THE READINGS: This readings in this course attempt to reflect many points of view, ethnic and gender issues, and some may even employ adult content, language and situations. While much of the course content is in the public domain, a number of selections are still protected by copyright; therefore, DO NOT share the link to the course content with anyone not enrolled in the course. You may, of course, print any/all of the readings, especially if you are not a fan of online reading. These copies are for your personal use only.