LIT 2010.002 Fall 2023 Boyles

This course will examine the craft of fiction using case studies of three novels that represent a "Venn diagram" of sub-genres: cyberpunk (Neuromancer), dystopian crime (The City of Bohane), and postmodern noir (Night Boat to Tangier). We will spend five weeks on each of these books, examining their respective story mechanics (acute tension, chronic tension, collision, plot, escalation, stakes, setting, mood, direct characterization, indirect characterization, POV, voice, dramatic and thematic questions). Every other Sunday you'll submit a reading journal discussing your observations. At the end of it all, you'll write a 2,000-word craft essay on a novel of your choosing.