Craft of Fiction: The Novel

Unoriginal Genius, which borrows its title from the Marjorie Perloff book, will be a craft course on various forms of intertextual literature. If each of us is inevitably, with varying degrees of intention, writing in reference to or under the spell of or in opposition to or out the back of what we have read as much as what we have experienced apart from the page, then in this course we will focus on work that is taking explicit ownership of those relationships, making them central to the project. We'll consider a wide variety of contemporary fiction (as well as some poetry, nonfiction, and hybrid texts) under four headings, which we'll define and refine: elaborations, interpretations, assemblies, and uncreative writing. We'll also draw connections to appropriation theory and practice in the visual arts, and we'll discuss evolving notions of authorship and copyright infringement in the contemporary landscape. Authors will likely include Kate Bernheimer, Anne Carson, Angela Carter, Lydia Davis, Steven Dunn, Kenneth Goldsmith, John Keene, Carmen Maria Machado, M. Nourbese Philip, Srikanth Reddy, Jean Rhys, Sofia Samatar, and Sara Uribe. But this will be a writing course, first and foremost, with creative assignments and workshops throughout the semester.
Course Attributes:

Craft of Fiction: The Novel

WRITING 530

Section 01