Reeves, Nancee
MWF 10:20 AM
Park Hall 0259
In this class we will talk about foreshadowing and metaphors and character development and synecdoche and all those other cleaver devices used in novel. But you don’t need me to teach you about them. You have been talking about literary devices since fifth grade. What you need, what we all need, is to understand the purpose of fiction. It’s not purely to entertain, though that is a lovely side effect, and it is certainly not to make money or become famous—those lucky enough to have this happen are few and far between. No, fiction, like all art, is made to help us better understand ourselves, to shed some light on the all-important human condition. As David Foster Wallace said “[fiction] is about what it is to be a Human Being.”
Science had proven that literature makes us more empathetic, helps us connection better with others and to become all around better people. Fiction gives us a vision of a more just and humane world, or conversely, the world as a horror story, a vision of the worst of human nature. It allows us to see beyond ourselves, to understand the consequences of our actions. It might sound a bit over the top, but fiction is essential to the survival and advancement of the human race. One of the wonders of fiction is that something made up, often with no connection to our lives or even reality, can reveal great truths about ourselves. A novel does not have to be about college student in a large state university in a small Georgia town to be relatable. And while we are on the topic, relatability is overrated. We can only truly grow if we look beyond our narrow experiences, if we push ourselves out of our comfort zone. So let’s do that. This semester we will read beautiful, wonderfully written works of fiction that deal with situations we cannot possibly relate to, but will nonetheless make us more expansive, empathetic people.
Possible Reading List:;
My Favorite Thing is Monsters (2017) by Emil Farris
House of Leaves (2000) by Mark Z. Danielewski
Annihilation (2015) by Jeff Vandermeer
Zone One (2011) by Coleson Whitehead
Never Let Me Go (2005) by Kazuo Ishiguro