Advanced Creative Writing (307-0-20)

Instructors

Brian D Bouldrey

Meeting Info

University Hall 018 English: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

Paul Fussel, author of Abroad: British Literary Travel between the Wars, wrote, "A travel book is like a poem in giving universal significance to a local texture." Of all the forms of literature identified by its subject matter rather than its forms, travel writing is the most flexible in its ability to use any of the methods of mode—the ironic, the discursive, the narrative, the comic, the pastoral, the didactic. Using examples historic and contemporary, foreign and domestic, and across the genres of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, we will look at the long tradition of travel writing and its practitioners.

Not designed for students merely wishing to workshop their "Study Ablog", this course will offer a balanced approach to the growth and change in literature devoted to the subject of travel, touching briefly on ancient and medieval foundations and moving quickly to the explosion of what may be a genre of literature unto its own. We will also consider science and philosophy, art and religion, history and politics, all in the way they are encountered by the writer of travel. Students will read and discuss work in all of these genres, give short presentations, and discuss both the aesthetic and intellectual thrust of the required readings.

Class Materials (Required)

Readings may include: Marianne Moore, Michael Chabon, Mungo Park, Malcolm X, John Beckman, Goldie Goldbloom, Louisa Adams, Paul Fussell, Marta Maretich, and Grace Dane Mazur.

Class Notes

Prerequisites: English 206. No P/N registration. Attendance at first class is mandatory.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-Requisite: Students must have taken & passed English 206-0 to enroll.
Add Consent: Department Consent Required