What is Fiction?

In this class, we’ll be reading, reading, and reading some more. As we read and discuss, we’ll be asking—and attempting to answer—the following questions:

What is fiction?

What are the components of fiction?

How does each week’s reading challenge our notions of fiction and its components?

How might those challenges also challenge our conceptions of the world at large, including its political, social, and climate structures?

And always—why and how did we come to our answers?

Connect

Professor Maya Sonenberg's Office Hours: Wednesdays 3:30-5:30 (Padelford B-431). If you need to meet at a different time or would like to meet over Zoom, please email me: mayas@uw.edu.

Maya in a lovely park on Queen Anne

If you want to learn more about me or read some of my writing, check out my website.

If you have any questions, please reach out. I check my email pretty obsessively but am sometimes busy with other obligations and can't answer right away. I will respond within 24 hours during the week and 48 hours over the weekend. Do not leave questions about assignments to the last minute! As I rarely check messages on my office phone, it's always better to connect through email.

Requirements in brief

Books

You may read the required books in any format that works for you: new, used, ebooks, or audio books (although you will need to refer to physical copies in order to include page citations), and acquire them from the University Bookstore, any other bookstore, or the library. Used copies are fine of course!

REQUIRED--unless otherwise noted, these books are to be read from cover to cover in time for our Monday classes.

Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

Teju Cole, Every Day is for the Thief

Percival Everett, Telephone

Renee Gladman, Event Factory

Karen Elizabeth Gordon, Paris Out of Hand

Lily Hoang, Changing

David Markson, This is Not a Novel

W. G. Sebald, The Emigrants

Any other required readings will be linked through Canvas or supplied as hand-outs

OPTIONAL

These will be linked through Canvas

RECOMMENDED

Many weeks will also include a list of recommended books. I'm supplying these just in case you love one of the authors we read and need more or would like to refer to other works as you complete your writing assignments.

Assignments & Grades

Presentation/Class leading 15%

Seven Short Writing Assignments 70%

Participation 15%