This course focuses on the critical appreciation of novellas within the context of the traditions and innovations typical of this genre, and with respect to the standard elements of prose fiction in both theory and practice. Through the in-depth study of seminal short novel practitioners such as Herman Melville, Henry James, James Joyce, Philip Roth, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Alice Munro, students learn to recognize both the stylistic features distinct to each writer as well as the common thematic and technical threads that group them together. To this end, students will overview the genre of the novella, examining its origin and discussing its literary classification and evolution; study the implications of diverse narrative choices within each text and across texts; analyze why the novella is considered a suitable genre for the study of fictional character; consider the central role of communities in novellas, both as a technique and as a theme; identify and evaluate the presence of recurrent novella themes, and finally ask what makes a short story writer or a novelist turn to this genre, and in the process consider the similarities and differences of the prose fiction genres themselves. Whenever possible, readings will be supplemented with their film adaptations (for example, the adaptation of Joyce’s “The Dead” in John Huston’s 1987 film Dubliners and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Erendira and her Heartless Grandmother in Ruy Guerra’s 1983 film Erendira). As in all literature modules, class discussions will be informed by literary theories and critical debates.
- Instructor: Eleni Godi