English 209-011
Fall 1999, TR 2:00-3:15
Sharp 105
Introduction to the Novel

The aim of this course is to introduce you to the novel as a historical literary form. We will explore the rise of the novel from its eighteenth-century beginnings, discussing in particular the ways that the novel actively shapes society and self. Through an examination of stories concerned with such defining social issues as crime, madness, gendered conflict, and racial oppression, we will consider how the novel, which has often been mistaken for an entertaining escape or a picture of society, itself defines us, its readers. Novelists we will study may include Daniel Defoe, Mary Shelley, Kate Chopin, Zora Neale Hurston, and Don DeLillo. Requirements: lively class participation, one class presentation, numerous short papers, and one final 6-page paper.