Stories and Storytelling

Catalog description

An introduction to stories, how they are constructed, and how they are told. We will explore the role of storytellers in the creation of a story, the idea of “plot,” the forms that stories take, and the category of fiction itself—in essence, how and why stories are made, and made up. Our discussion will range from topics such as fictional forms, the acts of reading and of telling, the role of memory, and the invention of self, to questions of time and duration. Texts examined will be drawn from a variety of genres, periods, and cultures.