FYS ENG09 - Choices Authors Make: The Craft of Literature

4 Hour(s) Credit
Explore what we might call the “bones” of literature. The lens being used comes from the discipline of creative writing. In creative writing, we consider writing to be the product of a series of specific choices. While we are often taught in early classes to focus on content - the what is being said, focus on the how of the construction within the different genres of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. The how of literature is its craft. Not only look at the how but the why of the specific choices made by writers in their construction of literary writing. The crossover between the disciplines of literature and creative writing and between the genres of fiction and nonfiction and literature allow us to consider the creation and product, intention and result, across the three primary genres of writing in literature. Deconstruct pieces of literature, asking what is accomplished when writers make specific choices in writing. Together, learn to close read and analyze poems, essays and stories for their building blocks, for the choices that a writer made. Consider how different craft choices would have changed the text so we can better understand and express what the choices accomplish. Some of the specific craft choices that we will look at include line in poetry; underlying shapes of structure in prose; the construction of persona, speaker or narrator; the use of sound; and the use of language/syntactical and figurative structures like anaphora, apostrophe etc. Consider how these choices are used across genre and discipline for different purpose and effect. Through this process of reading and analysis, develop not only a better understanding of the construction of artistic writing but develop an exposure to ideas and techniques that could then be applied in your own creative or critical writing.
Three hours per week with enhancement
Meets General Education: First Year Seminar (FYS)
May Not Receive Credit for Both if a second FYS is taken. Taking a second FYS will replace the original FYS grade, regardless of topic.