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English 209: Introduction to Fiction
J. Gregory Brister, Instructor

Statement of Purpose: What reason is there to study literature? To be entertained by a good story? To gain some degree of “culture?” To get a sense of history? Certainly. But more importantly, literature provides us with the opportunity to develop multiple strategies of reading and interpretation—and to employ these strategies of interpretation in our everyday lives. This course is premised on the belief that literary study should not be devoted solely to the “appreciation” of great works or authors; rather, that literary study should serve as a means to a more critical understanding of the world. To this end, students will be introduced to several theoretical approaches (psychoanalytic, feminist, Marxist, and race criticism to name a few) which they will employ to better read literary fictions.

Catalogue Description: English 209, Introduction to Fiction, involves the study of prose fiction from British, American and other national traditions. The emphasis is on the critical analysis of representative works of the genre and a variety of fictional types from different historical periods.

Links: Wilde, Stoker, and Kafka

• The official Oscar Wilde page.

• Some of Oscar Wilde's Famous Witticisms.

• Victorianweb offers scholarly overviews of Wilde, his times, and literary criticism.

• A site dedicated to the trials of Oscar Wilde (including transcript excerpts, the passages from his writing that were used to convict him, and other materials).

   This is one artist's interpretation of Dorian's portrait as it appears at the end of novel        

• Here's a cool site dedicated to Stoker and Dracula with some interesting links.
  
• If you're a vampire in the K.C. area, and you're lonely, there's actually a dating board for you.
  
• A site about Gothic literature and architecture.
  
• Both Wilde and Stoker incorporate references (directly, in Stoker's case, indirectly in Wilde's) to the "science" of physiognomy. Click here to learn more about it, then, test your skills as a physiognomist.
  
• Freud's famous essay about the real "fear" lurking in horror stories: "The Uncanny."
  
• A Kafka bio page and some links can be found here.
  
• Up all night trying to figure out exactly what type of insect Gregor turns into?  Vladimir Nabokov, in addition to being the author of Lolita, was also an entomologist who pondered this same question.  Here's his answer (with his own drawing).
  
• Since the first essay for this course will involve either a feminist or Marxist reading of one of the above authors, it may help to consult the theory links on the main page.
  
• If you are preparing a presentation on Stoker, click here.

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And the Nobel Goes To . . .

Faulkner and Morrison

• click on Faulkner for all things Yoknapatawpha or the novel for characters lists, bibliographies, and more.

• Click the image for film adaptations of Sanctuary
  

• Read Faulkner's legendary Nobel Prize speech.

• A good Toni Morrison page.
  

• Morrison's 1993 Nobel Prize speech
  

• If you are preparing a presentation on either Faulkner or Morrison, click here.
  

Kundera and Foer Links

• An interview with Kundera can be found here.

• "The Big Web Site About Milan Kundera."

• Kundera quotes (okay, so he isn't as funny as Wilde).

• A Kundera Biography page.

• A site dedicated to Jonathan Safran Foer

• An interview with Foer can be found here.

• Another interview, this one from Mother Jones.

• Read Reviews of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

• If you are preparing a presentation on either Kundera or Foer, click here.

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