ENG 180 Seminar:

The 21^st Century Novel

UCLA, Spring 2008

Dr. Jessica Pressman

Class Meeting: Wednesdays 3-5:50, Humanities Bldg. A60	Jessicapressman@sbcglobal.net
Office Hours: M W 11-12, Hum 207	Office phone (during office hours only): x68614

Course Description
This seminar reads print novels published in the new millennium whose pages expose the influence of new media technologies. These works experiment with form and content in order to foreground the role of text and literature in an increasingly multimedia, multimodal culture. We will examine these works and their shared interest in and engagement with new media in order to analyze what they have to say about globalism, the role of the literary, the experience of living in a culture of terror, and other topics at the center of our contemporary digital culture.

Readings

Danielewski, Mark. Only Revolutions (2006)

Foer, Jonathon Safran. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2005)

Hall, Steven. Raw Shark Texts (2007)

Marino, Mark. “Marginalia in the Library of Babel” (online, 2007)

Plascencia, Salvador. People of Paper (2005)

Assignments

5 Short writing assignments (2 pages): 5% each= 25%

You will write a reading response, a short explication centered on a question or argument about the text, for each novel. These short essays will be posted to the course website before class and will become a source of discussion for our class meeting. No late postings will be accepted.

Class presentation (5 minutes): 10%

You will give a short talk on one of the novels at the beginning of one class meeting. This presentation should stimulate class discussion by sharing an in-depth reading of one aspect of the novel.

Final Essay (5-6 pages): 50%

You will write a final essay on at least one of the novels that displays your engagement with the work(s) and at least one of the topics discussed during the seminar. Before writing, you will need to consult with the professor to discuss your thesis statement and to make sure that you are on a viable path.

In-class Participation: 15%

This is your seminar, and you participation is vital to its success. Come to class prepared to discuss the novels in depth; this means having read the entire novel before the first class meeting dedicated to that text.

Reading Schedule

April 2: Introduction

April 9: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

April 16: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

April 23: People of Paper

April 30: People of Paper

May 7: Raw Shark Texts

May 14: Raw Shark Texts

May 21: Only Revolutions

May 28: Only Revolutions

June 4: “Marginalia in the Library of Babel” (online)

FINAL ESSAY DUE