The Others: Writing Literary Conflict

Undergraduate

In this class, we consider how literary non-fiction articulates or imagines difference, disdain, conflict, and dislike. To deepen and enrich our reporting and interviewing, we discuss the more technical and stylistic elements present in strong non-fiction. As we read and write, we put these theoretical concerns into practice and play by writing two or three profiles about people you do not like, a place you don’t care for, an idea you oppose, or an object whose value eludes you. Your writing might be about someone who haunts you without your permission or whatever else gets under your skin, but ideally, your subject makes you uncomfortable, troubles you, and confounds you. Some examples of the writing that we read are Guy Debord, Lucille Clifton, C.L.R. James, Pascale Casanova, W.G. Sebald, Jayne Cortez, AbouMaliq Simone, Greg Tate, Annie Ernaux, Edward Said, Mark Twain, Jacqueline Rose, Toni Morrison, Julia Kristeva, and Ryszard Kapuscinski. HU Th 4pm-5:55pm