REQUIRED TEXTS

Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and its Consequences. New York: Vintage, 1994.

Gilbert, Elizabeth. The Last American Man. New York: Viking, 2001.

Lopate, Phillip, ed. The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present. New York: Anchor, 1995.

McCourt, Frank. Angela’s Ashes. New York: Scribner, 1996.

Mitchell, Joseph. Joe Gould’s Secret. New York: Vintage, 1999.

RECOMMENDED TEXT

Goldstein, Norm, ed. The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. Perseus Books, 2000.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Who says writers must confine their most creative impulses for poetry or fiction? Since Montaigne created the essay form in the 16th century, writers have been playing with the boundaries of non-fiction prose. In the 20th century, New Journalism reinvented the rules for telling factual stories, and the memoir form has threatened to eclipse the popularity of fiction by the beginning of the 21st.

In this course, we will look at how non-fiction writing can have as much literary merit as our most enduring works of fiction and poetry. Through an intensive engagement with essays, long and short form works of New and literary Journalism and contemporary memoir writing, we’ll explore some of the boldest experiments in creative non-fiction and attempt a few of our own.

We will spend most of this semester doing close readings of four eclectic long form works of creative non-fiction, as well as a broad selection of essays from Phillip Lopate’s anthology. Other selected readings will be distributed in class. Students will write two short papers (3-5 pages) based on these readings, and the final project will be an original work of creative non-fiction based on the forms we have examined in class. There will be a final essay exam as well.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Students will explore and become familiar with the creative possibilities inherent to non-fiction writing, first by extensive reading and then by writing experiments of their own. We will take a general historical look at major developments in non-fiction writing, but we will largely focus on close readings of exemplary texts to divine the roots of their effectiveness. We‘ll also consider the pragmatic side of creative non-fiction writing – i.e., selling one’s work in the contemporary marketplace. Students will be encouraged to try to publish their original work.

STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Students are expected to attend all class meetings, and more than three absences will result in the reduction of one’s final grade by one letter. Students are expected to read all assignments prior to class, complete all writing assignments on time and actively participate in class discussions.

GRADING

Class participation 15%

Short Paper #1 15%

Short Paper #2 15%

Writing Assignments 15%

Final Project 25%

Final Exam 15%

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY/HONOR CODE

Academic honesty is expected of all students at Tulane. Your responsibilities as a Tulane student include being familiar with the honor code and the plagiarism policy of the University. Cases of cheating or plagiarism will be reported to the Honor Board and may result in a failing grade for the class, academic probation or expulsion.

SYLLABUS

1/14/04 Course introduction. S. Orlean, “The American Man at Age Ten” reading in class and discussion.

1/21/04 The literary profile. E. Gilbert, The Last American Man, Chps. 1 - 5.

1/28/04 E. Gilbert. The Last American Man, Chps. 6 – Epilogue.

2/04/04 Profile and the rise of literary journalism. J. Mitchell, “Professor Sea Gull” from Joe Gould’s Secret.

2/11/04 J. Mitchell, “Joe Gould’s Secret” from Joe Gould’s Secret.

2/18/04 Short paper #1 due. Literary journalism in the late 20^th century. Readings from T. Wolf (“The New Journalism”), N. Mailer, H.S. Thompson and C. Trillin TBA.

2/25/04 MARDI GRAS. NO CLASS.

3/03/04 T. Capote, In Cold Blood, Parts I and II.

3/10/04 T. Capote, In Cold Blood, Parts III and IV.

3/17/04 The rise of the memoir. F. McCourt, Angela’s Ashes.

3/24/04 F. McCourt, Angela’s Ashes.

3/31/04 Other memoirist voices: selections from D. Eggers, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius; A. Fuller, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight and others, TBA.

4/07/04 Short paper #2 due. The essay form, history and development. P. Lopate, “Introduction” from The Art of the Personal Essay, also M. Montaigne, “Of Books”; G. Orwell, “Such, Such Were the Joys”; R. Barthes, “Leaving the Movie Theater.”

4/14/04 Essays continued. E.B. White, “Once More to the Lake”; J. Baldwin, “Notes of a Native Sun”; W. Berry, “An Entrance to the Woods”; J. Didion, “Goodbye to All That"; R. Rodriguez, “Late Victorians” from The Art of the Personal Essay.

4/21/04 Final project student writing workshop.

4/28/04 Final Exam.