Literary Biography
F06
Deirdre Bair
We will explore a historical overview of the genre before turning to textual analysis of some leading figures about whom many biographies have been written. Among the subjects are James Joyce, John Keats, Virginia Woolf, and Sylvia Plath. Students will write two papers on aspects of biography that we will explore during classroom discussion. These can include (among others) methodology, comparative analysis, or actual biographical research and writing.

Course requirements include two papers, one at midterm, the other a final. Length should be appropriate to the subject but a minimum of eight pages is required.