Feminist Fabulist Fiction

Course Description

Summary

Reading works by Ursula LeGuin, Octavia Butler, Angela Carter, Clarice Lispector, A. S. Byatt, Natsuo Kirino, James Tiptree, Jr., John Keene, Lindsey Drager, Han Kang, and others, we will investigate the realm of fabulist fiction or literary works invoking the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. We will read short stories, novels, and novellas that emphasize feminist, queer, and racially corrective meanings, analyzing the strategies that the authors enact to shape and re-shape meaning, while expanding the boundaries of non-realistic fiction. You will write weekly writing responses to assigned readings, present a group oral report, and write longer critical essays. For the final long assignment, you will have the option of writing a work of feminist fabulist fiction.