BFA Fiction Craft Course: Creating Complex Characters

Course Description

Summary

In his craft book Aspects of the Novel E.M. Forster makes a distinction between round and flat characters, stating that “the test of a round character is if it is capable of surprising in a convincing way.” In this class we will focus on how we can create characters that both surprise and convince the reader, examining how published writers build layered and contradictory characters in their work. Topics explored in this class will include point of view, interiority, physical description, action as a tool to reveal character, and how objects and setting work in tandem with character development. Weekly readings and craft exercises will serve as a jumping off point for each of our conversations.

The texts we will read will/may include short fiction from ‘Pemi Aguda, Lucia Berlin, Anton Chekhov, Ann Cummins, Paul Yoon, and others. We will also read, dissect, and discuss a handful of novels. Possibilities for those novels include Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino, Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, Stoner by John Williams, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Vegetarian by Han Kang, In the Distance by Hernan Diaz, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo, and Flesh by David Szalay.