Module Code and Title:       LIT102 The Craft of the Short Story

Programme:                          BA in English Studies

Credit Value:                         12

Module Tutor:                       Sonam Deki, Vanlallawmkimi, Tshering Choden

Module Coordinator:             Sonam Deki

General objective: This module aims to provide students with a broad exposure to the short story genre. The short stories prescribed in this module cover a range of periods and nations. Students will read the stories, study the key elements of short story such as setting, plot, character, themes, narrative technique, and dialogues. This module will develop conceptual and communicative skills as well as nurture independent and critical thinking. The module will also develop skills of textual analysis and interpretation for which the short story format is particularly suited. This module is intended to not only foster interest in a lesser known literary genre, but to also encourage its creative production both within and beyond the boundaries of the module time frame.

Learning outcomes – On completion of this module, learners should be able to:

1. Identify the key meanings/themes in the prescribed short stories.
2. Compare the themes of the short stories prescribed in this module.
3. Discuss how the short story form can be an effective vehicle for cultural and philosophical ideas.
4. Explain how a deceptively simple story can carry a deep undercurrent of meaning.
5. Make intertextual connections between short stories and secondary readings.
6. Identify techniques such as allegory and metaphor.
7. Write short responses on the short stories encountered.
8. Compose an original short story.

Learning and Teaching Approach:

Assessment Approach:

A. Written assignment: Portion of Final Marks: 20%

A short critical response of 300 – 600 words making intertextual connections between texts. The first draft will be marked out of 5%, and the final submission out of 15%, of which 5% percent will be allotted to specific improvements made on the feedback received on the first draft. Assessment will be based on the ‘Analytical Writing’ rubric.

B. Class Tests: Portion of Final Marks: 10%

Two written tests (5% each) on the prescribed stories will be conducted, and will be for 45 min duration and cover 2-3 weeks of material.

C. Short Story Composition: Portion of Final Mark: 20%

Students will be asked to create an original short story of at least 650 – 750 words. 10% will be graded on the in-class draft, 5% on the improvement on feedback, and 10% for the final submission. Assessment will be based on ‘Creative Writing’ rubric.

D. Class participation and preparedness: Portion of Final Mark: 10%

Students will be expected to participate substantially in class discussions, with contributions reflecting adequate preparation for topics under discussion. 5% of class participation and preparedness will be graded before mid-term, and the remaining 5% post midterm. Assessment will be based on the ‘Participation and Preparedness’ rubric.

E. Midterm Examination: Portion of Final Mark: 10%

Students will take a written exam of 1.5 hr duration covering topics up to the mid-point of the semester.

Pre-requisites:

Subject matter:

1. The Short Story
   • The structure and characteristics of the short story.
     • Setting
     • Characterisation
     • Plot
     • Conflict
     • Resolution
     • Themes
     • Points of view

1. The American Short Story
   • Close reading and analysis of Hills like White Elephants by Hemingway
   • Close reading and analysis of The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck
     • Use of dialogues as narrative device
     • Characterization

1. The Russian Short Story
   • Close reading and analysis of How Much Land Does a Man Need? By Leo Tolstoy
   • Close reading and analysis of Gooseberries by Anton Chekhov
     • Inter-textual reading of themes
     • Realism in short stories

1. The English Short Story
   • Close reading and analysis of The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde
   • Close reading and analysis of A Haunted House by Virginia Woolf
     • Fantasy as an element of Short Story
     • Moral themes

1. The French Short Story
   • Close reading and analysis of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
     • Use of Irony
     • Plot Development

1. Short Stories from South Asia
   • Close reading and analysis of The Shah of Blah by Salman Rushdie from Haroun and the Sea of Stories Short story as an effective vehicle for cultural discussion
   • Close reading and analysis of My Name, My Identity by Kunzang Choden
     • Short story as an effective vehicle for cultural discussion
     • The author’s voice in the short story
     • Setting

Reading List:

Essential Reading (A compiled coursepack of the reading materials will be made available to students)

• Abrams, M.H. (2003). A Glossary of Literary Terms. Singapore: Thomson Asia.
• Chekhov, A. (2009). Gooseberries. Retrieved from http://www.eldritchpress.org/ac/gooseb.html
• Choden, K. (2014). Tales in Colour and Other Stories. Pp 1 – 5. New Delhi: Zubaan Books.
• Hemingway, E. (2003). Hills like White Elephants. Retrieved from http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/fms/Colleges/College%20of%20Humanities%20and%20Social%20Sciences/EMS/Readings/139.105/Additional/Hills%20Like%20White%20Elephants%20-%20Ernest%20Hemingway.pdf
• Maupassant, G. (n.d.). The Necklace. Retrieved from http://www.bartleby.com/195/20.html
• Rushdie, S. (1991). ‘The Shah of Blah’. Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Pp 13 – 27. New Delhi: Penguin Books
• Steinbeck, J. (n.d.). The Chrysanthemums. Retrieved from http://nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/4/steinbeck/chrysanthemums.htm
• Tolstoy, L. (2000-2015). How Much Land Does a Man Need? Retrieved from http://www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/2738/
• Wilde, O. (n.d.). The Happy Prince. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext97/hpaot10h.htm
• Woolf, V. (n.d.). A Haunted House. Retrieved from http://www.flashfictiononline.com/pdf/fpublic0011-a-haunted-house-virginia-woolf.pdf

1. Additional Reading
   • Cox, A. (2005). Writing Short Stories. London: Routledge.
   • March-Russell, P. (2009). The Short Story: An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Date: December 20, 2015

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