English
101: Introduction to Fiction
COURSE
DESCRIPTION:
Fiction: 3.a. A literary work whose content is produced by the imagination
and is not necessarily based on fact.
b. The category of
literature comprising works of this kind, including novels and short stories.
-Dictionary.com
Globalization: ñthe increased mobility of goods, services,
labour, technology and capital throughout the world.î
-Government
of Canada, Economic Concepts
This course will focus on how four writers
of fiction have addressed the promises and challenges of globalization. Pattern Recognition, by well-known science-fiction
guru William Gibson, is a commentary on brands and the commodification of
culture. In My Year of Meats, Ruth Ozeki probes the
inter-relation between the marketing of culture and food in a global
economy. Margaret Atwood turns her
gaze toward the future in Oryx and Crake to provide a dystopic look at the globalization
of biotechnology. Finally, in Salt
Fish Girl,
Larissa Lai draws links between late nineteenth-century China and a futuristic
vision of the Pacific Northwest to critique the exploitation that accompanies
globalization. In studying each
novel, we will be concerned with how the authors and their works have fared on
the global market. In addition, we
will discuss the impact of globalization on the medium in which writers work,
as we consider the increasing use of digitization to publish fictional
works.
REQUIRED
TEXTS:
Pattern Recognition by William Gibson (Berkley
Trade) ISBN:0425192938
My
Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki (Penguin USA) ISBN: 0140280464
Oryx
and Crake: A Novel by Margaret Atwood (Seal Books) ISBN:0770429351
Salt
Fish Girl by Larissa Lai (Walker and
Company) ISBN: 0887621112
Plus
web-based material
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1.
to examine how contemporary writers represent, reflect on and critique concepts
of globalization in the content and form of their fiction. This will include:
- considering how writers
adapt the traditional elements of what we call fiction (eg. plot,
characterization, setting, style, theme) in an era of increasing
globalization
- considering how
globalization has changed expectations of readers and the relationship
between readers and writers
- briefly considering the
history and speculating on the future of the novel in its printed form
2. to develop
students’ analytical, writing and public speaking skills through essay writing,
oral presentations and discussion
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS:
10% Participation (including oral presentation)
25% Short essay (approx. 1,000 words)
35% Final essay (approx. 1,500 words)
30% Final examination
Note:
Lectures
are available on-line at: http://www.sfu.ca/~lectures
Essays are due at the beginning of
the lecture on the day specified.
Late essays are subject to a penalty
of 1/3 grade per day late.
Students should familiarize
themselves with the Department of English Style guide before beginning their
essays: http://www.sfu.ca/english/styleguide.html
Students are required to hand in
copies of an outline and a rough draft of the essay.
When using resources in books or on
the web, students should be sure to cite them properly. Plagiarism from both
print and digital sources is very easy to detect and may result in a student's
failing the assignment or course or, at worst, being expelled from the
university. If in any doubt about citation, ask!