ENG 381 - Advanced Topics: Imitation & Experiment in Speculative Lit (1)

The term “speculative fiction” encompasses and traverses many forms of imaginative literature, including but not limited to the futuristic, the alternative, the supernatural and the superhero. In this creative writing workshop, we’ll study novels in each of these subcategories of the “speculative,” both to draw inspiration from their worlds and models and to experiment with them ourselves, as we ask large questions about craft and genre. What does it mean to “copy,” to approach an artform through conscious imitation? How can we add to a field of writing already so rich in examples and experiments? The clones, ghostly twins, and shadowy doubles conjured by authors Kazuo Ishiguro, Shirley Jackson, and Swati Avasthi will help us expand our understanding of the boundary-bending that energizes so much speculative writing (and that makes it so exciting), as we workshop exercises, plotlines, and imaginative landscapes, and create our own alternate worlds, at once familiar and unfamiliar. This course is open to students who may have little to no creative writing experience; just bring your love of reading, writing, imagining, and a willingness to invent and play (with the help of some amazing writers). Prerequisite: Writing-designated course (W), or ENG 201, ENG 202, or ENG 215