Lifting Heavyweight Literature

This course explores heavyweight literature from formidable writers including Marcel Proust, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Sylvia Plath and W.H. Auden, among others. Renowned as formidable writers and, at times, as difficult to enter and navigate, this course will focus on key passages of their writing and explore entry points, with the ultimate goal of tasting their exquisite artistry! All literature buffs welcome, especially those who have attempted reading Proust but gave up! Together we will conquer!

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

COURSE OUTLINE

Overview of the heavyweight literature writers, including a little on their lives as it gives context to their writing styles and subject matter. We will review the writers’ techniques and have a class discussion on what is being discovered and what resonates. Each week we will read a key passage from a writer:

• Marcel Proust
• Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Sylvia Plath
• W.H. Auden
• Arthur Rimbaud
• Patrick White
• Leo Tolstoy
• Class choice (decided upon the week prior)

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Gain appreciation for these formidable writers
2. Gain confidence and/or inspiration to tackle their works
3. Understand why these writers are formidable
4. Feel great about having discovered a broader intellectual awareness of literary masterpieces