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Event—Adult Education

The Short Story Cycle/Composite Novel

Oct 04, 2018

Is it a collection of short stories or a novel? Both! This seminar will focus on highly acclaimed narratives that can stand alone as short stories. Yet, they are connected by characters and/or geography so that when read as a group, the stories are enhanced.

Cost and Registration Information

Early Registration Price (August 7 at 10 am – August 31 at 4 pm): $240
Regular Registration Price (August 31 at 4 pm – first day of class): $264

Members, seniors, and students get a 10% discount.

This seminar is full. Please call (312) 255-3700 to be added to the wait list.

Mark your Calendar!

The Newberry Bookstore will re-open on August 14, and you will once again be able to find most of your assigned books for sale there.

Seminar Description

Is it a collection of short stories or a novel? Both! This seminar will focus on highly acclaimed narratives that can stand alone as short stories. Yet, they are connected by characters and/or geography so that when read as a group, the stories are enhanced. We will focus on works by Elizabeth Strout, Edgar Lee Masters, Sherwood Anderson, Gloria Naylor, Margaret Atwood, and Jennifer Egan and discuss the authors’ varied backgrounds, styles, and themes, as well as the moral questions they raise. Finally, we will watch and discuss author interviews and readings.

Eight sessions. E - $240, L - $264

Linda Levine holds an MA in English education from Northwestern University and has taught English and Humanities for several decades, including previous seminars at Newberry.

Materials List

Required:

  • Jennifer Egan, A Visit From the Goon Squad, Anchor, 2011. ISBN: 978-0307477477
  • Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio, Dover Publications, 1995. ISBN: 978-0486282695
  • Gloria Naylor, The Women of Brewster Place, Penguin Books, reprinted 1983. ISBN: 978-0140066906
  • Margaret Atwood, Moral Disorder, Anchor, reprinted 2008. ISBN: 978-0385721646
  • Elizabeth Strout, Anything is Possible, Random House, reprinted 2018. ISBN: 978-0812989410
  • Edgar Lee Masters, Spoon River Anthology, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017. ISBN: 978-1974164752

First Reading:

  • For the first class, please read chapters 1-5 of Elizabeth Strout, Anything is Possible

This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about our registration procedures.