OSHER 334 - Short Story and American Identity

The short story, often relegated a backseat to the novel, is a vibrant and essential form of storytelling in its own right. Many of our country's greatest writers have used short fiction to explore myriad themes, particularly fundamental questions about what it means to be an American--or if we can even lay claim to a single national identity. In each class we will discuss two or three stories, thematically rather than chronologically, discovering how American writers over the last two hundred years grapple with issues of identity, womanhood, race, war, the immigrant experience, and other cultural concerns that continue to shape us.