For Monday (February 20), we invite you to engage deeply with two texts: an episode of This American Life titled “Retraction” and Michael Martone’s nonfiction piece titled “Hermes Goes to College.”
As you read “Hermes Goes to College,” consider the opportunities and challenges that open up when we play with genre—when we blur the boundaries between genres and flout conventions. What happens when we approach our writing as a process of unlearning and learning? Of a study-through-action of how a piece of writing can inquire into ideas, contain art, and maintain order all at the same time? “Retraction” contains an intense and uncomfortable interview. As you listen to the whole episode, consider these questions and issues: What do writers of creative nonfiction have in common with journalists? What can we learn about “truth” by thinking about the differences and similarities between creative nonfiction and journalism? What function can emotion play in creative nonfiction and journalism, and what is the relationship between emotion and "truth" in nonfiction storytelling? Finally, what do you think of Ira Glass’s interview technique? How did he handle issues of truth and storytelling?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
April 2017
Categories |