21st Century Literature

Class Description

All works of this very contemporary literature course are award-winning or finalist. We’ll read two short novels—Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending and Samantha Harvey's Orbital—as well as short stories from Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth, George Saunders’ Tenth of December, and Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge. We’ll discuss the authors’ varied backgrounds and writers that influenced them. Finally, we will explore the different styles and themes of their works, as well as the moral questions they raise.

Linda Levine (MA in English Education from Northwestern University) has taught English and Humanities for several decades, including previous seminars at the Newberry and at Oakton College.

What to Expect

Format: In Person

Class Capacity: 20

Class Style: Mostly discussion; participation-based

Materials List

Required

• Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge. Random House, 2008. ISBN: 978-0812971835
• Samantha Harvey, Orbital. Grove Press, 2023. ISBN: 978-0-8021-6362-2
• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending. Knopf, 2011. ISBN: 978-0307947727
• Jhumpa Lahiri, Unaccustomed Earth. Vintage, 2009. ISBN: 978-0307278258
• George Saunders, Tenth of December. Random House, 2013. ISBN: ‎978-0812984255

First Reading

• Read the first four short stories from Olive Kitteridge: "Pharmacy," "Incoming Tide," The Piano Player," and "A Little Burst."

A Brief Syllabus

1. Olive Kitteridge
2. Olive Kitteridge (Continued)
3. The Sense of an Ending
4. Unaccustomed Earth
5. Tenth of December
6. Orbital

Cost and Registration

6 Sessions, $270 ($243 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($270), Community Supported ($250), and Sponsor ($290). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

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Call us at (312) 255-3700 or send us an email at adulteducation@newberry.org.

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