Cost and Registration Information

Early Registration Price (by May 19): $50
Regular Price (after May 19): $55

Seminar Description

Katherine Anne Porter engaged in major events of the twentieth century – the Mexican Revolution, the Sacco and Vanzetti trial, the rise of Hitler, to name just a few – and used these as a backdrop to fiction noted for its perfected prose and insight into character. In this two-hour seminar, we will examine her semi-autobiographical novella "Old Mortality," not only for its story, but for its commentary on the nature of storytelling itself. A modernist, Porter fearlessly explores the relationship between the stories we tell and our longing for "truth." One session.

Joyce Goldenstern is the author of the fiction collection The Story Ends – The Story Never Ends. She has been conducting literature seminars at the Newberry since 1998.

Materials List

Required:

• "Old Mortality" by Katherine Anne Porter, available online for free here: https://www.narrativemagazine.com/issues/fall-2016/classics/old-mortality-katherine-anne-porter

First Readings:

• Please read "Old Mortality" for the first class. It can be accessed online for free at the link above.

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