Class Description
Is it a collection of short stories or a novel? Both! This class will focus on highly acclaimed narratives with chapters 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’ll read works by Elizabeth Strout, Gloria Naylor, Margaret Atwood, and Jennifer Egan. We’ll discuss the authors’ varied backgrounds, styles, and themes, as well as the moral questions they raise. Finally, we will view author interviews and readings.
Linda Levine holds a MA in English Education from Northwestern University. She has taught English and Humanities for decades, including many classes at the Newberry and at Oakton College.
Materials List
Order from the Newberry Bookshop!
Required
- Elizabeth Strout, Anything is Possible. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2018. ISBN: 978-0385721646
- Gloria Naylor, The Women of Brewster Place. Penguin Books, 1980. ISBN: 978–0140066906
- Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad. Anchor Books, 2010. ISBN: 978-0307477477
- Margaret Atwood, Moral Disorder. Anchor Books, 2006. ISBN: 978-0385721646
First Reading
Please read the first 5 stories of Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout: “The Sign,” “Windmills,” “Cracked,” “The Hit-Thumb Theory,” and “Mississippi Mary.”
Cost and Registration
6 sessions, $268 ($241 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
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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