Back to the Fiction!
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
Don’t get me wrong, I love my genre. Nonfiction moves me, thrills me, and inspires me. In short, it completes me. Okay, so maybe that was a little over the top, but you get the picture. I’m a big fan of nonfiction.
But, this quarter I’m hanging out in another fiction class and loving it. This form and theory class is looking at point of view and time. The reading list is awesome: To the Lighthouse, Cloud Atlas, A Mercy, As I Lay Dying, The Known World, Pedro Paramo, Runaway, and The Zero. Homegrown author and local hero Jess Walter will be in our last class to discuss his book. I can’t wait. (I just saw him at Auntie’s tonight, reading from his new book The Financial Lives of the Poets, which I bought but am not allowed to devour until all my course work is done.)
Meanwhile, I’m learning so much stuff. I mean, I’ve been reading fiction since I learned my letters, but this class is opening up my eyes to fiction elements I had no idea about. My fellow classmates are super smart and the discussion is enlightening, entertaining, and educational. I’m even looking forward to my struggle through Faulkner (who I’m not a big fan of) just to hear what their insight is.
This is going to be one fun, fun quarter!
Oh, and I’m also working with my thesis advisor on essay, after essay, after essay. I’m a little nervous about this, but more about that later.
-Åsa
