This class will be an introduction to the critical reading and analysis of prose fiction, focused on the genre of the Southern Gothic. In particular, we’ll investigate the ways in which the characters of Southern Gothic form and frame their individual and social identities through memory, vision, and prophesy. Novels read will include Flannery O’Connor’s The Violent Bear it Away, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! and Eudora Welty’s The Optimist’s Daughter. Grades will be based on exams, daily participation, a group presentation, and a 12-page final essay. This is a W-Credit class.