ROBERT NELSEN OFFICE: JO 4.

912
CREATIVITY: ART OF THE NOVEL PHONE: 972-883-2149
HUAS 6351 EMAIL: nelsen@utdallas.edu
MONDAYS 7:00-9:45 FALL 2005
OFFICE HOURS: MONDAYS AND TUESDAYS 6:00-7:00 p.m.
http://www.utdallas.edu/~nelsen/

WARNING: THIS CLASS WILL CONTAIN FICTION THAT

MAY BE CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE BY SOME
INDIVIDUALS. THE CLASS MAY ALSO CONTAIN WHAT
SOME CONSIDER FOUL LANGUAGE. Students who feel
uncomfortable in such situations should consider enrolling in a
different creative writing course. No student will be asked to
participate in any lecture or discussion that that student finds
offensive.
DESCRIPTION OF COURSE

A novel, any novel, has no meaning, no significance, without a writer, a reader,

and words. In the act of writing a novel, the novelist must work to create harmony (even
if the harmony is dissonance) among these three elements. Yes, writers do write for
readers. Yes, form and content do create meaning (not to mention, joy, sadness, pity, and
pain). Fortunately, there is no one way to shape, form, or write a novel. Each author
must find his or way by adopting a unique set of techniques and a unique narrative
structure for “telling a novel.” (Sorry but the “tell, don’t show” maxim is nonsense.)
Even more fortunately, the writer is not without guides. One can
borrow/steal/cannibalize the forms o other author—hence, the practice of writers reading
other authors’ work, and hence the novels listed below. One can also read criticism in
order to understand how novels work and how novels create an intricate Quinean web of
meaning via interrelated structures, concepts, and words—(to do another hence yet)
hence, the philosophical texts in this class.
Using the critical work of Booth and Culler, the course will concentrate on the
theory and structure of the novel. Students will read closely the novels of Morrison,
Ford, McCarthy, Vollmann, and Winterson focusing on individual words and groups of
words that create resilient characters and make those characters both multidimensional
and multivalent. (These authors use extremely different styles.) During the course of the
semester, students will do character studies in preparation for writing their novels, will
outline the entire novel, and will write the first three chapters (or 80 to 100 pages) of their
novels. Students will be asked to stretch, to experiment, and to break their novels from
unconscious and unconsidered chains.

REQUIRED READINGS

Wayne C. Booth A Rhetoric of Irony

Jonathan Culler Structuralist Poetics: Structuralism, Linguistics,
and the Study of Literature
Richard Ford Independence Day
Cormack McCarthy Blood Meridian
Tony Morrison Jazz
Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
William T. Vollmann Whores for Gloria
Jeanette Winterson Gut Symmetries
Ludwig Wittgenstein Philosophical Investigations

RECOMMENDED READINGS

Mikhail Bakhtin The Dialogic Imagination

Roland Barthes The Pleasure of the Text & Elements of Semiology

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Previous experience in fiction writing is required. In addition to the

preparatory work for writing their novels, and to writing the first three chapters of their
novels, students will also turn in weekly one to two page reaction papers dealing with the
techniques found in the novels under discussion (these papers will not be graded, but
failure to turn in these papers [or any of the other assignments] on time will result in an
automatic 5% reduction in the final grade for the course). Students will also have to team
up with other students to present a 20 minute presentation on one of the novels listed
above.

GRADES

Outline of McCarthy's Blood Meridian--10%; three chapters--45%; in-class

presentation--20%, one-page synopsis--15%, query letter--10%.

WEEKLY COURSE PLAN

August 22nd THE BASICS: OBJECTIFICATION, NARRATION, AND ACTION

Read: Wittgenstein, pp. 109-133, Philosophy as Therapy.
Discuss: What are the basic differences between the short story and the novel?
What are the basic parts of a story, and is there an order of importance for those
parts? Which parts of a short story pertain to the novel?

August 29th STRUCTURALISM AND LITERATURE—BRICOLAGE

Read: McCarthy, Blood Meridian, pp. 1-165; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 1-24; Culler,
Structuralist Poetics, pp. vii-xi, 3-31, 255-265; Wittgenstein, pp. 1-25 Language
Games
Discuss: How does a novelist create a web of meaning in a novel? What
structures within a novel hold the novel together? What role does repetition play
 in a novel? What is bricolage and how does a novelist use the technique? How
does McCarthy use bricolage?
Assignment due: One-page reaction paper.

September 12th LITERARY CONSTRUCTION

Read: McCarthy, Blood Meridian, pp. 166-337; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 25-33;
Culler, Structuralist Poetics, pp. 113-130; Wittgenstein, pp. 26-38, Naming.
Discuss: Does the novelist write for a reader, and if so, what sort of reader? How
does the langue/parole distinction factor into the writing and reading of a novel?
What is the role of signs in a novel? How does a novelist and/or reader generate
meaning? What devices has McCarthy used to manipulate the reader?
Assignment due: 10 to 20 page chapter by chapter plot outline of Blood
Meridian.

September 19th REALISM AND THE NOVEL

Read: Ford, Independence Day, pp. 1-56; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 34-40; Culler,
Structuralist Poetics, pp. 131-152; Wittgenstein, pp. 428-465, Thought and
Reality.
Discuss: How "real" must a novel be? How does a novelist construct reality? Is
a novel an empirical or an analytical device? How is setting, action, and thought
used to create reality? How does Ford establish his novel's reality? What is the
role Ford's opening descriptive pages?
Assignment due: One-page novel synopsis; family chart/character list, plus one-
page reaction paper.

September 26th THE POETICS OF THE NOVEL

Read: Ford, Independence Day, pp. 57-174; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 41-52; Culler,
Structuralist Poetics, pp. 189-202; Wittgenstein, pp. 138-242, Rules and Meaning.
Discuss: What are the structural elements of a novel? Does a novel "exist" for the
reader as a unified whole or as a series of snap shots? What are the gaps in Ford's
narrative? How do those gaps affect the reader?
Assignment due: 5 two-page character studies, plus one-page reaction paper.

October 3rd PLOT

Read: Ford, Independence Day, pp. 175-299; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 53-61;
Culler, Structuralist Poetics, pp. 202-224; Wittgenstein, pp. 65-88, Essence vs.
Rules.
Discuss: Must the plot of a novel be unified? Is plot dependent on external
action? What is the role of subplots in a novel? How does Ford manipulate his
plot so that it is not merely causal?
Assignment due: Chapter by chapter, action by action, outline of novel in outline
format, plus one-page reaction paper.

October 10th CHARACTER

Read: Ford, Independence Day, pp. 300-367; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 62-75;
Culler, Structuralist Poetics, pp. 230-238; Wittgenstein, pp. 119-219, Seeing.
Discuss: Does each novel need a hero/heroine? What types of characters are
there? Is character subservient to plot? How do characters come alive on the page?
 In what ways has Ford both externalized and internalized his characters?
Assignment due: One-page reaction paper.

October 17th NARRATION AND VOICE

Read: Ford, Independence Day, pp. 368-451; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 76-85;
Culler, Structuralist Poetics, pp. 161-174; Booth, A Rhetoric of Irony, pp. 175-
192; Wittgenstein, pp. 571-610, Emotions and Feelings.
Discuss: How does the choice of a narrator affect the reader? How does the
novelist maintain proper distance in the telling of the novel? How intrusive can a
narrator be? Must narrators be “truthful”? Is Ford’s narrator to be trusted?
Assignment due: One-page reaction paper

October 24th THEMES, MEANING, AND EPIPHANIES

Read: Morrison, Jazz, pp. 1-135; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 86-98; Culler,
Structuralist Poetics, pp. 175-188 and 224-230; Booth, A Rhetoric of Irony, pp. 1-
46; Wittgenstein, pp. 525-546, Meaning and Understanding.
Discuss: How does a novelist construct and manipulate themes? How can a
novelist use irony to generate meaning? How do the small details of the novel
authenticate the novel? How and why does a novelist undercut that
"authentication"? In what ways is Morrison opening her narrative for the reader?
Assignment due: Chapter 1, plus one-page reaction paper.

October 31st IRONY AND THE AUTHOR

Read: Morrison, Jazz, pp. 136-229; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 99-106; Culler,
Structuralist Poetics, pp. 152-160; Booth, A Rhetoric of Irony, pp. 47-90;
Wittgenstein, pp. 39-64, Names and Meanings.
Discuss: How does a novelist create an ironic text? What are the signs of irony?
When and where does a novelist use irony? What evidence of irony exists in Jazz?
How does Morrison go beyond mere irony? What is role of music in Morrison's
novel?
Assignment due: One-page reaction paper.

November 7th IRONY AND PLAY

Read: Vollmann, Whores for Gloria, pp. 1-69; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 107-115;
Booth, A Rhetoric of Irony, pp. 91-137; Wittgenstein, pp. 629-660, Actions and
Intentions.
Discuss: What is the role of comedy in novels? How does a novelist "play" in the
writing of a novel? How does a novelist use satire? In what ways, and why, has
Vollmann chosen to subvert the traditional novel?
Assignment due: Chapter 2, plus one-page reaction paper

November 14th MORALITY AND THE NOVEL

Read: Vollmann, Whores for Gloria, pp. 70-138; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 116-122;
Booth, A Rhetoric of Irony, pp. 193-232; Wittgenstein, pp. 498-517, Sentences.
Discuss: In the writing of a novel, should the novelist be concerned with
morality? Do novels interpret the world or do they present the world? What is
 the role of the political in novels? Is Whores for Gloria a moral tale? How does
Vollmann instantiate his judgments of the world on the page?
Assignment due: One-page reaction paper.

November 21st POSTMODERNISM AND THE NOVEL

Read: Winterson, Gut Symmetries, pp. 1-130; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 123-132;
Booth, A Rhetoric of Irony, pp. 137-174; Wittgenstein, pp. 79-88, Empiricism
and Author.
Discuss: What is postmodern fiction? What is the role of icons in postmodern
fiction? What is the role of defamiliarization in the novel? Why has Winterson
chosen to fragment her novel? How through irony has Winterson held her
fictional world together?
Assignment due: Chapter 3 plus one-page reaction paper

November 28th WEBS OF MEANING-BRICOLAGE II

Read: Winterson, Gut Symmetries, pp. 130-243; Suzuki, Zen Mind, pp. 133-138;
Booth, A Rhetoric of Irony, pp. 233-276; Wittgenstein, pp. 467-497, Language
Games and Endings.
Discuss: What is the role of the novelist in postmodern novels? How has
Winterson used bricolage to hold her novel together? What evidence of the use of
bricolage is there in her text?
Assignment due: Revised one-page plot synopsis, plus one-page reaction paper,
query letter.

December 5th PUBLICATION---OPTIONAL

Discuss: How do I get an agent? When do I send out my novel? Should I send
my novel directly to a publisher? How much money am I going to make?

APPENDIX
University Rules, Regulations, and Statutory Requirements
Rules, Regulations, and Statutory Requirements
Student Conduct and Discipline—The University of Texas System and The University
of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their
business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student organization to be
knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and
activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the U.T.
Dallas publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each
academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the
Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1,
Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the
university's Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are
available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff are available to
assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).
A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of
citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the
Regents' Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to
discipline for violating its standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or
off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.
Academic Dishonesty—The faculty expects from its students a high level of
responsibility and academic honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends
upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is
imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her
scholastic work.
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related
to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one's
own work of material that is not one's own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty
involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying
academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary
proceedings.
Student Grievances—Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on
Student Services and Activities, of the university's Handbook of Operating Procedures.
In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other
fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a
serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or
committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called "the respondent.")
Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and
evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be
submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy to the respondent's School Dean. If the
matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the student
may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the
School Dean's decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of Graduate
or Undergraduate Studies who will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel.
The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals
process will be distributed to all involved parties.
Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students, where staff are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations.
Disability Services—The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with
disabilities educational opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers.
Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are
Monday and Thursday, 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM, Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 AM to 7:30
PM, and Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM.
 The University of Texas at Dallas
P.O. Box 830688, SU22
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
972-883-2098 (voice or TTY)
Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable
adjustments necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example,
it may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals
(in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally, an assignment
requirement may be substituted (e.g., a research paper versus an oral presentation for a
student who is deaf). Classes enrolling students with mobility impairments may have to
be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide
special services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.
It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors. Disability Services
provides students with letters to present to faculty members verifying that the student has
a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation
should contact the professor after class or during office hours.