Writers like Nnedi Okorafor, N.K. Jemisin, and Samuel Delany have helped define the field of Black speculative fiction. Fantasy, sci-fi, and horror seem to all meld together in this field, allowing writers to combine the supernatural with the technological. Likewise, writers of Central and South America like Isabel Allende, Gabriel García Márquez, and Elena Garro have largely defined the field of Magical Realism, which blends the realms of the natural world, religion and the mystical, the erotic, and the cosmological.
Considering these two literary traditions together––Black speculative fiction and Magical Realism––opens up a vast number of potentialities in Black and Latine worldbuilding in the United States and throughout the Global South. We’ll read fiction and critical theory in equal parts, and students should expect a fairly heavy reading load of about 100 pages per week. Students will also complete a 15-page final critical essay by the end of the semester.
Learning Outcomes:
- Gain familiarity with fields of magical realism and speculative fiction
- Apply critical concepts to fiction writing
- Develop critical reading and writing abilities
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Prerequisites:
To apply, students should submit about 5 pages of fiction and 5 pages of critical/analytic writing via this form, by November 15, 2024. Students will be notified of acceptance into this class by November 19, 2024.
Corequisites: Students are required to attend all Literature Evenings and Poetry at Bennington events this term, commonly held at 7pm on most Wednesday evenings.
Course Level: 4000-level
Credits: 4
F 10:30AM - 12:20PM & F 2:10PM - 4:00PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 15
Course Frequency: One time only
Categories: 4000 , All courses , Black Studies , Course Description Update , Course Title Change , Four Credit , Fully In-Person , Literature , Updates
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