3.0

credits

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Epic journeys, domestic dramas, quiet meditations on the human condition—whatever the story is, our investment in a given narrative often depends on our attachment to its characters, those compelling and complex enough that we want to follow them, from first page to the last. But what makes a character compelling and complex? And how do we create these characters in our stories? In this intermediate fiction course, we’ll take a deep dive into the art of characterization, and study the various strategies and techniques used in developing fictional characters. We’ll read published fiction by contemporary writers such as Edward P. Jones, Annie Proulx, and Jhumpa Lahiri, and examine the ways they bring their characters to three-dimensional life, and in the process create stories that linger beyond the final page.