Response Topics and Reading List for Unit 2: Short Fiction

Please read the following short stories before the presentations. Select any 2 of the stories to generate 2 responses on your response blog. Each response should evaluate some aspect of the story through the lens of literary criticism attached to that story. For example, "The Shining Houses" by Alice Munro is attached to the Marxist Literary Criticism presentation, so you might choose to write about who controls the socio-economic power in the story, or you might write about how Mary is the real victim of social oppression in the story. As you can see, the topics arise from the preoccupations and priorities of the particular school of criticism.


Formalist Literary Theory -- "Araby" by James Joyce -- Echoes 12
Reader Response Theory -- "Two Words" by Isabel Allende -- Imprints 12
Marxist Lit. Theory -- "The Shining Houses" by Alice Munro -- Imprints 12
Feminist Lit. Theory -- "Touching Bottom" by Kari Strutt -- Imprints 12Archetypal Lit. Theory -- "The Return" by Ngugi wa Thiong'o -- Imprints 12Post-Modern Lit. Theory -- "A Girl's Story" by David Arnason -- Echoes 12