Experimental Texts

Experiments in writing have a long history and are often some combination of fascinating, weird, complex, risky, and wild. This course will cross genre-boundaries in order to discover what it means to read, write, and experience experimental literature, which usually attempts to challenge the traditions, formal devices, and audience expectations of literary engagement. With a focus on the relationship between form and content as well as attention paid to the limitations associated with strict categorical delineations of literary and cultural objects, we will spend the term analyzing and producing experimental texts. We will spend time considering primarily contemporary textual responses to cultural, social, and political shifts and the ways in which such shifts inform and affect our reading practices. Readings will include poetry fiction, theory, and contemporary media. Writing assignments will include interpretive and creative works. Collaborative projects will also be a part of this course.