The Novel Now (Prof'in. Dr. Schäfer)

In this course, we will read and discuss novels that were published in the last two decades, and we will explore the present state of the literary field in the United States. We will focus on novels that revolve around reflections on reading, writing, and publishing. And we will read literary criticism that tracks and theorizes the changes that literary culture and the publishing industry is currently undergoing. Novels may include Percival Everett, Erasure (2001), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah (2013), Rachel Cusk, Outline (2014), Jenny Offill, Department of Speculation (2014), Lily King, Writers & Lovers (2020), Kate Zambreno, Drifts (2020), R.F. Kuang, Yellowface (2023), Lorrie Moore, I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home (2023), or Kaveh Akbar, Martyr! (2024).