IMF 51607 Fiction: Speculative & Dystopian Novels L

Instructor

Kali VanBaale

Class Type

Literature

Course Description

Environmental catastrophes, governmental coups, and medical breakthroughs gone amok are just a few of the large-scale problems that drive the stories of speculative and dystopian stories. Part literary, part science fiction, part social/economical/environmental commentary, this genre shares one common trait—it could happen in a not-so-distant world. This course will examine the enduring popularity of speculative/dystopian literature in the adult reading audience, and how and why the genre can and effectively does reflect our current societal issue back at us, while also entertaining us and capturing our imaginations. We’ll examine three critically acclaimed novels--The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro—and we’ll dissect how their speculative worlds are constructed, the social commentaries they make about our modern society, and their successful craft mechanics.