ENC1102 Class Readings & Literary Resources

Jan. 12th:

• Kow, Shih-Li. "Fried Rice."
• Williamson, Chet. "The Personal Touch." pp. 135-138. In the Sudden Fiction Anthology. (See PDF Downloads List below for PDF access.)
• Review the Narrative Literary Devices handout. (See PDF Downloads List below for PDF access.)

 Jan. 17th:

• Bradbury, Ray. "I See You Never." pp. 88-90. In the Sudden Fiction Anthology. (See PDF Downloads List below for PDF access.)
• Duckworth, Jonathan Louis. "Distant Fire of Winter Stars."
• Kow, Shih-Li. "Fried Rice."

Jan. 19th:

• Bisson, Terry. "They're Made Out of Meat." (See PDF Downloads List below for PDF access.)
• Tolstaya, Tatyana. "Unnecessary Things."
• Williamson, Chet. "The Personal Touch." pp. 135-138. In the Sudden Fiction Anthology. (See PDF Downloads List below for PDF access.)
• Optional Student Finds Sign-Up Day 1: In addition to the micro/flash fictions listed above, students who sign up for this day should also come prepared to discuss their own micro/flash fiction story found out in the wild.
  • Students should find one micro/flash fiction story of their choosing beyond the reading list contents to discuss comparative themes, literary devices, etc. during class.
  • Check out the "Links for Student Finds" section below to get started.

Jan. 24th:

• Bradbury, Ray. "All Summer in a Day." (See PDF Downloads List below for PDF access.)
• Chiang, Ted. "It's 2059 and the Rich Kids Are Still Winning." (See PDF Downloads List below for PDF access.)
•  Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Tell-Tale Heart." 

Jan. 26th:

• Chiang, Ted. "The Great Silence."
• Wolff, Tobias. "Say Yes." pp. 74-78. In the Sudden Fiction Anthology. (See PDF Downloads List below for PDF access.)
• Yngve, Rolf. "The Quail." pp. 209-213. In the Sudden Fiction Anthology. (See PDF Downloads List below for PDF access.)
• Optional Student Finds Sign-Up Day 2: In addition to the short stories listed above, students who sign up for this day should also come prepared to discuss their own short story found out in the wild.
  • Students should find one short story of their choosing beyond the reading list contents to discuss comparative themes, literary devices, etc. during class.
  • Check out the "Links for Student Finds" section below to get started.

Need help creating in-text citations for poems? This page on the MLA Style Guide website is super helpful.

Jan. 31st:

• The Norton Introduction to Literature's "Poetry: Reading, Responding, and Writing." (See PDF Downloads List below for PDF access.)
• Frost, Robert. "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." 
•  Poe, Edgar A. "The Raven."
• Yeats, William B. "The Lake Isle of Innisfree."

Feb. 2nd:

•  Angelou, Maya. "Still I Rise."
• Howe, Marie. "What the Living Do."
• McGrath, Campbell. "Releasing the Sherpas."
• Roethke, Theodore. “The Reckoning.”  
• Optional Student Finds Sign-Up Day 3: In addition to the poems listed above, students who sign up for this day should also come prepared to discuss their own poem found out in the wild.
  • Students should find one poem of their choosing beyond the reading list contents to discuss comparative themes, literary devices, etc. during class.
  • Check out the "Links for Student Finds" section below to get started.

Not sure how to accurately describe music terminology? 

• Feel free to utilize the Song Terminology PDF document for more info. (See PDF Downloads List below for PDF access.)

Feb. 7th:

• Armstrong, Louis. "What a Wonderful World." 1967. (Listen to the video to hear the original spoken introduction.)
• Kaleo. "Backbone." 2020. (start at 01:30 to skip intro)
• Nothing More. "Fade In / Fade Out." 2017.
• Stapleton, Chris. "Traveller." 2015.

Feb. 9th:

• Johnson, Robert. "Me and the Devil Blues." 1938.
• Travis, Randy. “Three Wooden Crosses.” 2002.
• Tupac. "Dear Mama." 1995.
• Puscifer. “The Weaver.” 2011.
• Thrice. "Between the End and Where We Lie." 2005.

Feb. 14th:

• Falling in Reverse. "Zombified." 2022.
• Jackson, Michael. "Man in the Mirror." 1988. (Watch the music video, too.)
• Thrice. "The Dark." 2018.
• Queen. “I Want to Break Free.” 1984. (Watch the music video, too.)
• Student Finds Sign-Up Day 4: In addition to the songs listed above, students who sign up for this day should also come prepared to discuss their own song/poem pair found out in the wild.
  • Students should find and pair one song + one poem of their choosing beyond the reading list contents to discuss comparative themes, literary devices, etc. during class.
  • Check out the "Links for Student Finds" section below to get started.

Not sure where to begin as you search for your own narrative selections? 

Whether you decide to hunt up a classic or explore the latest media available, feel free to start here! This list certainly is not exhaustive for places to find stories, poems, etc. online.

Be sure to find narratives that really resonate with you for specific reasons; don't just pick the first thing you see--trust me. That tactic usually backfires.

Short-Fiction Links:

• 100 Word Stories
• 365tomorrows - Flashes of Fiction.
• Flash Fiction Online.
• The 10 Best Short Story Sites to Read Flash Fiction Online.
• Fictive Dream - Short Stories Online.
• Free Classic Short Stories, Novels, Poetry and Books on Writing.
• 50 Great Short Stories Recommended by the Guardian

Poetry Links:

• In search of a specific historical poet? The Poetry Foundation is a great place to look.
• On All Poetry, you can look through curated picks, famous poets, or the newest publications on the site
• Commaful
• Hello Poetry also has a great way to search via latest, random, or via specific categories of poetry.

Song Links:

• I'm sure everyone has their own music platform preferences. Please ensure your song selections are public access. 
• Platforms such as Youtube, Google, Amazon Music, Spotify, etc. often have the easiest ways to share music publicly (i.e. without needing an account or to subscribe).

These links that may prove helpful when reviewing literary devices and story elements:

• Literary Terms for Narrative Analysis (with definitions)
• Common Literary Devices: Definitions and Examples(with examples)
• Glossary of Literary Terms (for keyword searching)
• Literary Devices in Poetry: Identifying Poetic Devices
• Also visit the PDF Downloads List below for PDF access to the Narrative Literary Devices definitions document.