ENG 304 Creative Writing: Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Practice

Are writers liars? Plato, after all, notoriously banned poets from his theoretical republic, while centuries later novels were thought to be potentially dangerous influences on vulnerable minds, particularly those of women. Or does creative writing have the power to express truth in a way not available in propositional writing? This class will explore how philosophers, theologians, and writers have thought about, and debated, the purpose and nature of creative writing -- and challenge students to think about how to intellectually ground their own creative practice, culminating in the invitation to write their own literary manifestos. Students will read both selections from classic fiction (including Flaubert, Dostoevsky, and Eliot), as well as essays, manifestos, and philosophical texts (by Kierkegaard, Charles Taylor, Simone Weil, Iris Murdoch and others). They will also have multiple opportunities throughout the term to share and workshop their own creative work.