How does language make us see? From petroglyphs to internet memes, there are many points of intersection between written and visual modes of communication. This multigenre creative writing workshop begins with a close examination of literary images. Through a mix of creative writing assignments and readings, students identify and practice techniques by which writers have rendered the visual in language; explore ekphrasis (that is, literary descriptions of and responses to works of art); experiment with the wide array of traditions in which text and image are combined (e.g. concrete poetry, collaged text, and the comic panel); respond to visual arts that use language as a primary medium; and consider description as deception. At the heart of this course are fundamental questions of representation. What besides visual content do literary images offer? What are the mechanics of description, and what aesthetic and ethical questions can it pose for writers? Readings include works by Virginia Woolf, John Keene, Marjane Satrapi, Anne Carson, and Robin Coste Lewis, among others.

Advanced Writing Courses (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)

WRTNG-UG 1531-000 (13431)
01/23/2023 – 05/08/2023 Mon,Wed
12:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Paty, Allyson