Classic Short Story Course: 1830s-1950s Mark Twain, Mary Shelley, and more

Students will study the short stories of 12 classic, acclaimed writers. Throughout the course, students will exercise high-level critical thinking skills, precision writing, creative writing, and literary analysis. The course is purposefully designed to touch on a variety of writing styles, giving students opportunities to practice their skills week-after-week on traditional short stories, a short play, a vignette, and a long-form poem. The genres of the fiction reading span include introspective fiction, suspense, classic gothic, non-fiction, and more. 

During the course, students will work on identifying literary devices and understanding the use of literary devices such as foreshadowing, flashbacks, imagery, anthropomorphism, irony, frame story, and more. 

At times, students will be introduced to the author of the piece, the historical context, or cultural norms of the time which affected the creation of the piece. A times students will be encouraged to make connections between the past work of fiction and their own lives and modern society. 

During the course, students will also receive assignments throughout the course which will allow students to improve or practice their expository and creative writing skills. 



> Can my student join the course even though it has already started? Can they join for only a few weeks and then leave?
Yes. With the exception of our Mark Twain story which extends over two weeks, the course is designed so that each short story’s instruction is self-contained within one week. This means that a student can join at the beginning of any week, and they can seamlessly join the group. This also means that a student a “pop-in” and join for a week or a few weeks and receive full instruction on the story/stories which we are working on during that time period. 


> How is the class structured?
Meeting 1 of the week
We will read and react to the short piece.
Students will receive direct instruction on background information on the author, historical context, genre, or style.
Students will receive an assignment to work on before our next class.


Meeting 2 of the week
Students will receive a short writing prompt based on the story
Student’s assignments will be reviewed and shared in class
Students will receive direct instruction on a literary device and make connections to the text or on connections to modern society



Short Story Calendar 
Week of Sept 11 Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin
Week of Sept 18 The Minister's Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Week of Sept 25 The Interlopers by H. H. Munro
Week of Oct 2 The Fly by Katherine Mansfield 
Week of Oct 9 The Invisible Girl by Mary Shelley 
Week of Oct 16 The Hanging Stranger by Phillip K. Dick
 *** End of quarter, grades available. ***
Week of Oct 23 Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock (Story # 7)
Week of Oct 30 Eve’s Diary by Mark Twain
Week of Nov 6 Eve’s Diary by Mark Twain, part 2
Week of Nov 13 Trifles by Susan Glaspell (a One-Act play)
Week of Nov 20 NO CLASS
Week of Nov 27 The Boarded Window by Ambrose Bierce
Week of Dec 4 Home Burial by Robert Frost 
Week of Dec 11 Letter to Sarah Ballou by Sullivan Ballou
 *** End of quarter, grades available. ***
---> A second classic lit semester will be available on Outschool soon. Please follow the profile to be alerted. 








> Any required experience or knowledge learners need?
No, students do not need any prior knowledge to join this class. 


> Can you provide a grade for my student?
Yes! Students who complete at least 5 stories within the quarter are eligible to receive a grade issued from the instructor. Details on how grades are tabulated and provided are available once a student is enrolled. Students can join late, or take a week off for vacation, illness, or personal reasons, and still be eligible to receive a grade--as long as they are actively enrolled for 5 stories during the given grading quarter. 


> Do I need to buy these short stories?
No, I provide a copy of all stories where copyright allows. I provide links to the stories where copyright prevents this. If available, I will even provide links to audio readings of the piece if available. 

> Do my students have to read outside of class.
While I always provide the option to read outside of class, it is not required. On request, I can share resources that can help struggling readers engage with the story independently outside of class.