Reflecting the conditions of its historical and cultural genesis, the novel has been a force for aesthetic, formal, social, and political change for over four centuries. This course traces the structural and thematic developments of longform fiction across various national traditions by focusing on the relationship between writers and readers, the reflexive influence of literary works over time, innovations in the novel’s form, fiction’s engagement with genre and history, and the evolving status of literature. Thinking transnationally, students will read examples of fiction from each of the last four centuries, including such authors as Daniel Defoe, Edgar Allan Poe, José Saramago, Isabel Allende, and Ling Ma, alongside key works theorizing the novel as cultural form. (1 unit)