Reading Fiction
An MIT OpenCourseWare course introducing the study of prose narrative through short stories and novels. The course examines how narrative is constructed, covering elements such as plot, character, point of view, and narrative voice, and develops methods for analyzing literary response to fiction. Materials on the OpenCourseWare site include a syllabus, reading list of assigned short stories and novels, and writing assignments used to structure class discussion and analysis. The course is self-paced and free to audit, drawing on MIT's undergraduate literature curriculum, with no certificate offered since OpenCourseWare does not grant credentials. It suits readers who want a structured introduction to close reading and narrative theory rather than a survey of literary history.