FYS 10 All that Glitters: Life and Literature in Los Angeles
Norman Mailer described Los Angeles as a “constellation of plastic.” John Fante called it a “sad flower in the sand.” Is Los Angeles really just “72 suburbs in search of a city,” as Dorothy Parker claimed, or is there something else brewing beneath the beautiful, sunny skies? We’ll explore (through art, films, and books) 20th and 21st century Los Angeles as both a real and imagined location. Through the completion of four short papers (including one with a research component), you’ll craft your own conceptual “map” of the place. Required texts will likely include Writing Los Angeles: A Literary Anthology (David Ulin), Their Dogs Came with Them (Helena Maria Viramontes), and an assortment of short readings (both fiction and non-fiction/historical). Health and safety permitting, there might also be an optional field trip or two. Please note that some of the texts for this course may be disturbing. Please contact the instructor if you have any questions. Open only to first year frosh.