In this course we will read longer and shorter classics of nineteenth-, twentieth-, and twenty-first-century fiction. Readings include novels by Jane Austen, Henry James, Virginia Woolf, Michael Cunningham, and Kurt Vonnegut as well as short stories and a graphic novel. The course is designed to teach students to read better and more closely, with greater attention to literary effects. We will also examine the works; social, historical, and cultural contexts. Students will be asked to reflect on how the works assigned relate to each other and to other cultural forms, including film. The class format is group discussion. Required oral presentations involve group projects for small teams.