Fiction from the Underground

Course Description

The novels and stories we will read in this discussion-based literature course represent some of the best of late 20th-century and early 21st-century writing that pushes the envelope in terms of content, subject matter, and style. We will begin with Charles Bukowski’s Tales of Ordinary Madness, stories about those living in the underbelly of Los Angeles. Alternately graphic and hilarious, these stories made Bukowski a champion of the disenfranchised, contributing to his renown as one of the purveyors of alternate literature that kicks against the pricks of the establishment, while offering an honest and compassionate portrayal of life lived at the margins.

Other writers outside the mainstream to be considered are British authors Heidi James and Lee Rourke, Canadians Virginia Ashberry and Matthew Firth, and U.S. author Mark SaFranko, whose writing has attained cult status in Europe.

We will consider questions such as: How does this type of writing serve as a critique of society?  Is this writing solely transgressive, or does it have literary merit? Why do most of these writers remain on the periphery of the publishing world, often resorting to showcasing their work outside  North America?

Warning: Some of the content of this course features stories that discuss drug use, sexually explicit content, and sexual violence.

Books to purchase:

Bukowski, Charles. Tales of Ordinary Madness 

SaFranko, Mark. Hating Olivia

James, Heidi. Wounding

Course Details