An examination of the intersection of social structure, culture, and biography as seen by novelists and sociologists. To what extent does fiction illuminate areas of social life and personal experience that are inaccessible to sociologists? To what extent does social science temper, qualify, and perhaps extend fictional understandings of social reality? Readings include Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Auster's New York Trilogy, Wilson's The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Tartt's The Secret History, and selections from Faulkner, matched with sociological accounts of such social worlds. Requirements: Two short essays and a final paper. Class format: seminar.

Hour: CHURCHILL