Syllabi September 10, 2013

When multiple narrative layers are incorporated into a work of fiction, they can have a disorienting effect. Whether they take the form of a shift in perspective, the introduction of interviews, or something else, they can deeply affect the way we perceive a novel, and undermine—or do away with entirely—our trust in the story’s narrator. These concerns surface in the works below. How Should A Person Be by Sheila Heti
 To answer its titular question, this “novel from life” turns to email conversations and transcribed chats between Heti and her friends. As Heti explains to her close friend Margaux, “I