“A good reader, a major reader, an active and creative reader is a rereader.”

Vladimir Nabokov

REREADING

A well-composed piece doesn’t get old, each rereading offers us something new, just as each time we walk down the same street we walk down a new street, on which we may notice new details, colors, minute changes and shifts in smells and sounds. The wealth of information is such that by default our brain is engaged in unconscious editing, depriving us of the investment in details as we become assailed by routines and obligations.

There is no point at which a book, or a movie or a street, or anything for that matter is entirely exhausted of its information and is no longer worth revisiting.

ASSIGNMENT 7: FICTION

At home or during the next class make several thumbnail sketches for the proposed illustration. At this stage it’s common practice to go through dozens of very simple sketches, meant only to convey the general idea of the direction. Therefore, don’t spend too much time on these sketches and keep them simple and clear.

Prepare to talk about the story, do research on the author, maybe even read some criticism (although not on goodreads or amazon).

Once the general idea is picked, you can proceed to final sketches. These don’t have to be particularly tight and finished, but they should give a decent idea of the style.

You may create a standalone illustration, or accompany it with a title, as on a book cover. If so, composition and text placement have to be finalized at this point. You can hand-letter the text yourself or use type.

Bring examples of book covers that you find inspiring, irritating or otherwise engaging.

Format: any conventional book size

All of these stories must be read before the first session of the assignment.

Fiction for Assignment 6.

Mary Lavin’s “In the Middle of the Fields”

Kazuo Ishiguro's "A Village After Dark"

Joy Williams’s “Chicken Hill"