Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Maybe you have to leave the United States to figure out who you really are . . .

We'll read three novels that feature American protagonists transformed by their experiences in Paris: The Custom of the Country (1913) by Edith Wharton, The Sun Also Rises (1926) by Ernest Hemingway, and Giovanni’s Room (1956) by James Baldwin. All three authors were American expatriates who lived in Paris.

Anti-heroes, social climbers, absinthe, bullfights, and forbidden love--let's go to Paris this summer!

• One of the novels we are reading, The Custom of the Country, is being made into a feature film to be released summer of 2027--starring Sydney Sweeny.
• This  8 week course combines the flexibility of online coursework with engaging, weekly Zoom meetings Wednesdays from 1-3:20 pm.
• Our approach to reading the fiction is creative, playful even! Enter into fictional worlds and discover the transformative power of great fiction!
• During the first several weeks of the course, we cover reading techniques. You will learn a lot about your own reading process and improve your reading comprehension skills. A previous English 104 student commented: I wish I had learned these reading techniques years ago!
• There are three main writing assignments:#1 (A Snapshot of your Reading Process) (1-2 pages)#2 (Rewrite or Update The Custom of the Country) (2 + pages)#3 (Research the Culture, History, or Author of One of Our Novels) (2-3 pages)
• Your textbook cost is $0

To find out more about me, Linda Stewart, visit my webpage!