Dark Protagonists & Controversy starts January 9th at U.Chicago Graham School Writer's Studio

By the 1970’s anti-heroes had taken over the collective imagination in American entertainment.? More recently television shows like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad, fiction writers like Gillian Flynn and celebrities and politicians who appear to have no moral compass have developed huge followings.? What do the dark protagonists at the center of these narratives tell us about what we value and how we seek to live?? In this class we’ll explore how we can deploy such characters – and the American ideals they embody – to compel audiences as we build dramatic scenes, story structure, character arcs, and themes.?

Participants will complete in-class and at-home exercises, workshop their work in class, and read, support, and critique each other’s work.? Participants will workshop their work twice in class during weeks two through seven.? They may also submit shorter submissions during their non-workshop weeks and receive peer and instructor feedback on all work submitted.? All submissions are due by 3:00 p.m. CST on the Sunday preceding each class.??

Prior to the first class watch the study film, Wall Street, as the foundation for our introduction to course concepts on January 9th.

REQUIRED TEXTS

1.??? Wall Street, 1987 film starring Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, and Darryl Hannah, written by Oliver Stone and Stanley Weiser, directed by Oliver Stone.

2.???? The Talented Mr. Ripley, 1955 novel written by Patricia Highsmith.

**** Email the instructor after registering to confirm the final study texts. ****

?

Registration deadline is Friday, December 22, 2023, 5:00pm CT.??For more information: The University of Chicago Graham School Writer's Studio