Reading Group IV: World-building Narratives

The focus of this group concerns the design and analysis of imaginary (or constructed) worlds for narrative fiction. We will read novels that create immersive, atmospheric, and engaging fictional worlds. Whether it’s a gothic castle or another planet, we will meet and talk about these settings on their own terms. How does the author create these worlds? What methods are effective? And what kind of worlds do we find ourselves retreating to and why?