FYSP 182 - Paying Attention with Tolstoy

FC ARHU WINT

4 credits
Do you ever struggle to concentrate when you’re writing? So did Lev Tolstoy, and he also wrote one of the longest novels ever written and created some of the most famous details in literature. He was fascinated by how distraction and exquisitely close attention were both possible in a human life. Tolstoy will be our companion as we embark on our own adventures in writing and attention. Asking: What is attention, we will explore the ways Tolstoy investigated this question through science, literature, philosophy, and religious practice. We’ll practice writing, and we’ll practice paying attention to our experience of writing.
This course is appropriate for new students.