|
|
Mini
Essay: What is Literature?
In
two pages or less, define what literature is. What boundaries
delineate where
literature begins and “trashy” popular culture
end? How do you know literature when you see it? How does
your definition of literature match up with other college
students? Do you think your definition gels with the definition
of the general population?
Be
sure to distinguish between what you think it is and how
you feel
other people respond to it (so, yes, you’ll probably
have to use first person—a few times).
If
you need to turn to a dictionary to figure this out, please
use the OED available through the
library database.
Essay
1: Poetry
Please
select one of the following topics for your poetry essay.
You must use at least one scholarly
source besides the
text of the poem for the paper. Following the topics
you will find some helpful directions to get you off
to a good start.
1) Analyze
the use of a formal characteristic (rhyme, meter,
metaphor, structure), image, or word that appears
in two assigned poems from two different authors. Does
this particular aspect reveal a relationship between
the two poems? Does it suggest a point of contention
between the two poems? Does it reveal a state of
ambiguity
between them?
2) While
examining the use of a particular formal characteristic,
image, or word in any poem on our schedule page,
discuss how a specific part of the poem affects the whole
piece in relation to ambiguity (remember
the identical roads from Frost’s “The
Road Not Taken”?). How does this particular
moment disrupt the coherence of the overall poem
(i.e. take
away from what the poem seems to be saying)? Is
this moment an intentional decision: there to generate
a
paradox the reader must negotiate? Or does this
sequence reveal a hidden assumption, concern, or
confusion on
the part of the author that cannot be resolved
by the reader with the rest of the text?
3) Perform
a biographical reading of one (or a few) poem(s)
from a single author we have read. How has his or her
life
experiences carried over into his or her works?
For example, how does the knowledge that Plath’s
father was a beekeeper and a professor rather than a
Fascist
and
a Nazi affect the interpretation of her poetry?
How did Dickinson’s life as a recluse affect
the content of her poetry? How was Hughes's personal
experiences
in the African-American community (with his more
conservative inclinations) manifest in his writing?
A good starting
point for researching author’s biographies
is at the Literature Research Center, which you
can access
through the library
databases.
4) Explore
a larger theme (like race, class, gender, sexuality,
Eros, Thanotos, violence—please pick only
ONE) in one or two of the poems on the syllabus.
How does
the art interact with this particular ideology?
Does it promote or disintegrate it? Does it reveal
conflicting
attitudes inherent within the theme itself? What
does the poet want the reader to conclude about
his or her
time period? Or about the politics of poetry—what
poetry can or cannot do? [e.g. What does Dickinson’s “My
life had stood—” reveal about the nature
of patriarchy in her society? What does Kumin’s “Woodchucks” reveal
about modern humanity’s violent tendencies?]
5) Expand
on one of your blogs, taking your original work
as a starting point to jump off and explore the question
in greater detail or come up with a better question.
You must e-mail me by September 17th if
you plan to do this, since I will require some
specific
development from the original text for this assignment.
I’m
looking for three to five pages of double
spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font (as
usual). One
inch margins all the way around, please. Include
your name, my name, the class, and the date
in the upper
left hand corner of the first page. Every
following page should have your last name and the
page number in the upper right hand corner. Remember
to include a Works Cited page at the very
end (to practice your MLA format as well as get
in the
habit of always informing your reader of your sources).
Remember
that you have to use at least one “scholarly” outside
source. By scholarly, I mean publications
refereed by scholars, and typically published through
university presses or presses invested in scholarly
pursuits. Notice that the word scholarly was specifically
chosen to direct you away from non-scholarly (though
still vetted) online sources (Wikipedia) and towards
the gigantic den of evil (Morris Library). A few places
to check for scholarly sources: 1) Run a keyword search
on DELCAT regarding
your topic and see what pops up. Books that look like
collections of essays (such as Critical Essays on Emily
Dickinson) might be a nice general place to start.
2) Browse the stacks around works on your author and
see if any titles jump out at you. 3) On the University
of Delaware Library’s Databases in the Arts
and Humanities section, check out Literature Online, Literature
Research Center, and MLA International Bibliography.
These places will give you citations about
your topic which you can then find (or try
to find)
in our library.
Remember it’s always better to start with a few
sources rather than just one--that way if one does
not pan out, you have others to fall back on. 5) Sigh.
Check out Wikipedia: No, do not use the entry itself.
IF YOU SITE WIKIPEDIA AS A SOURCE, I WILL THROW YOUR
PAPER IN THE TRASH. Instead, use Wikipedia for what
it’s really good for: stealing other people’s
sources. Look at the bottom of the entry where
sources are usually listed. Check these out.
If they take you
to another online source whose authorship,
you cannot be certain of (iluvsylviaplath.com),
do
not use that
source. If they direct you to some specific
published sources, go crazy in DELCAT and see
if you can
find it.
Please
read through the MLA
Citation and Plagiarism page for Works Cited
page guidelines as well as a general discussion as
to how to avoid any accidental plagiarism. Also
checkout the online
edition of the Bedford Handbook for general citation
information as well as a sample
paper.
You
should also look at the Writer's
Checklist on my Writing site. This
will give you clues as to how to go about
putting the paper together, what I expect
from a good
paper, and
what my pet peeves are about grading papers
(i.e. how to avoid upsetting me for no good
reason).
Lastly,
checkout the descriptions I give of my own Grading
Standards, so that you know what I'm looking for
when I put grades on your papers.
Essay
Due: Monday, 27 September 2007
Essay
2: Short Story
Please
select one of the following topics for your short story
essay. You must integrate at least one scholarly source
into your argument. Following the topics you will find
a few directives that will guide you towards generating
a better paper.
1) Argue
the significance of an object or symbol from one of
the stories listed on the syllabus. In what way does
that symbol affect the lives of the various characters
or the events of the narrative? What does it represent—and
to whom? Does it generate conflict or help lead to
a resolution?
2) Analyze
any two characters from two of the stories we read
this semester in conjunction with one of the following
themes: family, class, sexuality, race, or gender and
gender roles. [Feel free to pick a different theme,
but clear it with me first.]
3) How
does a story’s setting affect its theme?
Using one of the stories listed on the syllabus,
show how
a text’s setting influences a particular
theme. How does the location's clarity or ambiguity
affect
the meaning of the story? Does it make the meaning
more poignant or does it detract from the story’s
overall purpose?
4) Choose
your own adventure. E-mail me a topic you're interested
in working on; please do so by Oct
15th if
you, since I will require some specific
development
and focus for this assignment.
Again,
I'm asking for three to five pages of double
spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font. One
inch margins all the way around, please. Include
your name, my name, the class, and the date in
the upper
left hand corner of the first page. Every
following page should have your last name and the
page number in the upper right hand corner. Remember
to include a Works Cited page at the very
end (to practice your MLA format as well as get
in the
habit of always informing your reader of your sources). And
yes, you should cite the work you are quoting from
(your primary text) as well as the outside source
you use to back up your argument (secondary material).
Speaking
of which, please remember that this should
be a “scholarly” outside
source. By scholarly, I mean publications
refereed by scholars, and typically published through
university presses or presses invested in scholarly
pursuits. Notice that the word scholarly was specifically
chosen to direct you away from non-scholarly (though
still vetted) online sources (Wikipedia) and towards
the cavernous repository of darkness (Morris Library).
Bottom line--it's hard to go wrong when you use a book
on the topic. The internet opens a can of worms before
you even get a word on the page.
The
only real sources I will direct you to that Mr. Computer
can help you with is those located in DELCAT or
on the University
of Delaware Library’s Databases in the Arts
and Humanities section. Look to Literature Online, Literature
Research Center, and MLA International Bibliography (especially
the Literature Research Center). The LRC will
provide you with vetted biographies and textual analysis
of our works. The other places will give you citations
about your topic which you can then find (or try to
find) in our library.
Before
you begin the paper refresh your memory with my MLA
Citation and Plagiarism page for Works
Cited page guidelines as well as a general
discussion
as to how
to avoid any accidental plagiarism. Also
checkout the online
edition of the Bedford Handbook for general citation
information as well as a sample
paper.
It
would have helped a number of you to look at my Writer's
Checklist on the Writing site
for the first paper. Do not neglect this
for this assignment.
Essay
Due: Monday, 22 October 2007
Essay
3: Drama
Please
select one of the questions below for your drama essay.
You must integrate at least one scholarly source into your
argument. Following the topics you will find a
few suggestions that will help you to develop your paper.
1) Provide
a concise definition for the genre of comedy in drama
(and notice that this is asking for a very precise concept
of
comedy—as it pertains to plays). Looking at
both of the plays we have read this semester, show
how your definition manifests itself in the works.
Does comedy stem from language play? From actions
that are or
are not represented in the text? How important is
the reader’s
imagination to the effectiveness of comedy?
2) Both
of these plays are about manipulation and deception
in regards to love. Sorting through these deceptions makes
up a key part of the structural climax in Taming and Importance.
Does love excuse deception, as Wilde’s characters
(ironically) suggest? Looking at specific characters
or scenes from both of the plays, discuss whether
or not deception
is the most expedient way to attain one’s desires,
or if it ultimately threatens disappointment.
3) Gender
and relationships are probably the most important
thematic of the comedies we have read. Choose a character
or couple
from both of the plays, and examine how drama has
changed its representation of gender or romance, if at
all, in
the 300 years between our authors. Are things getting
better for men, women, or relationships, or is the idea
of progress
on any of these fronts just an illusion?
4) Posit
your own topic focusing on where you see these two works
interacting (please e-mail me by the 13th if you plan to
do this, since I require a certain
amount of extra work from this
assignment).
As
usual, I wish to see three to five pages that are double
spaced and in 12 point Times New Roman font. One
inch margins all the way around, or don't bother turning
it in. Include your name, my name, the class, and
the date in the upper left hand corner of the first
page. Every following page should have your last
name and the page number in the upper right hand corner. Remember
to include a Works Cited page at the very end. And,
naturally, you should cite the works you are quoting
from (your primary texts) as well as the outside source
you use to back up your argument (secondary material).
If you did not purchase the books, you will have to cite
your quotations by act, scene and (if you have it) line
numbers.
Remember
that this should be a “scholarly” outside
source. By scholarly, I mean publications refereed
by scholars, and typically published through university
presses or presses invested in scholarly pursuits. Notice
that the word scholarly was specifically chosen to direct
you away from non-scholarly (though still vetted) online
sources (Wikipedia) and towards the monumental chamber
of confusion (Morris Library). Bottom line--it's hard to
go wrong when you use a book on the topic. The internet
opens a can of worms before you even get a word on the
page. And then what do you have but a wormy paper. Ick.
The
best sources for you are those located in DELCAT or
on the University
of Delaware Library’s Databases in the Arts and
Humanities section. In the databases, check out Literature
Online, Literature Research Center, and MLA
International Bibliography (especially the Literature
Research Center). The LRC will provide you with vetted
biographies and textual analysis of our works, as well
as helpful definitions for specific terms. The other places
will give you citations about your topic which you can
then find (or try to find) in our library.
Before
you begin the paper, refresh your memory with my MLA
Citation and Plagiarism page for Works Cited page guidelines
as well as a general discussion as to how to avoid any
accidental plagiarism. Also peruse the online
edition of the Bedford Handbook for general citation
information as well as a sample
paper.
Please select one of the questions below for
your drama essay. You must integrate at least one scholarly
source into your argument. Following the topics, you will find
the usual links meant to encourage and/or fill you with self-doubt.
1) Both
Girl, Interrupted (GI) and Fight Club (FC)
are incredibly dynamic in terms of their filmic properties.
They use
the medium as a way to
express the themes of the given film. How does the
form of the
film--in terms of shot composition, camera techniques,
or editing—speak
to its topics? Looking at both movies, discuss how
a particular theme is evidenced by the form of the
film itself.
2) The
idea of gender identity plays an important role in
both GI and FG, either implicitly or explicitly. What
do
these films reveal about gender and the assumptions
about femininity and masculinity during the historical
period they
both depict? Consider inverting the more obvious associations
of femininity with GI and masculinity with FC. How
do the films represent the opposite gender of their
main characters,
and what assumptions do the films make about these
simplified but still poignant gender roles?
3) In
terms of their central problems, both films focus on
the idea of finding something that most
likely does
not exist: Susanna Kaysen’s insanity in
GI and a non-capitalist utopia in FC. How
do these films go about representing these absences,
and are they
ever found?
4) Depression
and escapism are interrelated themes in both movies.
How do GI and FG represent this cluster of concepts?
Do the films suggest solutions to the situations or
do they
imply that most people are incapable of change?
5) Suggest your own topic of your own devising that attempts
to show how these films dovetail. Please e-mail me by the
13th if you intend to do this, since I want to make sure
you are just not being nutty.
Yet
again,
I desire three to five pages, double
spaced and in 12 point Times New Roman font. One
inch margins all the way around, or just set the
thing on fire. Include
your name, my name, the class, and the date in the upper
left hand corner of
the first page. Every following page should have your
last name and the page number in the upper right
hand corner. Remember to include a Works Cited page
at the very end. And, yes, you should cite
the works you are quoting from and the outside source
you use to back up your argument.
Before
you begin the paper, please stare at my MLA
Citation and Plagiarism page for Works Cited page
guidelines as well as a general discussion as to how
to avoid any accidental plagiarism. Also peruse
the online
edition of the Bedford Handbook for general citation
information as well as a sample
paper, especially since this is a film rather than
a text..
|
Blogs: Blogging assignments will be a key part of your written work in
the class. You will be given a question or a series
of questions for some of the Thursday (and one Tuesday) readings.
The day before class you must publish a blog in response to the question
or questions on your blogging page by 5pm. I will check the blogs
weekly to evaluate them.
The
blogs will be graded on the basis of your interaction with the
question—how much thought are you evidencing, how sophisticated
are you being? I will give you either a check ++, a check +, check,
or check- based on your work. A check++ is very rare—it means
that you have created a flawless masterpiece. A check+ means that
you are above average yet not quite perfect. A check means that
you are obviously engaged with the question and are doing an adequate
job. A check- means that you are slipping beneath the level of
work
I expect from you. Unacceptable work will receive a 0. At the end
of the semester, I will then translate your collection of checks
into a point total out of 100 (depending on the number of blogs
we do this semester). The blog assignments are a very easy way
to maintain
a good grade in the class. Do them diligently and there should
not be a problem.
When
writing your blog, please be sure to follow both of the following
steps, numbering them clearly in your entry. You do not need
to include these instructions (I will remember them).
1.
Summarize your general experience with the reading (How
did it make you feel? Did you agree or disagree with the argument?
Did it
resonate with anything in your personal life? Was it
difficult
or easy to read and why?). [4 meaty but concise sentences]
2.
The last section of the Blog will vary from week to week, but
it usually will be a specific question or assignment
regarding
the text. [at least a paragraph—10-12 meaty
but concise sentences]
Essays
1, 2, 3, & 4: Each of these essays will be a 3-5 page
paper focusing on a specific question directly tied to our readings
and discussions. The goal of each of these essays will be to push
your interpretation of the texts beyond the scope of what was covered
in class and thereby reveal your own interaction with the issues
at hand. These essays must follow the expectation guidelines for
written work and conform to the general writing guidelines provided
online. Some research in the library will be expected of you for
some of the assignments.
Revision
Policy: Your first two primary assignments may be revised within
two weeks of being returned for
additional point consideration.
Your total may be raised a maximum of only one grade (for example,
from a C- to a B-). No late assignments may be revised. Please understand
that a revision is not merely correcting spelling and grammar errors
or adding a few sentences—that is a waste of all our times.
To revise (literally re-vision, to see anew) a paper is to begin
from scratch, reassessing the question to create a polished argument. Anyone interested in revising an assignment must have a conference
with me in order for the revision to be accepted. All revisions must
also include the original, graded draft. Work that I consider to
be substandard will not be eligible for revisions at my discretion—this
is to prevent you from taking advantage of my generosity for allowing
revisions.
Quizzes: I reserve the right to quiz you on your daily reading assignments.
The number of questions
will vary for each day—sometimes as
few as 3 or 4 questions, sometimes as many as 10. Although these
quizzes may seem a small part of the class (five points here, ten
points there), they do add up and affect your grade in the long run.
In-Class
Writing: In addition to quizzes, I also reserve the right to ask
you to perform a writing exercise
on any given day. These
exercises will vary—sometimes they will be as relaxed as freewriting
on a theme or a question. Sometimes they will require you to apply
critical terms to a specific textual instance. These assignments
will test your ability to think, process, and respond clearly and
effectively in an “on the spot” situation. I may collect
these at any time or ask you to hand them in with other secondary
or primary assignments.
|
|
