|
10 % |
Midterm Preparation & Activities -
evaluated Credit/No Credit by points
--Midterm Worksheet
--(Detailed) Outline and/or Preliminary Draft
--Seminar #3 preparation: 3 readable copies of the above
--Seminar #3 in-class participation (Writer's Workshop)
Late/Make-Up allowed only with instructor's permission |
|
25 % |
MIDTERM LITERARY ANALYSIS PAPER -
letter graded
Late Midterms will be penalized at least 1/2 letter grade.
Revision Option offered only if Final Draft of Midterm is turned in on
time. |
Deadlines:
See ENG 104
COURSE PLAN: Week #6
Directions & Requirements:
1.
MANUSCRIPT FORMAT:
-
Paper must be typed/word
processed and double-spaced or it will not be accepted for grading; and
prepared according to standard manuscript standards--e.g., leave 1 inch
margins at top-bottom-sides; type/print on standard sized 8 ˝” x 11”white
paper, using only one side of each page; use readable fonts in standard point
sizes (10 point for larger fonts, 12 point for smaller fonts), etc.
-
MLA-style Heading (in upper
left-hand corner of first page) and Running Page headers (in upper
right-hand corner of subsequent pages) must be used to identify your paper:
MLA-Style Heading Example
(to be placed in upper left-hand corner of first page):
Janet Mikulski (your name)
English 104, Prof. C. Agatucci (identify course &
instructor)
Midterm Literary Analysis Paper (identify assignment)
29 October 2003 (identify date assignment is due)
MLA-Style
Running Page Header Example
(to be placed in upper right-hand corner of subsequent
pages):
Mikulski
2
(your last name and page number)
2.
TOPIC CHOICE: Literary Analysis-interpretation of one of the
required literary works and authors of narrative fiction assigned for study in
ENG 104 thus far (i.e. in Weeks 1 - 5):
-
Tolkien's The Fellowship of the
Ring
-
Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"
-
Maupassant's "The Necklace"
-
Chekhov's "The Lady with the
Little Dog"
-
Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"
-
Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper"
3. TOPIC FOCUS of the
Midterm Literary Analysis Paper: [See
also Worksheet]
-
Identify, analyze and interpret
how at least two literary elements [see
Worksheet, part C]
of the selected literary work of narrative fiction
work together to shape its meaning [theme] and impact on readers;
Advice: Focus
your paper on a limited number of points - that is don't try to discuss all
the literary elements of the work--then proceed to explain, support, and
illustrate these limited number of interpretive
points in depth, as clearly, effectively, and specifically as you can.
-
Integrate and discuss
"context" information
[see
Worksheet, part
B]
relevant to your Topic Choice and
Focus that helps readers understand and appreciate the selected literary
elements, meaning, and overall impact of the literary work;
-
Integrate and discuss points made
in others' literary criticism relevant to your Topic Choice, Focus, and your
essay's Thesis and Main points [see
Worksheet, part D].
-
Feel free to use your previously
completed ENG 104 assignments (e.g. Seminar Notes, Reading Responses) and ENG 104 course materials if relevant to
this assignment.
4. Suggested LENGTH: Your essay of Literary Analysis should be about 1000 words (about 4-to-5 double-spaced, typed/wordprocessed pages), plus a
separate Works Cited page to be placed at the end of your Literary Analysis Paper.
5.
GENRE: Your Midterm Literary Analysis Paper will
be written in the genre of the essay, controlled by a thesis (see Charters
1017-1021). In supporting your essay thesis and developing your
interpretation of the selected work of narrative fiction, you will be
combining different types and approaches of literary criticism discussed in
class (see also Charters 1021-1031): Analysis (e.g. of well-selected
parts of the story that support your thesis interpretation & supporting
points), Explication
(of specific passages that explain & illustrate your points), Comparison and Contrast (e.g., of two or
more elements of fiction within a single story), and
Context (see
Worksheet part B:
relevant background information by and about the
author, relevant statements/literary criticism by the author, relevant
characteristics of literary period/movement and/or sub/genre).
6.
PLAGIARISM MUST BE AVOIDED in your Literary Analysis Paper, by providing:
-
In-text parenthetical citations with all
quotations, paraphrases (indirect quotations), and summaries taken from your
sources--and "sources" includes both your primary source (i.e. the literary
work of narrative fiction that you select as your topic), and secondary
sources of information (from our Charters textbook and/or other "outside"
sources)
-
Works Cited page, giving full
bibliographical entries for all sources cited in-text (i.e. in your Literary
Analysis essay) must be given at the end of your paper.
-
Note:
In class further directions and models will be given for
in-text parenthetical citation and Works Cited.
7.
WRITING GOALS & AUDIENCE:
-
Your primary
writing goal is to help you and other ENG 104 readers better understand and
appreciate the literary work of narrative fiction that you interpret in your
Literary Analysis Paper.
-
Your
target
audience is Cora and other ENG 104 class members, so assume that your
audience has already read the literary work in question - i.e. you do NOT
have to give a lengthy detailed plot summary of the story;
-
Present
your analysis and interpretation of the selected work of narrative fiction
as only one among many possible interpretations.
You
want your readers to learn something of value from your interpretation, but
you need not set out to convince each and every one of us to accept only
your interpretation of the literary work.
Keep in
mind that there is no
single “right” or “correct” interpretation of a
given literary work. Diversity of opinion and interpretation is not
only inevitable, but also thought-provoking, valuable, and interesting in
the study of literature. Considering multiple perspectives and
interpretations enriches (deepens and broadens) our collective understanding
of a literary work in new/different ways.
-
While you are certainly entitled to your own "private" literary
opinions in a climate that encourages diversity of opinion, simply asserting
"this is my opinion" is not enough to earn your opinions serious
consideration with other college-level ENG 104 literary critics in formal
"public" literary criticism. Literary analysis and interpretation
requires coherent explanation and persuasive support to be successful with
your ENG 104 targeted audience of readers.
-
ENG 104 class and seminar discussions have demonstrated
that
even though everyone in English 104 has been studying the
same works and materials, no two readers may read, understand, and
interpret a given literary work in exactly the same ways. What may seem
“obvious” to you may very well not be “obvious” to other Eng
104 readers ( who may have very different interpretations of the literary
work).
-
Write to
communicate clearly with your target (and diverse) ENG 104 audience, and to
convince your readers that they should take your interpretation seriously
and can learn from it. That means you must not only state ("tell"),
but also develop your thesis and supporting points clearly, fully and
effectively with cogent explanation, specific illustration, and analysis to
"show" your readers how and why you arrived at your interpretation.
8.
PROOFREAD AND EDIT your Literary Analysis Paper
before submission.
Grammatical errors that hurt the clarity, coherence, and effectiveness of your
written expression will be considered in grading. NOTE: Neat
handwritten corrections in black or blue ink on the typed/wordprocessed pages
of the final draft are acceptable.
