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PAPERSWriting a literature paper is an art, one that requires each of you to set aside the role of student and step into the role of literary scholar. To write a literary analysis is to move beyond summary into the realm of literary criticism, offering your own unique interpretations of a text or texts to add to the overall body of knowledge about literature and the historical moments that produced them. Note that this task is very different from simply summarizing a text: you need to offer a specific argument about the meaning or significance of the text that a reasonable reader can follow. To do so, you need to accomplish the following tasks:
It's not enough to simply give a lot of information about the texts under discussion: you need to shape the presentation of that evidence into a claim about how the reader should interpret those texts. You don't have to actually convince the reader that you are right, but you have to give a plausible case based on strong evidence. Perhaps the biggest challenge is coming up with a way to think about your subject in order to produce a provable claim. You might consider some of the following approaches:
This list of approaches is hardly exhaustive: there are dozens of critical approaches that could be used. You might even start with the samples of theories that we read in our textbook. This list is meant to help point you towards a potential claim that can serve as your thesis. The challenge is to develop a working thesis before you begin carefully locating your evidence and writing. I am happy to meet with people individually to discuss potential topics, either in person or online. REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL PAPERS: There will be two papers for the course. Each one needs to do the following:
REQUIREMENTS FOR FIRST PAPER The following guidelines are required for the first paper:
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SECOND PAPER The following guidelines are required for Paper #2:
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR HONORS STUDENTS
EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY If you take your draft to Tutorial Services and have it reviewed by a writing tutor at least 48 hours prior to the final draft due date, I will give you 5 points extra credit. To receive the credit, have the tutor sign and date the draft and hand it in separately to me when the final draft is due. If the paper is reviewed online, forward me the email. |
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Site URL: http://www.halhalbert.com/classes/spring2015/eng211 |