Introduction to Literature II Paper: guidelines and
suggested topics
The following are some guidelines for your
papers, with some suggested subjects. These are only suggestions, and you
should feel free to choose your own topic to write on (however, you must
choose a work on the syllabus). Your paper should be a critical analysis
that reflects your own point of view, argued by a specific thesis that is
demonstrated in a focused, narrowly defined approach. A subject is only a
beginning; you must then concentrate on finding a topic (your idea
considerably narrowed down). For instance, the mechanical versus the
natural in "Odor of Chrysanthemums" is a subject, while a more specific
topic might be [I intend to argue that] the tone of the opening paragraphs
of Lawrence?s story metaphorically describes how industrialism corrupts
humanity as well as nature, because all of the comparisons between people
and "things" are negatively described.
To help narrow down your idea, concentrate on one scene or one event
within a scene, or compare two scenes, two characters, or several events
within a story, or one act or one section of a play--don't write on the
entire play/story or everything a character does. You may also wish to
explicate a poem or compare two poems.
You may want to check with me on your topic idea:
write down your thesis -- if it helps, phrase your sentence, "I intend to
argue that ______, because _____." That way I have something specific to
help you with. (Note that the "because" of the above sentence adds the
specific to your argument and keeps you from being too general or vague in
your thesis.)
A word on citing quotations: poetry or prose that is
more than four lines should be set off from the text (indent 10 spaces from
the left margin), as in this passage from "Odor of Chrysanthemums":
The trucks
thumped heavily past, one by one, with slow inevitable movement, as she
stood insignificantly trapped between the jolting black wagons and the
hedge; then they curved away towards the coppice where the withered oak
leaves dropped noiselessly, while the birds, pulling at the scarlet hips
beside the track, made off into the dusk that had already crept into the
spinney. (1728)
But keep large passages at a minimum and don't cite
more than is germane to your discussion. Quotations should follow a
developed argument as an illustration--they illustrate (argue) something
that you have already established. Quotations that are set off from the
text are by definition quotes, so they are not placed in quotation marks.
Note too that the page, or Act, scene, and line numbers, come after the
period (skip two spaces). If you use anything other than the Norton
Anthology of World Masterpieces, cite in a note the edition of the play,
short story, or novel from which you take the quotation?use only one edition
throughout the paper. The above quotation from "Chrysanthemums" is an
example: as an endnote I might write, "This and all subsequent quotations
are taken from D. H. Lawrence: The Complete Short Stories, vol. 2.
Or, I could merely add it parenthetically after my first quote: (283; D.
H. Lawrence: The Complete Short Stories, vol. 2).
f you cite three lines or less, make the citation part
of the sentence, as in the following: The tone of story is illustrated when,
in the opening paragraphs, Lawrence describes a scene where "the trucks
thumped heavily past, one by one, with slow inevitable movement, as she
stood insignificantly trapped between the jolting black wagons and the
hedge" (1728).
Or consider this piece of poetry from T. S. Eliot's
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock": Eliot begins his poem with a
startling image that compares the calm of the night to a person undergoing
surgery: "Let us go then, you and I, / When the evening is spread out
against the sky / Like a patient etherised upon a table" (ll. 1-3).
Note here that the / mark indicates where the poetry
line ends in your text. The quotation should fit your sentence: that means
that while you quote the words exactly, the punctuation at the end of your
sentence depends on whether the idea is a complete sentence (this line ends
with a semicolon, but the sentence is a complete idea in itself. Also note
that when you give a quote within a sentence, the parenthetical citation is
part of your sentence; thus the period (or semicolon or colon) comes after
the parenthesis while all other punctuation comes before.
Be faithful to the edition of the text you are using when citing;
break poetry according to the editors' decisions, and write dialogue or
description as the author gives it. When quoting from one of our texts or a
secondary source, your guide should be the MLA Manual of Style, 1985 (or
later) edition, located in the reference section of the library, PR 3521.
A last reminder:
type your paper, 3 to 5 pages?no more than 5. Please do not put your paper
in a folder or add a cover sheet. Put your name, class section, and date in
the upper right hand corner of the first page; put your last name and page
number on all subsequent pages; give your paper a specific title, centered
on your first page, that reflects your thesis idea; use a paper clip or
staple your pages. Handwritten or late papers will not be accepted. For
the first paper, indicate (a written statement in pencil on the first page
is sufficient) whether you want a grade or not. After I have marked your
paper, I will put a grade on it in order to let you know how the work
compares with what an average sophomore-level paper should be. If you
request a grade, I will enter it in my grade book; if you do not want the
paper graded, you will still have some idea as what improvements you need to
make or how you stand in relation to other students' work. The second paper
will be entered as a course grade for everyone.
Be Specific. Proofread your paper carefully, but do more than
merely reread it: revise your work. Revision is a major part of writing;
one of the easiest problems to spot in reading student papers is the lack of
revision, which usually indicates haste, laziness, or indifference. Writing
is a skill that takes effort, patience, and the willingness to improve it,
so start early.
Some suggested writing subjects:
"The Metamorphosis":
The family as
destructive entity
Gregor as metaphor
The tone of the
story, narrator's voice, and/or readers'expectations
Indications of
guilt: its manifestations and meaning
Unreality and
objectivity
"Odor of Chrysanthemums":
The relationship
between husband and wife
The tone of the
story: autumn, death
The metaphors of
darkness and fire
The close attention
to details in the story
Isolation: how is it
suggested in the story, and why? What does it mean?
"Spotted Horses":
Description and its
contribution to characterization
Male foolishness vs.
Female stability
The story as tragedy
Differences in
characterization and their purposes in the story
"Young Goodman Brown":
Deception and religious belief
A comparison with
Kafka's Metamorphosis: the "aloneness" of the individual
How important is
reality to the story? Does it matter what is real?
A psychological
reading of the events (authority, sexual temptation, etc.)
Names, symbols,
religious allusions
"My Kinsman, Major Molineaux":
Robin's naivety vs.
his "shrewdness"
The purpose of the
"initiation"
How good and pure is
Robin?
The changing view
from the narrator's perspective
The sense of dream
and nightmare in the story
"Flowering Judas":
Atmosphere, setting,
dramatization
Romanticism/anti-romanticism
The importance of
imagery
The significance of
the dream
Christian symbolism
and its importance
"The Guest":
The importance of
description in describing isolation
Characterization and
its thematic purpose in the story
Moral duty and its
implications
The question of
heroism
"Death Constant Beyond Love":
Thematic importance
in the title
The idea of
solitude: its effect, purpose, meaning
Symbolism in the
story
Nature and death:
how are they linked? why important?
Illusion and beauty:
how are they linked? why important?
Hedda Gabler:
The question of
tragedy
The stage as
image--symbolism
Stage
contrasts/character contrasts
The complexities of
Hedda: good or bad?
Creativity and
passion vs. logic/reason
The roles of
heredity and environment
Anti-Romanticism
Endgame:
The significance of
the stage setting--symbolism
The significance of
the title
The relationship of
Hamm and Clov
The play as metaphor
The play as
meaningful/meaningless
Mother Courage:
The purpose and uses
of Brecht's "alienation effect"
Religious irony and
its uses
Capitalism as evil
Mother Courage as
"anti-heroic"
The
lack of characterization: why is that effective in this play?
Poetry:
Analyze a poem with regard to its
symbolism, thematic interest, or imagery
Explicate one of the
poems we have read
Explain the persona
and its relevance for appreciating a particular poem
Effective strategies
or rhetorical devices
Masters' use of
carpe diem: its thematic importance
Humor or satire in
Masters' poems
Small-town revolt in
Masters
Realism and horror
in the W.W.I poets
The importance of
Blake's "simplicity"
The feeling of the modern in Eliot
Imagery, symbolism,
or theme in "Prufrock"