Dr. Alex E. Blazer Course Site Syllabus
In Class Activities Informal Writing Scholarly Criticism
Peer Response Group Project  
Paper 1 Paper 2 Paper 3

Assignments

Existential Literature

English 310-75: Writing about Literature

Spring 2005, MW 5:30-6:45PM, Bingham Humanities Bldg LL 15

In Class Group Activities

1. Antoine Roquentin: Character, Setting, Conflict

We've discussed the general literary element of confict, character, and setting. We've done conflict and character analyses of Kafka's hunger artist and Carter's narrator. Now, we'll bring all of these elements together as we work on an in class group activity that applies our general discussion to the particular character of Antoine Roquentin in Jean-Paul-Sartre's Nausea. Form four groups of four or five members. Each group is responsible for analyzing Roquentin's character through a series of four interrelated questions listed below. Save your group's collective response in Word to Blackboard > Groups > In Class Activities > File Exchange so we can reference it later in the week if necessary.

  1. character: Do a brief character sketch of Roquentin listing no more than three primary traits. What is the best passage that illustrates his character?
  2. setting: Where does the novel take place? How does this affect Roquentin's character and core conflicts? What is the best passage that illustrates the setting's effect on Roquentin?
  3. conflict: What are the primary conflicts in the novel? What is the best passage that illustrates either Roquentin's core conflict?
  4. most significant passage: What is the most significant passage of the novel? It may be one that you used for character, setting, and conflict. What does it reveal about setting, character, and (most important of all) Roquentin's core conflict?

2. MLA Style

As this is a gateway course for the English major, the class should learn and use Modern Language Association (MLA) style in its formal papers. Divide into groups of no more than three members and complete the following activity using the MLA Handbook or my handouts on formatting, quoting, and citing.

  1. Create a new document in Microsoft Word and save it to the desktop.
  2. Adjust your margins and line spacing to the proper format.
  3. Give your document both a proper heading and header.
  4. Give your document a title.
  5. Start a new paragraph in which you introduce and quote a short sentence from Kafka's "A Hunger Artist."
  6. Introduce and quote a five sentence passage from Carter's "Flesh and the Mirror."
  7. Introduce and quote two lines from Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."
  8. Introduce and quote a stanza from Rilke's "Archaic Torso of Apollo."
  9. Create a Works Cited Page and list the works of literature that you quoted.
  10. Save your document and then upload it to Blackboard > Groups > In Class Activities.

3. Annotating Scholarly Criticism

In the fourth informal writing, groups defined the thesis, special topoi, interpretation, and argued whether or not you concurred with the interpretation. This in class activity is designed to further prepare you for research process of the group project and final research paper by giving more specific guidelines. In a 75-100 word paragraph, written in no more than 15 minutes,

  1. identify the issue or question that the source is investigating,
  2. define the source’s thesis or main idea relevant to your work of literature, and
  3. explain how the source helps your understanding of the work.

4. Composing Theses

An effective literary interpretation commences with an effective introduction; and a strong thesis, which analyzes the meaningful issues of a literary work, lies at the center of a good introduction. In this activity, you will practice writing a thesis that you may choose to use for your second paper.

 

Part 1: Composition

 

Individually, open Microsoft Word and answer the following questions.

  1. What is the work of literature that you're examining?
  2. What is one way to analyze the work in terms of conflict, character, setting, theme, and so forth?
  3. What is another, antithetical and opposing, way to analyze the work?
  4. Compose a thesis statement that frames the two competing interpretations in dialogical debate.
    • You may suggest your own side of the debate in the thesis, or you may choose to reveal your choice later in the paper.

Part 2: Evaluation

 

Next, pair off with a fellow student or two and review each other's work based on the following questions:

  1. What is the topic?
  2. What are the two competing interpretations of the text?
  3. Is the thesis focused enough to engender a rigorous set of interpretations of the text in the coming paper?
  4. Is the thesis broad enough to afford a four-five page analysis?

If they like the results, writers may save their work (upload to the In Class Activity group file exchange or email it) for using in the upcoming paper.

Reading Scholarly Criticism

As you'll find out in class discussion, I have a particular psychoanalytic-existentialist approach to literature. However, there are more approaches to literature than you can learn in any one class or any one degree. In order to introduce you to the various ways of reading (not to mention to prepare for the group project and third paper), we'll read and discuss scholarly articles, which exemplify different critical approaches, on many of the texts we're reading in class. While I encourage you to read all of the criticism, you are only responsible for reading the articles that you're assigned on this sheet. All articles are available online in the Course Documents section of Blackboard.

Informal Writing

The goal of informal writing assignments is to get you to think actively and write critically about literature. These short assignments of 1-2 double-spaced, typed pages will also prepare you to write the longer, formal papers. Approximately once per week, you will be asked to respond to or practice analyzing some element of fiction (conflict, character, setting, imagery, figure of speech, etc.) or respond to a thematic issue.

 

In class responses will be written in Word and turned in on Blackboard. Out of class responses will be due by the start of class on the due date, either as a typed hard copy or Word or WordPerfect file (not Works) in Blackboard > Assignments > Informal Writing #. To retrieve your graded paper, go to Blackboard > View Grades > Informal Writing #. Click the "0" link to open up your grade. Your graded paper is the attached file in section 3 Feedback to Student. Click here for grading rationale and calculation of informal writing assignments.

  1. Franz Kafka, "A Hunger Artist"
  2. Angela Carter, "Flesh and the Mirror "
  3. Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea
  4. Jean-Paul Sartre criticism
  5. Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
  6. Jorie Graham, Region of Unlikeness
  7. Being John Malkovich (Dir. by Spike Jonze, 1999)

Peer Response

1. Goals

The dual goals of this course are for you to read and write about literature in a variety of manners. Informal writing and formal papers allows you to analyze the texts; reading scholarly criticism and participating in class discussion exposes you to a variety of other interpretations. Peer response sessions extend the reading and writing process by allowing you and your peers to engage in direct oral and written dialogue about matters of interpretation, with the ultimate goal of improving your formal papers. You have the opportunity to revise your first two formal papers based upon comments by your peers (Papers 1 and 2) and myself (Paper 1 only). You will provide constructive criticism to 2 or 3 other members of the class as will they to you.

2. Peer Response Groups

3. Written Peer Response

Answer the following questions as you formulate your one page, double-spaced response to each peer's paper. Because these peer response papers and sessions help your peers revise their papers and thus improve their grade, it is very important that you offer the best constructive criticism in the strongest possible terms, both in writing and in the group meeting. Do not simply say that a peer's paper is okay. Even if you find no problems, engage a dialogue with the paper's interpretation.

4. Verbal Peer Response

In the peer response meeting, group members will share their responses in verbal form. Writers take turns listening to their group members review their work. Specifically, the group should go around the circle and address the following issues.

Group Project

1. Sign-Up

The informal writing and first two papers compelled you to analyze literature, to estimate the author's world view. This assignment asks you to do just that, but also to teach the class what you've come to understand. Your group must choose a work of literature in the genre you've been assigned. Groups of four or five will compose a website that provides a working analysis of the text as well as an annotated bibliography of journal articles, book chapters, and scholarly websites on the text and/or its author. Groups will then teach the work of fiction to the class in a multimedia enhanced presention.  The website and presentation must be uploaded to Blackboard on the day your presentation is due. The project should be informative and argumentative. This assignment is neither a book report nor a biography, but instead a critical and analytical interpretation of a work of literature.

 

The purpose of this sheet is merely to form groups.  Sign up for two slots, placing a #1 by your first choice and a #2 by your second choice.  Once groups are assigned, those groups are responsible for meeting with me outside of class to determine a work of literature to read, research, and teach to the class via both a website and an oral presentation.

 

novel or two short stories

Richard Wright, Native Son

Rebecca Bryant

Jessie Clark

Denice Hobbs

Joe Hocog

play

Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman

Regina Bohanan

Emily Cave

Lynnie Hickey

April Mikesell

Ronda Ware

poetry

John Keats

Noah Glass

Lori Mangum

Rafiah Mu'Min

Michele Sharp

film or television program

Steph Collin

Anita Fisher

Kristin Reading

Emily Unruh

Laura Wells

2. General Goals

The informal writing and first two papers compelled you to analyze literature, to estimate the author's world view. This assignment asks you to do just that, but also to teach the class what you've come to understand. Your group must choose a work of literature in the genre you've been assigned. Groups of four or five will compose a paper of sorts that provides a working analysis of the text as well as an annotated bibliography of journal articles, book chapters, and scholarly websites on the text and/or its author. Groups will then teach the work of literature to the class in a multimedia enhanced presention.  The written and presentation components must be uploaded to Blackboard on the day your presentation is due. Note that Blackboard Group Pages affords group discussion board, collaboration (chat), email, and file exchange. The project should be informative and argumentative. This assignment is neither a book report nor a biography, but instead a critical and analytical interpretation of a work of literature.

3. Written Component

4. Presentation Component

The presentation should accomplish two objectives:

  1. summarize the ways critics read the story as well as what issues they debate
  2. teach the work of fiction to the class according to your groups reading of it

As long as you meet these two objectives, the format of the presentation is completely up to you. You may choose to use aspects of the website to guide your group presentation, or you may use Microsoft Powerpoint, which I'll show you how to use in class, to guide your presentation. You may choose to focus on various elements of literature (conflict, character, setting, symbol, point of view, structure, tone) as ways into the work of literature as we have done in previous classes. You have all the technology of our lab at your disposal: projector, vcr, cd players, speakers, web browsers, Microsoft Powerpoint; and I can reserve a dvd player if you need one. Presentations will be 20 minutes long and followed by a five-ten minute question and answer period.

5. Group Project Timeline

Week 7

Groups assigned.
Week 8

Choose text for group project by Wednesday.
Week 9

Read and analyze text individually.

Week 10

Discuss text as group.

Week 11

Research Methods Tutorial.

Start researching text individually and as group.

Week 12

Begin planning written and presentation components.
Week 13

Microsoft Powerpoint Tutorial.

Lab time for group projects given in class.

Work on website and presentation.
Week 14

Lab time for group projects given in class.

Work on website and presentation.
Week 15

Group Presentations

Websites due on day of presentation.

Paper 1

We have discussed Eliot, Rilke, Kafka, Carter, and Sartre's works at length in class. We have even discussed various scholars' interpretations of Sartre. And you have written on these works, but only informally and tentatively. Now is your opportunity to rigorously analyze a work of literature. For the first formal paper, write an essay built around the most important passage in one of the works of literature that we have read so far. In your studied interpretation, what is the most significant passage? Why is it central to the core conflicts, character, and meaning of the story? What issues does it embody? In other words, using this key passage, you should write a paper that 1) interprets the meaning of the work via 2) explicating the fundamental conflicts and basic concerns of the text.

 

Note: You will write two drafts of this paper. The first draft will be ungraded (though still subject to length and late penalties) and reviewed by both your peers and myself in order to give you constructive criticism for revising the second, graded draft.

Paper 2

We have discussed Eliot, Rilke, Kafka, Carter, Sartre, Beckett, and Graham at length in class; and we have read critics' differing interpretations of Sartre, Beckett, and Rilke. For the first formal paper, you analyzed the core conflicts and meaning of a work by looking at a significant passage. For the second formal paper, enter into the critical debate with the class and critics; write an essay that analyzes a difference of interpretion on a key point in a work of literature. Present the different interpretations, then argue for your side, your reading. Some issues that we have debated include but are not limited to: Is the hunger artist a real artist or a con artist? Is the ending of Nausea redemptive or ironic? Are Vladimir and Estragon fated to live in a hostile world that they must endure, or have they created the purgatorial situation for themselves? Does the shadow in Jorie Graham's "Spring" nullify love or does love transcend the shadow? You may, of course, use an interpretive question not listed here. You may use any work we've read in class, but it must not be the same work on which you wrote your first formal paper.

 

Note: You do not have to use the critical articles we've discussed in class, but you may do so if they help you formulate the debate.

 

Note: You will write two drafts of this paper. The first draft will be ungraded (though still subject to length, late, and MLA style penalties) and reviewed by your peers in order to give you constructive criticism for revising the second, graded draft.

Paper 3

In the first formal paper, you analyzed a particular passage, and in the second paper you debated the oppositing meanings of a work that we have read in class. For the third and final paper, select a work of literature not discussed in class (it may, however, be the work your group project worked on), and, after clearing it with me, write an in depth analysis and interpretation of the work using 3-5 works of scholarly criticism to provide support or counterargument. The primary emphasis of this paper is your thoughtful, rigorous analysis of a work of literature; use the secondary sources only inasmuch as they aid your interpretation.

 

Thesis and Sources: When we meet individually to discuss your third paper, you should turn in a paragraph or outline describing your tentative thesis. Also, provide a list of 10 works of scholarly criticism (approximately half books and half journal articles; do not use websites for this research paper) you plan to use to help yourself develop, expand, or support your argument. Here's the sign-up sheet for our individual conference, to be held during class time in Bingham Humanities Bldg LL15.

Individual Conference Sign-Up Sheet

M, 4-4

Steph Collin
Lynnie Hickey
Lori Mangum
Michelle Sharp
Noah Glass
Kristin J. Reading
Rafiah Mu'Min
Ronda Ware
W, 4-6

Joseph Hocog
Jessie Clark
Denice Hobbs
Emily Cave
Anita Fisher
Regina Bohanan
Emily Unruh
April Mikesell
Laura Wells
Rebecca Bryant

 

Note: You will only turn in one draft of this paper to me; however, I encourage you to share drafts with peers you've learned to trust in class and peer response sessions.

Research Paper Topics

Regina Bohanan Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman
Emily Cave Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman
Jessie Clark Richard Wright, Native Son
Steph Collin Ingmar Bergman, Through a Glass Darkly
Anita Fisher Anne Rice, The Tale of the Body Thief
Noah Glass John Keats
Lynnie Hickey Kate Chopin, The Awakening
Denice Hobbs Richard Wright, Native Son
Joseph Hocog Richard Wright, Native Son
Lori Mangum John Keats
April Mikesell Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wall-Paper"
Rafiah Mu'Min John Keats
Kristin J. Reading Ingmar Bergman, Through a Glass Darkly
Michele Sharp John Keats
Emily Unruh Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
Ronda Ware Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman
Laura Wells Ingmar Bergman, Through a Glass Darkly