ENGL 2112 World Literature II

Researched Essay Assignment

Option 1: Traditional Literary Analysis with Research

Write an essay that will refer to one or more of the literary works we’ve read so far in class (your primary source) and that will involve some outside research (outside of our textbook—your secondary sources). Use one of the topics below, or come up with one of your own that will allow you both to refer to work(s) we’ve read and include outside research. Your essay should have a focused thesis and polished essay form. See other specifications below. See the “Literature” section of the Writer’s Reference for more guidance on literary analysis essays, thesis statements, researching literature, samples essays, etc. Also, the handout “Researching Literature” is on my web page. Make sure your essay is an analysis/interpretation and not simply a report. I should see evidence of your critical thinking in the essay.

Sample topics

• Any one of the questions from the Tartuffe study sheet. Or any similar question about a different work.

• Any one of the essay questions from Test 1 or 2.

• Analyze setting, plot, character, theme, point of view, OR symbolism from any one of the works we’ve read. How does your chosen element add to/control your interpretation of the work?

• Discuss/analyze gender roles in one or more of the works.

• Discuss/analyze the function of race and/or class in one or more of the works.

• Discuss/analyze a work’s portrayal of social conventions (marriage customs, parent-child relationships, etc.).

• Discuss/analyze how a work fits into its historical setting.

• Discuss what a work or works indicate about a religion (for ex, Ramprasad and Hinduism, Basho and Zen Buddhism, Song-Ling’s “The Mural” and Buddhism, etc.).

• Do more research into the censorship and banning of Tartuffe. Why did this take place? Discuss historical context.

• Research the German history behind Heine’s “Silesian Weavers.”

• Discuss Saikaku’s “What the Seasons Brought to the Almanac Maker” as an example of Japanese literature of the “floating world.” Why were love-suicides (or here, love-executions) such a popular motif in Japanese literature? Or, why does young love cut short seem so terribly romantic (compare/contrast to Romeo and Juliet).

• Discuss Song-Ling’s stories as examples of the Chinese supernatural tale or folktale. How do they compare to some examples from our culture? What do folktales indicate about their culture of origin?

Option 2: Creative Approach to Literary Analysis with Research

In the creative option, you will choose a work we’ve read so far in the semester and write a proposal in which you propose a film version of the work. Imagine that I am head of a production company and you want my company to finance your project. Convince me that your film version will work. Remember to include research: see the “Literature” section of the Writer’s Reference for more guidance on literary analysis essays, thesis statements, researching literature, samples essays, etc. Also, the handout “Researching Literature” is on my web page. Your proposal should have the following sections. In each section, show me your critical thinking and your understanding of the original text. Be specific rather than vague in your discussions. Sections:

Director

Identify one or two possible directors you think would understand your vision of the work. Think of movies you consider well directed and similar to your project. You can use the internet Movie Database to research. Provide justification as to why you think your proposed directors would be good choices. What about their careers so far would lead you to think so? What about their styles and philosophies?

Casting

Provide a list of one or two suggested actors per part (again, you can use Internet Movie Database if needed). For each actor, provide justification as to why you think each one would be good for which part. You can research actors’ past experience and also the reviews they got for their past parts, awards they’ve won, similar roles, education, etc.

Plot Summary

This will be a 2-3 paragraph summary of your storyline. Show me your understanding of what is happening and why. For our purposes, point out ways in which your version will differ from the version we read in class, and ways in which it won’t. Here, stick to plot summary and don’t analyze/interpret yet.

Theme Analysis

Provide approximately 300 words analyzing your storyline’s major themes. How do they compare/contrast to the themes in the version we read in class? Here is where you demonstrate to me a deeper understanding of what’s going on in both your work and the original version. Make sure to include outside research here as you discuss the themes. What do the scholars say about the original? What will they say about yours?

Adaptation Notes

Discuss in approximately 500 words your “adaptation.” Will you change the setting? Time period? What about costumes, props, soundtrack, etc.?  Will the language and tone change? Justify each choice; make it relevant and show me the relevance. What will the main scenes be? Why? Discuss at least one particular scene as far as your planned staging, soundtrack, suggested direction, etc. Discuss the ending and the opening. This would be another area to work in outside research as you justify your decisions.

Marketing Plan

Discuss how you plan to market the film and who you think the target audience will be (teenage girls? Middle-class adults?, etc.). Why would your film appeal to your target audience? What marketing appeals (slogans, descriptions, etc.) would the trailer use?

Specifications for both options

• The essay should be a minimum of four pages of text, with its Works Cited as the fifth or later page (for my classes, this means the text of your essay should go onto the fourth page). This is only a minimum.

• For written outside sources, you must include in your packet “source copies,” xeroxed or printed copies of each page from which you quote or paraphrase, so that I may check your quoting and paraphrasing. Label each copy with the author’s name at the top and highlight the section you quoted or paraphrased.

If you do not turn in the source copies, then I will not accept the essay. In that situation, you may get the copies and hand them in with the essay, late, with the appropriate penalty for lateness.

• Use MLA headings and MLA citations for the sources, both in the text and on the Works Cited page. Remember to obey all the rules for correct quoting and paraphrasing and citing of sources. See A Writer’s Reference.

• Refer to at least one of the literary works we read in class (primary source).

• Refer to at least three (3) outside research sources (outside of our textbook), a secondary source. These can be articles, books, credible websites, material from an introduction in our text, etc.

• Your Works Cited page will list your primary source(s)—the literature—and any secondary sources, listed in plain old alphabetical order (not segregated by type).

• If you use material from an intro or biographical note from out book, include the appropriate citation on your Works Cited page.

• For the Creative Option, you may use section headings as listed above. For the Traditional Option, you should not have section headings.

• Remember that a good, polished traditional essay has a focused thesis, a title, introduction, as many body paragraphs as the essay needs, conclusion.

• Go beyond surface-level thinking. Answer the “so what?” question. Get to meaning, significance, connections, consequences, causes, or whatever would be appropriate for your topic and for how you’ve decided to narrow the topic (your angle). I should be able to see evidence of your critical thinking. Your essay should do more than just report: interact with the literary work and with your research.

• Since this is an out-of-class essay, you should take the paper through several drafts and revisions. Therefore, editing (grammar, punctuation, usage, etc.) will figure heavily into the grade.

• Use a binder clip to fasten all the material together in this order: final copy on top with its Works Cited page. Next will be the source copies (see above).

• Paper Packet is due at the beginning of class on the due date. Electronic copy is due to TurnItIn.Com by 11:59 pm on that date.