Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Literary Analysis Paper



This assignment will ask you to examine any of the texts that we have read for class under any of the theoretical lenses which we have discussed. Most intro students choose to do a close reading of the text to reveal its structure, symbolism, tensions, and overall theme. You will find the power point and chapter on New Criticism in Critical Theory, by Lois Tyson and on Google Drive, to be most useful in such an endeavor. You may also choose to examine a text based on any of the other theories that we have covered in class: Feminism, Marxism, Deconstruction, Psychoanalysis, or New Historicism.

The paper should be at least five (5) pages long, in MLA format, include at least a two outside sources, and use proper citation. If you have any questions about formatting or citations you can reference the MLA section of the Purdue Online Writing Lab at:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/  or email me for help.

I have provided a sample literary essay on Google Drives which shows how to format a paper and will give you a good idea of what a paper like the one you are being asked to write looks like.

3 comments:

  1. I decided to do my paper on "Everything That Rises Must Converge" by Flannery O'Connnor.

    My thesis statement is:
    Julian’s attitude toward his mother is just like his mother’s attitude toward colored people, which does not make him any better than his mother.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My topic is the Marxist analysis of Brave New World by Huxley

    My thesis statement is:
    Huxley shows the downsides of class, consumerism, and capitalism’s effects.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My topic is the Feminist approach to Nora's character in A Doll's House.

    My thesis statement is:

    Ibsen has created a great example of how women are breaking free from traditional norms of being the lesser of men within the family role by creating his character, Nora, who is seen by her husband as a "doll" or child-like figure instead of his equal or partner as it should be. Nora not only breaks free from her marriage, but also the idea of what she is expected to be in the minds of others to pursue her own identity and what she feels her life should be.

    ReplyDelete