PAPER #1: SHORT FICTION                DUE: Monday, October 6, 7 P.M.

                                                            English 104 with Professor Russell

 

ASSIGNMENT: Analyze one of the short stories assigned in class and listed in the syllabus based on one of the critical strategies discussed: Deconstructionist, Feminist, Psychoanalytic,[1] Marxist, or New Historicist. (Do not choose "The Story of an Hour" for your analysis.)

 

You should have a specific, sophisticated thesis statement in your introduction paragraph: this is what you will spend the remainder of your paper defending. Defend your assertions with examples from the text. Include at least two direct quotes from the story and be sure to adhere to MLA format (parenthetical citations and a bibliographic notation). Your thesis statement can be generated using one of the "Questions for Arguing Critically about Literature" from Chapter 52 of your Bedford anthologies (p. 2121Ð2124).

 

PARENTHETICAL CITATION (From "A Sample Student Analysis", Ch. 52, p. 2137):

 

SammyÕs descriptions of the A & P present a setting that is ugly, monotonous, and rigidly regulated. The fluorescent light is as blandly cool as the "checkerboard green-and-cream rubber-tile floor" (562).

 

BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTATION (Also from "A Sample Student Analysis", Ch. 52):

 

Work Cited

Updike, John. "A & P." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Myer. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. MartinÕs, 2009. 560Ð64.

 

FURTHER REQUIREMENTS: This paper should be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, in 12-point, Times New Roman font. Be sure to include a proper heading (your name, my name, the course, the date) and header (your last name and the page number in the top, right-hand corner of each page). Your paper should have a dynamic title (that is, something other than "Paper #1"; note the sample paper title: "The A & P as a State of Mind"). Do not include a cover page. Your finished work should be 4Ð5 pages in length.

 

SUBMISSION: You should submit your final paper both to the TurnItIn.com web site and also to me in class. The TurnItIn.com information for this class is as follows:

 

                                    class ID:                                 2312007

                                    enrollment password:          literature

 

Submit your paper to the PAPER #1: SHORT FICTION folder on Turn It In.

 

Again, please bring a printed copy of your paper to class on Monday, October 6, in addition to turning-it-in-dot-com. You can print your paper at home or in the library on campus.

 

 


[1] We will be discussing Psychoanalytic Criticism in class on September 29. You can read about ÒPsychological StrategiesÓ in advance by consulting your Bedford text (Ch. 51, p. 2088Ð2090).