Monstrous Ink final paper

The study of literature from different historical periods and cultures allows us to think about what different cultures and eras label as “monstrous” and why. As Professor Asma says, “an action or a person or a thing is monstrous when it can’t be processed by our rationality, and also when we cannot readily relate to the emotional range involved.” This statement suggests that when a character in literature is considered a monster, that label may give us insight into those doing the labeling as well as a greater understanding of the monster itself.

For your final paper, consider three of the “monstrous” works we have studied this semester. By looking at them either individually or in comparison with each other, show how the presence of monsters contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a whole.  This “effectiveness” may in part be based on the facilitation of plot, but it should also involve consideration of the way in which the presentation of a monster is related to the meaning of the work as a whole.

Start by thinking about which of the so-called “monstrous” characters either confirm or refute any of the following assumptions:

• ·      Monsters cannot be reasoned with
• ·      Monsters are ugly and inspire horror
• ·      Monsters are unnatural
• ·      Monsters are overwhelmingly powerful
• ·      Monsters are evil
• ·      Monsters are misunderstood
• ·      Monsters cannot be understood
• ·      Monsters reflect the deepest fears of specific eras and cultures
• ·      Fighting and killing monsters is the business of heroes
• ·      Monsters are socially “constructed” and serve as scapegoats for expedient political agendas.
• ·      Monsters are psychological projections* of our own insecurities, fears, and shortcomings as a society. (*projection is a psychological defense mechanism which involves the unconscious transfer of one’s own desires or emotions onto another.)

Your paper should be approximately 7 – 10 pages in length; parenthetical citations should be used for textual support; any additional information, ideas, or language must, of course, be scrupulously cited.

See the assignment schedule on my blog for submission information, electronically on December 11, hard copy on 11th or 12th. Be sure to pay special attention to submission deadlines. On turnitin the assignment will be label “Final fall 2013.”

Time Out final paper instructions

             The works we have looked at this semester all use the element of time in distinct, unusual ways. In such works, chronological sequences of events are often altered, time may be suspended, accelerated, even reversed. Such works employ flashbacks, flashforwards, overlapping sequences, memories, or other devices to alter the reader’s perception of time or establish relationships among events.

            Choose three works from our common experience. For each, show how the author’s manipulation of time contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. This “effectiveness” may in part be based on the facilitation of plot, but it should also involve consideration of the way in which altered chronology is related to the meaning of the work as a whole.

If you are able to go even further, you might attempt to make connections among the works you choose. Perhaps two authors distort time for similar purposes; perhaps your chosen works illustrate a distinct range of methods and purposes. Perhaps you will find some other pattern worthy of discussion.

Your paper should be approximately 7 – 10 pages in length; parenthetical citations should be used for textual support; any additional information, ideas, or language must, of course, be scrupulously cited.

See the assignment schedule on my blog for submission information, electronically on December 11, hard copy on 11th or 12th. Be sure to pay special attention to submission deadlines. On turnitin the assignment will be label “Final fall 2013.”

In-class essays--sample prompts

--> Essay prompts for in-class writing generally involve giving student writers a general literary topic and asking them to apply that topic to their knowledge of a specific play or novel. The ability to refer to specific scenes and characters is crucial, but the preparation for the essay generally consists of reading carefully, participating in discussions and activities, and being able to transfer knowledge of the novel from memory into an essay. Here are two examples of this type of prompt.

1.              The eighteenth-century British novelist Laurence Sterne wrote, “no body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time.” Choose a character (not necessarily the protagonist) whose mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. Identify the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict illuminates the meaning of the novel as a whole. (Choices for this prompt originally included Macbeth. I think it would work well for Frankenstein also.)

2.              Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Choose a play or novel in which such a character plays a significant role and show how that character’s alienation reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions and moral values. (Choices for this prompt included Othello. I can imagine a pretty solid essay for Gardner's Grendel as well.)