The Broadview Anthology of British Literature
English 201
Paper 1 Topic
In class, we regularly examine a small portion of a text and discuss its significance to the text as a whole. This is, in essence, what you will be asked to do for your first paper. This is actually harder than it sounds, so I would remind you that you are free to come to my office hours to discuss any aspect of the course; discussion of your paper is particularly welcome!
Texts:
- Joseph Black, et al, editors, The Broadview Anthology of British Literature. Concise Edition, Volume A. Third Edition. ISBN: 978-1554813124
Here’s a Step-By-Step description of what you will do:
STEP 1: Reread the text that you found the most compelling and see if there are any passages that jump out at you as particularly interesting or significant. You may not select the stories of Hilda and Caedmon.
STEP 2: Select a passage of no more than 12 lines. N.B.: You may not select a passage that we have discussed in class. Feel free to come and speak to me in office hours about whether a passage would be a good choice.
STEP 3: Read, re-read (and re-re-read!) your passage, making notes on everything that you consider significant. Think about how the passage is working on the levels of: single word choice, stylistic devices, sentence structures, imagery, tone, pacing, etc.! Also, remember that your observations can be “significant” in any number of ways, including the thematic, aesthetic, generic, cultural, historical, and so on.
STEP 4: Analyze your notes, making connections between your different observations. Be as thorough as you possibly can. N.B.: You must submit this close reading/rough analysis(demonstrating your work from steps 3 and 4) along with your final essay. You will probably only use a small portion of this analysis in your essay, but it is important that you do the analysis beforehand to ensure that you have considered all of the evidence. You must submit this analysis with your paper.
STEP 5: Formulate an ARGUMENT about the importance of an element your passage to the text as a whole; this argument will be your “thesis statement.” Note: “this passage is important to the text as a whole” is NOT sufficiently argumentative! Be as specific as possible. For example, if you were to select Cædmon’s hymn (though you are not allowed to do so, of course), you could argue the following thesis statement: “by incorporating pre-Christian verse forms and Christian content, the song serves as a turning point in Caedmon’s transition from the pre-Christian, earthly values of his ancestors to the Christian.”
STEP 6: Write an essay of 600 words that clearly and precisely argues your case. It is very important that you use evidence from your passage, by which I mean you should make references to specific features and qualities of your passage that you analyzed in STEPS 3 and 4, above.
FORMAT:
N.B.: your paper MUST be in MLA format. The MLA Handbook is available in the library.
REMINDERS:
- You may not select a passage that we have done in class. If you are uncertain about whether we have covered something in class, feel free to ask me in office hours.
- Remember that summarizing what is going on in a passage is not the same as close reading.
- You must submit your thoroughclose reading along with your final paper. Not doing so will significantly affect your grade.Tbiis close reading must include AT LEAST the following:
- At least 3 aesthetic features, with some analysis.
- At least 7 other features (thematic, cultural, generic, etc.) with thorough analysis.
- As with all essays that refer to a work, you must include a bibliography in MLA format. Not doing so will result in a lower grade.
N.B.: Dr. Kightley will be grading this assignment. If you’ve got any questions, visit his office hours.
