ENG110Y: Narrative
Instructor: Ann-Barbara Graff
Office: Room 291
Office Hours: MWF 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Class Meeting Times: MWF 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Second Essay Topics
Choose one topic from the following list:
1. Show how the comic tone of The Rape of the Lock qualifies the central moral issues of the poem.
2. There is no mention of a rose within the story "A Rose for Emily." What is the significance of the title?
3. Discuss the relationship between STORY (the "actual chronological sequences of events") and DISCOURSE (the sequences in which these events are revealed to the reader) in Frankenstein.
4. "Two in One," "The Yellow Wall-Paper," "The Tell-Tale Heart," and "The Birthmark" are stories that can be read as realistic, supernatural, or metaphoric. Choose one of these stories and discuss the ways in which these competing readings are produced.
5. Discuss the said, the unsaid, the unspoken and the unsayable in Lady Audley's Secret.
6. Setting refers to the physical backdrop or geographical location of the action in a story; the author creates the illusion of place by locating a scenario in space and time. In "The Yellow Wall-Paper" and Frankenstein, setting (weather, landscapes, urban interiors) is a key narrative element, as it is maximized to reveal and inform character and theme. Choose either "The Yellow Wall-Paper" and Frankenstein and analyze how setting informs character and theme.
7. Analyze how Holmes' genius is produced in "The Adventure of the Dancing Men."
This assignment is worth 10 % of your total grade. The essay must not be more than 1200 words (5 pages, typed, double-spaced) and should be handed in on or before Wednesday January 12, 2000.
Unlike your previous assignment, I am requiring that you perform two extra steps--both of which are meant to help you identify and clarify your argument:
1. underline your thesis statement (preferably in blue or red ink);
2. along with your essay, hand in an abstract of your paper. An abstract is a precis or summary in paragraph form of the key details that show the shape of your argument. Your abstract should be 50-100 words (no more than half a page). If you would like to see sample abstracts, peruse the on-line journals available from the Library or visit the library in person and ask the librarian to help you find volumes of literary articles abstracts.
Penalties for lateness: Extensions should not be asked for and will not be granted EXCEPT in cases of serious emergencies, e.g., medical crisis. Late essay will be penalized 5% per day (including weekends and holidays).
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Posted 10 December 1999