Task

Choose one of the works we have read for class and make an argument about the selected work that is supported by analyses of the text’s elements of fiction and close readings of specific textual evidence.

Procedure

For those who are unfamiliar with it, close reading is a methodology for interpretation used primarily in the study of literature to help readers gain a deeper, more precise, and more accurate understanding of the text being analyzed. Close reading emphasizes the local and the particular rather than the general and always involves paying close attention to details and patterns related to plot, theme, narration, characterization, setting, tone and mood, symbolism, and figurative language. You should aim to discover what the cumulative effect of these things is on the text as a whole.

After you have selected a work that we have read for class, reread that work and make observations and annotations about that work related to the elements listed above. Then, look for patterns (repetitions, contradictions, similarities, etc.) and ask questions about those patterns you have found.  Make an argument, using only evidence found in the text itself, that reflects on and ties together those local elements you have chosen to focus on. Be sure to consider our conversations in class and the handout materials about the different elements of fiction.

For example, if you were going to do a close reading of Emma Lazarus’ “The Crowing of the Red Cock,” you might decide to close-read evidence that relates the text’s exploration of religion, particularly the text’s depiction of the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, sin, vengeance, and liberty. While compiling evidence, you notice that at the end, the text sets up a final problem for the reader: how can the stain of violence towards the Jews be separated from Christian law and Christian love? You also realize that the protagonist chooses not to answer that question and that by the end, the text articulates an ethic of “forgiving and forgetting.” So, you might make an argument that the text suggests that, despite the wrongs that have been done, despite the violence, it is far nobler to both confront the violence and injustice and to forgive it and not demand reparations.

Requirements

1. Your literary analysis must be submitted on Canvas as a PDF or Word document, since they will be run through the university’s plagiarism checker. Please let me know if you foresee an issue with this requirement.
2. This assignment should be a minimum of 1000 words. You will not receive credit for the assignment if your essay does not meet the minimum word count.
3. All formal writing should use Times New Roman, 12pt, double-spacing, 1-inch margins, MLA Works Cited and proper in-text citations. If you are unsure how to correctly use MLA format, I encourage you to explore the Owl Purdue website’s MLA formatting guides and resources: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_style_introduction.html .