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Subject:
English, Literature and Philology
Topic:
Literary Analysis
Type of work:
Essay
Level:
College
Number of pages:
6 pages = 1650 words
Grade:
High Quality (Normal Charge)
Formatting style:
MLA
Language Style:
English (U.S.)
Sources:
0
Deadline:
19 May 2020 01:32
Created:
17 May 2020 01:31
Website Region:
United States
Price:
250/pg
Order instructions
In this essay you should combine your practice responding and analyzing
short stories with support derived from research. So far, in the discussion
boards, we have practiced primarily formal analysis. Now I want you to
practice "joining the conversation." In this essay you will write a
literary analysis that incorporates the ideas of others. The trick is to
accurately present ideas and interpretations gathered from your research
while adding to the conversation by presenting your own ideas and analysis.
You will be evaluated, in part, on how well you use external sources. I
want to see that you can quote, paraphrase and summarize without
plagiarizing. Remember, any unique idea must be credited, even if you put
it in your own words.
Choose one of the approaches explained in the "Approaches to Literary
Analysis" located at the bottom of this document. Each approach will
require research, and that research should provide the context in which you
present your own ideas and support your thesis. Be sure to properly
document your research. Review the links in the "Writing about Literature"
tab as these will help guide you.
While I am asking you to conduct outside research, do not lose sight of the
primary text to which you are responding---the story! Your research should
support your interpretations of the story. Be sure that your thesis is
relevant to the story and that you quote generously from the story.
Purpose: critical analysis, writing from sources
Length: 5 pages, approx 1500 words
Documentation: Minimum of 5 sources required. Documented in MLA format.
(Note: review the material in "finding and evaluating sources" to help you
choose relevant and trustworthy sources.)
Choose from the following short stories, all located in the folder located
in this unit.
A Perfect Day for a Bananafish
The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber
The Wall
The Swimmer
The Lesson
At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers
The Birthmark
For Esme... with Love and Squalor
Below are some examples. I do not require you to choose one of these
topics. They are just here to give you an idea of the type of approaches
that will work for this essay.
1. Philosophical analysis: How do the stories by Jean Paul Sartre and
Albert Camus reflect the philosophy of existentialism?
2. Socio/cultural analysis: What opinion about marriage and gender roles
does Hemingway advance in "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber"?
3. Historical analysis: What social dilemmas faced by African Americans in
the 1960s might have inspired Toni Cade Bambara to write "The Lesson"?
4. Biographical analysis: What events in Salman Rushdie's life might have
influenced the events in "At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers"?
5. Psychological analysis: How is John Cheever's "The Swimmer" a metaphor
for the psychology of addiction?
Approaches to Literary analysis
Formal analysis - This type of analysis focuses on the formal elements of
the work (language, symbolism, plot, character, setting) in an effort to
explain how the story functions. It is concerned with the parts of the text
and how those parts fit together to create meaning. Outside information
such as the author's background and historical events are generally not
referenced in formalist criticism. A formal analysis conceives of the
literary work as a self-contained experience.
If you choose this approach you will need to research scholarly
interpretations of your selected story and include those as part of the
conversation.
Historical analysis- This type of analysis uses historical context to
understand the work. Many 20 th century stories can be best understood
within the framework of major events: Industrialization, The Holocaust,
WWII, The Great Depression, The Civil Rights Movement, feminism, etc. A
historical analysis will "base interpretations on the interplay between the
text and historical contexts."
" a piece of literature is shaped by the time period in which it was
written and thus must be examined and interpreted in the context of that
time period. This theory attempts to tie the characters, events and
language in a piece of literature to events from the time period in which
it was written. "
If you choose this approach for your literary analysis, you should be well
aware of the major events of the time period.
Biographical analysis - This type of analysis uses the author's life as a
starting point for interpreting the story. The belief is that it is
necessary to know about the author and the political, economical, and
sociological context of his times in order to truly understand his works.
How do the themes present in the story reflect the concerns and experiences
of the author? In this approach there may be considerable overlap with
historical analysis. That's ok-they are not mutually exclusive.
Sociological analysis (cultural criticism) - This type of analysis
interprets the story in term of social structures: class, race, gender,
culture, nationality or economics. Feminist criticism, postcolonial
criticism, Marxist criticism, etc. all fall into this category. It can also
overlap with historical analysis. For example, a Marxist criticism of
Catcher in the Rye might claim that Holden's depression is derived from
material wealth and social inequality.
Philosophical analysis: This approach uses a philosophical framework from
which to approach the work. The belief is that the larger purpose of
literature is to teach morality and to probe philosophical issues.
Existentialism is a common philosophy that find roots in literature,
particularly in that of Sartre and Camus. Here are some questions to ask if
you are interested in this approach.
• &νβσπ; What religious or ethical beliefs does the text deal with
directly? Are any religions or philosophies mentioned specifically in the
text?
• &νβσπ; What religious or ethical beliefs or philosophies does the author
seem to favor? How can you tell?
• &νβσπ; What religious or ethical beliefs or philosophies does the author
seem to disfavor?
• &νβσπ; What behaviors do the characters display that the author wants us
to think are "right"?
Psychological Analysis: This approach uses theories of human behavior as a
means of analyzing the story. Psychological critics view works through the
lens of psychology. They look either at the psychological motivations of
the characters or of the authors themselves, although the former is
generally considered a more respectable approach. Most frequently,
psychological critics apply Freudian psychology to works, but other
approaches (such as a Jungian approach) also exist.
• &νβσπ; Are there any specific psychologists or psychological theories
mentioned in the text? In what ways?
• &νβσπ; What theories of human behavior does the writer seem to believe?
How can you tell?
• &νβσπ; What theories of human behavior does the writer seem to reject?
How can you tell?
• &νβσπ; How do people'> s minds work in the text? How do people think? How
are their thoughts shown?
• &νβσπ; In what ways do the structure and organization of the text
indicate the writer'� s beliefs about the workings of the mind?
GeneralEssayUndergraduate
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