Essay I (The Pedagogy of Fairy Tales) due Tuesday 3/2 at 8:30 a.m. 

Other due dates:

Instructions: Write a 3.5-5 page (875-1250 words) essay on two fairy tales. The goal of this argumentative paper is to demonstrate your fluency in original literary analysis and understanding of the features of folk and fairy tales.

Most of these essay questions are comparative, meaning that they ask you to compare two different tales. This is designed to encourage original critical thinking and to discourage plagiarism. In order to build a thesis/controlling idea, out of the similarities and differences you find, hypothesize what fairy tales teach and how they teach morals differently (or more effectively).

Please do not summarize any of the ‘plot’ (narrative, action, etc.) of the fairy tales, which are very well known to all of us. Rather, analyze the “deeper meaning” of the fairy tales, drawing attention to and citing details that a reader might miss reading them the first time; you should reread each story you write about. Each supporting paragraph should be centered on literary elements like themes, symbols, plot, and other recurring/repetitive details that expose hidden meanings; consult this Vocabulary page for more ideas. I would also encourage you to consciously adopt an approach to analyzing these fairy tales (i.e., psychological, anthropological, historical/economic, feminist, etc.). Please review the evaluative criteria.

The following are merely prompts; this means they should prompt you into formulating your own specific questions and answers which you can begin to explore in the prospectus. Choose one of the following topics:

1. Write your own essay topic. This is strongly encouraged, since students write better essays when they write about something they cherish.

2. Compare and analyze a folk tale focusing on a male protagonist to one focusing on a female one (for ex., “Judar and his Brothers” with “Cinderella” or “The Brave Little Tailor” with “The Frog Prince or Iron Heinrich”). What different kinds of rites of maturation do male and female children have to perform to become adults? How do fairy tales target the two genders differently? Why do fairy tales have such different expectations for male and female characters?

3. Compare and analyze a tale from A Thousand and One Nights to one of the Western fairy tales we have read (such as “Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp” and “Puss in Boots”). Do these tales have similarly subversive messages regarding the attainment of wealth and happiness? How do these tales upset traditional political hierarchies while still seeming to be benign? Why do fairy tales from such different cultures stress becoming kings and leaders?  

4. Compare and analyze an older version of a fairy tale to its modern, literate form (i.e., “Story of Grandmother” to Angela Carter’s “In the Company of Wolves”; Perrault or Grimm’s “Cinderella” to Anne Sexton’s poem on p. 325, etc.). What traits of the fairy tale “hero” do modern authors revise? How do they update folk tales for modern audiences? Why do modern writers draw on such a traditional genre as the folk tale?

5. Compare and analyze Perrault and Grimm’s versions of “Cinderella” (p. 39-51) to Disney’s version (or “Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp” to the movie Aladdin) after you have read Zipe’s article on p. 427 and reviewed the movie. Critique Disney’s sanitized version along the same lines that Zipes critiques "Puss in Boots." You must make specific reference to the ways in which the movie is shot, etc. and may not just rely on memory for this topic. With what kinds of myths does Disney attempt to brainwash American children? How do the original versions of folk tales teach more important lessons than the Disney versions? Why have American audiences accepted the banality of Disney’s versions?  

6. Compare and analyze a story from A Thousand and One Nights to one of the stories in the Folk and Fairy Tales collection. What is the function of the supernatural? How do “pagan” beliefs blend with monotheistic ones (syncretism)? Why might magic appeal to younger audiences, and how does it relate to the pedagogical function of the fairy tale?

Essay II: The Politics of Haroun and the Sea of Stories due Thursday 4/1 at 8:30 a.m.

Instructions: Write a 3.5-5 page (875-1250 words) essay on Rushdie’s novel.

The purpose of the argumentative essay is for you to reflect, in writing, on the literary, social, and political importance of Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories. This essay will also allow you the opportunity to fulfill the documented essay requirement for College Writing II; that is, you must find a library resource and incorporate this research into your final essay. What type of information you research will depend on how you focus and specify your essay topic. In addition to the general evaluative criteria used for the last essay, this essay will be evaluated on your ability to find, incorporate, and cite relevant research according to the MLA method. You may use more than one source, but at least one must come from a source that is originally a print medium (though it may be located through the online databases of the library); in other words, you may use internet resources, but they will not count towards fulfillment of the assignment. Please read this Web FAQ on how to cite internet resources.

Please do not summarize any of the ‘plot’ (narrative, action, etc.) of the novel, which is very well known to all of us. Rather, analyze the “deeper meaning” of Rushdie’s book, drawing attention to and citing details that a reader might miss reading them the first time; you should reread key passages that will support your argument. Each supporting paragraph should be centered on literary elements like themes, symbols, plot, and other recurring/repetitive details that expose hidden meanings; consult this Vocabulary page for more ideas.

1. Write your own essay topic. This is strongly encouraged, since students write better essays when they write about something they cherish. The only restraints are that the essay must focus on Rushdie’s book and incorporate a library resource.

2. What political allegory does Haroun and the Sea of Stories tell through its subtext? What political practices, social freedoms, and personal liberties does Rushdie critique and advocate? Why does Rushdie couch his political critique in the language, genre, and world of fairy tales?

For your research, you might consider Rushdie’s own political history or political conflicts in the late 1980s/early 1990s (concerning Islam, Pakistan, globalism, etc.). You can specify your response by focusing on one of the following: literature, women/gender, religion, economics, or the environment. Alternatively, you may find a scholarly paper on Rushdie’s book and critique (find fault with, analyze, and counter) that author’s argument.

Essay III: Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”

Instructions: Write a 3.5-5 page (875-1250 words) essay on Kafka's "The Metamorphosis." The goal of this argumentative paper is to demonstrate your fluency in original literary analysis. Each supporting paragraph should be centered on literary elements like themes, symbols, plot, and other recurring/repetitive details that expose hidden meanings; consult this Vocabulary page for more ideas. Please review the evaluative criteria.

The following are merely prompts; this means they should prompt you into formulating your own specific questions and answers which you can begin to explore in the prospectus. Choose one of the following topics:

1. Write your own topic (highly encouraged) on Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis.”

2. In what ways is Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” an “anti-fairy tale”? What morals and lessons does it teach—or fail to teach? Apply a sexual, political, or anthropological approach to explain how and why Kafka inverts the traditional fairy tale. You are encouraged to make connections to fairy tales we read in the first unit of the course. You might also consider using Kafka’s other writings on parables for this topic.

3. Several critics have suggested that the monstrous vermin exists only in Gregor’s mind; that is, the metamorphosis is really subjective, a delusion. Review the evidence for this interpretation, pro and con. Is there some value in looking at the story—which is told from Gregor’s point of view—as a hallucination?

4. How does Gregor’s family undergo a metamorphosis? Is their metamorphosis perhaps more dramatic than Gregor’s?

5. What is the “unknown nourishment” Gregor actually craves (Kafka 45)? In other words, what do food and hunger allegorize in “The Metamorphosis”?

Essay IV: Ibsen's A Doll's House

Instructions: Write a 3.5-5 page (875-1250 words) essay on Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. The goal of this argumentative paper is to demonstrate your fluency in original literary analysis and understanding of the features of modern European drama that emerge after close interpretation.

Like most literary interpretive papers, your paper should offer textual support and clearly articulated arguments. Unlike papers treating novels, short stories, or poems, your paper should consider the techniques of theater, including gesture/stage direction, setting, and the possibilities for interpretation that emerge from performance. If you are struggling to find the significance for a thesis (a.k.a. the ‘so what?’ of any good controlling idea), consider the purpose of Naturalist and late nineteenth-century drama; what purpose does it serve, how does it critique society, and why might audiences have been shocked by it?

The following are merely prompts; this means they should prompt you into formulating your own specific questions.

Choose one of the following topics:

1. Design your own topic on A Doll's House! This is strongly encouraged, since students write better essays when they write about something they cherish.

2. Is A Doll’s House a feminist play? Clearly articulate what you mean by feminist.  You might consider the ways in which this play treats the nineteenth-century “woman question,” which queries whether or not women engaging in public life can still retain their “femininity” (and still remain loyal wives, mothers, and daughters). Alternatively, you might explore the homosocial (female-female, or male-male) relationships in two different plays; does gender equality start with gender alliances, or are groups of men and women divided to begin with (and why)?

3. What is the tragedy of the ‘modern family’ according to Ibsen? What ‘solution’ to overcoming and/or avoiding familial tragedy does A Doll's House? How are motherhood and fatherhood portrayed? Why is modern marriage in a state of crisis? Why is the modern European drama (as it originated in the nineteenth century) so preoccupied with the issue of parentage and inheritance?

4. What roles do work and economics play in Ibsen? How does work inform characters’ identities? Does work have a positive or negative effect on social progress?

5. A Doll's House is part of the Realist and Naturalist tradition. Argue what kinds of fictions Ibsen's play critiques. How and why do characters construct fictional lives and identities, and what relation do these fairy tales have to the play's ultimate tragedy?

6. What purpose does Dr. Rank serve within the plot? What new insights does he provide into Nora's character?

7. Reread the dance scene in act II. What symbolic significance does the dance hold for Nora? Explore the levels of meaning it holds.

Please note:
- You should have an original title for your essay

- These are prompts, designed to prompt you into thinking about your own writing. You should revise and specify the exact kinds of questions your essay will be addressing.

- Please avoid plot summary. Focus, instead, on specific motifs (symbols, repetitions, allegories) and narrative techniques (position of narrator, genre conventions) and clearly articulate their interpretation/meaning.

- If you are struggling to find the significance for a thesis (a.k.a. the ‘so what?’ of any good controlling idea), consider the purpose of literature; what purpose does it serve, how does it critique society, and how might it teach life lessons?

- Cite information according to MLA (author #) and include a Works Cited.

- Struggling for vocabulary? Take a look at this page about Vocabulary for Literature and Writing.

• Please simply staple, number, and label each page with your last name (no cover pages or booklets). Include a title. 
  
• Papers should be no longer or shorter than the length assigned and submitted on time. Use twelve-point type, in Times New Roman or CG Times (or 10 pt. in Veranda, etc.). Late papers will result in grade reductions. Never submit a paper without proofreading it carefully.
• Late papers will be penalized.
• Please carefully proofread your paper; grammatically sloppy papers will have points deducted.
• In order to avoid plagiarism and to guide your readers in following your sources, please cite texts according to MLA standards. You may use outside sources but are not required to do so. If you do use outside sources, please be sure to cite them properly.
  

• Academic Honesty and Plagiarism: Definition of Plagiarism (from Student Handbook)

  "Plagiarism means the use of another's words as if they were your own, and the unacknowledged incorporation of those words in one's own work offered for credit.  The following guidelines for written work will assist the student in avoiding plagiarism:

              a) General indebtedness for background information and data is acknowledged by inclusion of a bibliography of all works consulted.

              b) Specific indebtedness for a particular idea, or for a quotation of four or more words from another text, is acknowledged by footnote reference to the actual source.  Quotations of 4 -5 words or more from a text are indicated by the use of quotation marks."

  Honesty is expected of you.  It is expected that the work you hand in will always be your own, and that you will never copy sentences, phrases, paragraphs or whole essays from any other person's work, for that is plagiarism.  Plagiarism is dishonest, and against both University policy and my own.  If you are ever unclear about how to cite another person or author's ideas, come see me or consult the staff in the Writing Center.  We can help you do this correctly.  It's important to understand that plagiarism is a big deal in this university and in my class.  Don't make this mistake.  Students who are caught plagiarizing will fail the course and be referred to the Dean of Student's office for disciplinary sanctions.

  
  
• This paper will be evaluated according to the strength and clarity of its argument, validity of its support, and originality of its conclusions. In addition, evidence of each student's ability to communicate these ideas in writing weighs considerably on the final evaluation. Therefore, you are encouraged to engage in peer-review and extensive proofreading.
  

• Students are encouraged to make use of the University Writing Center, located in Dickson Hall 285 (655-7442); students are benefited most by making an appointment, but drop-in hours are also available. I am more than willing to provide extra help and extra office hours! Please come to my regular office hours in Dickson Hall 324 or email me at nielsenw@mail.montclair.edu for an appointment.

Portfolio Assignment: Literature and its Critics

Due in class, Thursday 4/29

The purpose of the portfolio is to allow students the opportunity to present a body of cumulative work that underscores their understanding of literary criticism and improved writing styles. This assignment, which is in lieu of a final exam, counts for 20% of the final grade.

I. Attach a Portfolio Cover Letter to your Portfolio

The first part of this portfolio should explore and analyze what you have learned about literary analysis. In a sense, I am asking you to “close read” the form of writing we have been producing all semester. What are its main features? What is not acceptable in this kind of writing? What does this kind of writing tell us about the people who use it? And most importantly, what does studying literature teach us? Your goal here is to show that you have acquired “membership” in a general academic community of practice and that you “know” the rules of the game. Prove your membership by carefully explaining what is expected from literary analysis, and provide an explanation of what this might tell us about the users of this genre.

The final section of this letter should build on the knowledge of literary analysis that you have displayed in the first section. Use this last portion of your cover letter to highlight why your writing this semester shows progress toward developing the idealized academic discourse you described in the first part. In other words, how does your writing this semester demonstrate that you are prepared to participate in the world of letters and reasoning that constitutes the university?

II. Items to be Submitted

• Revision of 1 essay (the essay you revise should be originally below 83 points or your lowest graded paper: Show changes in bold or underline
  

• Revision of 3 responses: Show changes in bold or underline

• Discussion questions (optional)

III. Format

IV. Evaluation