What is the language of literary analysis, and how is it used? What can it help us see about a text? For both of the primary texts we're using this term, one in prose and one in poetry, each student will be 1.) presenting informally on one literary term and its use in a particular context, 2.) composing a 1-2 page illustration of its use, and 3.) uploading that illustration to the course wiki.

Presentation

These presentations should take no longer than 5 minutes. Because they are informal, you should treat the presentation as a conversational excerpt--think of it as an extended moment when you, having gathered your thoughts beforehand, are sharing something in a discussion with your peers. You may use your 1-2 page illustration as a rough guide for your informal presentation, if you so wish, but you may not read from it! You'll be giving uploading the response to the wiki, where everyone can read it, so why would we want you to read it to us? The goal of these informal presentations is both to help familiarize you with the graduate seminar environment, which asks that you participate in a thoughtful manner, and to increase your comfort level with the act of presenting information in preparation for your formal presentation at the end of the term.

1-2 Page Illustration

Compose a 1-2 page response-essay in which you paraphrase the term and use it to close read an aspect of the literary text we're working on. Your response should be formatted according to MLA principles, and it should use parenthetical citations to document any direct quotations or paraphrases you use. You should find yourself drawing on the primary source (Conrad, Pope) as well as a secondary source (Abrams), though you should work towards paraphrasing the material drawn from A Glossary of Literary Terms.  Remember to include a works cited page! I have composed a sample illustration for you to model yours on, which you can also view at the upload site, below.

Upload to the Course Wiki

Finally, by the date of your presentation upload the text of your 1-2 page illustration to the course wiki, so that your peers can refer to it as a practical example of close reading using literary vocabulary. This portion of the assignment also familiarizes you with the basics of wiki use.

Archived Examples

Fall 2008

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