20Th CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE s1

ENGLISH 3015: SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE II DUE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5TH MARY MCGLYNN AT CLASSTIME

ESSAY #2: TOPICS and REQUIREMENTS

THE RULES:  All papers are due on Wednesday, April 5th at the beginning of class. Each day or portion of a day that a paper is late (this includes being tardy to class!) will reduce its grade by three points; no papers will be accepted after Wednesday, April 12th (via email since we are on break). Nonsubmission earns zero points. Any problems with delivery are the student’s responsibility.  Papers should be between 4 and 6 pages (1100-1650 words); much longer or shorter papers will be penalized. Margins should be one inch, font should be 12 point, and spacing should be double. All papers must be proofread; excessive misspellings, missing words, and formatting errors will result in a markdown of five points. Give a title that suggests your argument.  Essays should be about Pride and Prejudice or Wuthering Heights. If you want to write about a topic not listed below or would like feedback on an essay in progress, please communicate with me in person or via email. If my office hours are not convenient, we can schedule an appointment. Topics not on this sheet must be submitted for approval by Friday, March 31st.

GRADING: Your performance on this assignment will be evaluated based on the criteria detailed on essay assignment #1. The breakdown this time will be as follows: This essay is worth 180 points. Your performance will be evaluated based on the following criteria:  Argument: 60 POINTS  Logic and organization: 35 POINTS  Evidence: 60 POINTS  Diction and Tone: 25 POINTS

CHECK POINT: While we will not have another in-class workshop, I encourage submission of thesis statements early! I’ll read and respond to any draft or portion of a draft I receive by 2pm on March 31st.

TOPICS: There’s no need to answer every question in the topic you select; rather, use these ideas as jumping-off points to formulate your own argumentative thesis. Write about only ONE text. I’d emphatically recommend narrowing to a specific character, theme, or scene. Make sure to avoid any thesis that does not force you to close read, make reference to a text’s goals, or otherwise push past plot summary.

1. Fully explore the function of a minor character in one novel. Why is this character a necessary part of the text? What ideological function does the character perform? AVOID SPECULATION (alternate storylines) or any thesis like “Mary is important,” or “Joseph enhances the plot.” 2. Identify and analyze a binary opposition in either novel. You might consider such binaries as knowledge and ignorance, indoors and outdoors, or wealth and want. How does the author establish the binary opposition? Is there a valuing of one side of the equation over the other, and does this hierarchy imply an ideological position? You would do well to spend far more time on the analysis than the identification. 3. Investigate the way letters function. Who sends letters, how are they conveyed to us, and what makes them different from other forms of narration? What larger judgments about privacy, sincerity, or dialogism are conveyed? You may want to focus on one letter, or on one letter writer.

GOOD LUCK!