Foundations of Literary Analysis - Spring 2005 - Prof. Steve Evans

15 February 2005 — First Paper Prompt

Choose a literary or cinematic narrative of some length and subject it to an analysis using the concepts and categories we've discussed in the first month of this class (Labov and Pratt's six common elements, Hillis Miller's more elaborate account of narrative universals, the distinction between plot and story, manifest versus latent content, Aristotle's terminology as used in Esslin, Goffman's concept of character contests, Bordwell's structuralist analysis of films, etc.).

It is up to you, first, to determine which theoretical framework (or blend of elements from different frameworks) best accounts for the actual operations of the narrative you've selected and, second, to make a convincing case for the superiority of the method of analysis you've chosen over competing models.

A successful paper will make an interesting choice of the object to be analyzed, demonstrate a firm and detailed grasp of the categories and concepts employed in the analysis of that object as well as a critical attitude toward them, and sustain its analysis in a consistent and well-structured manner throughout the length of the paper.

Format 1000-word paper in MLA format, using 10-12 point font, double spacing, and one-inch margins.

Due in class on Thursday, 24 February.