This is an argumentative-style research paper totaling five typed, double-spaced
This is an argumentative-style research paper totaling five typed, double-spaced, numbered pages (your fifth page is your Works Cited)
Refer your “universal academic reader” to our main books (Leitch, Eagleton, and Murray) with paginated citations for direct quotes and paraphrasing.
NOTE: Since this is a relatively short midterm essay, (1) use only our theoretical and critical texts (i.e., Eagleton, Leitch, and Murray books), (2) avoid large block (extended) quotes. You can rework and incorporate your weekly reflections when these reflections are relevant. You won’t be penalized for incomplete citations as long as you let your reader know when you’re borrowing information.
(I
WILL PROVIDE PHOTOS OR WHATEVER YOU NEED, I WILL HELP YOU, FOR WHICH
EVER BOOK YOU’D LIKE TO USE BUT USING THE COURSE BOOKS FOR THIS
ASSIGNMENT IS MANDATORY)
CHOOSE ONE:
1. What do you believe is the most important lesson in regard to the relation between
epistemology and aesthetics, that is, between a theory of knowledge and a
theory of art (“art” here can be novels, film, poetry, photography, theater, and so
on)? How might our theorists (i.e, covered up to mid-term) help you make your
case? You can draw from Plato and classical Greek antiquity, Kant and the Western Enlightenment,structuralism,Formalism, New Criticism, phenomenological and psyhoanalytic criticism. You might consider important ideas such asmimesis, hermeneutic circle,intentional fallacy,dialogism, andsemiotics, to name only a few.The best essayswilldemonstratean excellent understanding ofour theory/theorists(certainly more than one), with creative and cogentconnections toour booksand Canvas readingsas well asa primary text(e.g., novel,film, or play). These connections willshowyour reader how youunderstandthe connection between epistemology and aesthetics via major critical theories.
or
2. David Foster Wallace’s essay, “Feodor’s Guide: Joseph Frank’s Dostoevsky,”
seems to suggest that the intentional fallacy has its limits, especially since,
according to the historian-critic Joseph Frank, Dostoevsky is everywhere in his
novels (a point underscored, perhaps, by Wallace’s own italicized self-conscious
reflections throughout the essay). Wallace’s reading of Joseph Frank would have us
believe that we construct our literary heroes, that there is no static author bound to a
single reading, period, or interpretation. With that view in mind, write an essay
where you consider the implications of Wallace’s essay in regard to our theory
as well as to your own favorite “author” (e.g., novelist, director, playwright, or
poet). You should know your author and her/his works well enough to make your
case with our theory. Do you agree with Wallace or the intentional fallacy?
or
3. According to the Russian Formalist, Viktor Shklovsky, art forces us to pause and
see the everyday in new light. Shklovsky’s important essay, “Art as Device” (or “Art
as Technique”), defines “defamiliarization” as an author’s attempt to make the
familiar strange. Shklovsky’s example of Tolstoy’s reflective horse is helpful. Yet we
have structuralists and mythologists who point to age-old archetypes that reappear
in a variety of texts, across genres, geographies, and periods. One need only recall
the “hero” and the “hero’s journey” to recognize the power, ubiquity, and familiarity of
archetypes. With this apparent contradiction in mind—art as unfamiliar and art
as familiar—write an essay that considers how a contemporary depiction of an
archetype and/or myth (e.g., recent novel, film, or play) defamiliarizes our
world in a way that makes the text art. This defamiliarization might involve race,
class, gender, and/or politics proper. When you develop your thesis, be sure to draw
from our relevant theories and theorists, e.g., Saussure, Barthes, Frye, Shklovsky,
semiotics, mythology, structuralism, and/or psychoanalytic criticism.
CORE REQUIREMENTS
These core requirements must be met in order to pass the midterm.
• Original Title (centered)
• Original Thesis (in opening paragraph)
• 5 pages total (four pages of argument-exposition, one page as Works Cited)
• Clear and convincing connections to the theory covered up to mid-term—only our
theoretical texts. Note: this requirement is most important as it demonstrates your
familiarity and understanding of our readings
• Works Cited page that lists all texts referenced in your essay
• Typed and double-spaced pages throughout (no more, no less)
• 12 point Times-New Roman font
• Numbered pages (top right)
• Proper header (You, Me, Class, Date) flush left, top of first page; no cover page
• MLA format