On the Critical Essay
As you know, the topic for and argument of your twelve-to-eighteen-page critical/comparative essay are open, but you must turn in a 2-3-page research-based proposal that provides a compelling justification/rationale for your project after Thanksgiving break.
The purpose of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to make a sustained comparative analysis of your own. Thus, when reading the literature, criticism, and history in this class, be alert to the modes of comparative analysis that works from each genre exemplify.
Due: Proposal for Critical/Comparative Essay due in class Tuesday, December 4, 2001. Final draft due Tuesday, December 18, 2001, no later than 5 pm, in my mailbox in the English department main office (277 Fenton) or in the envelope outside my office door (240 Fenton).
Format: 12-18 pages, double spaced, with reasonable fonts, font sizes, and margins; title that indicates main argument of paper; heading that includes your name, the course name or number, and the date; bibliography and citations in MLA style (see links page for explanations of this style of citation); proper quotation format for quotations within a paragraph: "..." (12); blockquote format for quotes five lines or longer.
Criteria for Evaluation: No matter which direction you take for the critical/comparative essay, I will be grading your paper in terms of how well you make your case for your interpretation of a story or stories and how well-organized and well-written your paper is. Hence I will be evaluating the coherence, validity, and persuasiveness of your paper's argument, the effectiveness of your paper's structure, and the quality of your paper's prose (grammar, syntax, and punctuation).
Possibilities: What follows is a list of modes of comparative analysis and potential topics for the critical essay:
ENGL 514: Comparative Approaches to Literature, Fall 2001
Created: 10/7/01 7:34 pm
Last modified: 11/29/01 10:16 am