Guidelines for Analytical Paper 

You must write three literary analyses involving library and Internet research for this course.  While bringing in library and Internet research to support the arguments you make in your literary analyses will be very important, the best way to think about these analyses is that you are doing research on the works themselves; that is, I want you to select an idea, theme, literary term, character, or some other appropriate concept and then do a thorough, systematic, detailed analysis of that concept as it appears in the works we have studied.  

The first literary analysis must be 1,000 to 1,250 words (4-5 typed pages) and must deal with the dramas we study.  The primary focus of your first literary analysis should be on your interpretation of the dramas we study rather than just what the critics say.   At the same time, you must include in your analysis references to at least five outside, scholarly sources (this does not include encyclopedias or trivial, non-academic sources like Cliff Notes and so on); only one of these sources must be accessed from the Internet. 

For instance, if you want to research how dramatic irony is used effectively by the playwrights, you would need first to define this term, then discuss its appearance in the plays, whether or not it is used effectively (upon what basis would you make this judgment?), and make a case for which playwright best uses dramatic irony.

The second literary analysis must be 1,250 to 1,750 words (5-7 typed pages) and must deal with the lyric poetry we study.  The primary focus of your second literary analysis should be on your interpretation of the lyric poetry we study rather than just what the critics say.   At the same time, you must include in your analysis references to at least six outside, scholarly sources (this does not include encyclopedias or trivial, non-academic sources like Cliff Notes and so on); only one of these sources must be accessed from the Internet. 

For instance, if you want to research how metaphor is central to lyric poetry, you should begin by defining metaphor (and the significant terms related to it such as analogy, simile, and so on that you will refer to in your discussion), then select particular metaphors that appear repeatedly in lyric poetry (such as eyes compared to stars or lips to cherries), discuss the appearance of these metaphors in selected poems we have studied, and make a case for how and why metaphor is central to lyric poetry.  One further way you might narrow your focus in this literary analysis would be to write on the metaphors of one of the poets we have studied.

The third literary analysis must be 1,500 to 2,000 words (6-8 typed pages) and must deal with the prose fiction we study.  The primary focus of your third literary analysis should be on your interpretation of the prose fiction we study rather than just what the critics say.   At the same time, you must include in your analysis references to at least seven outside, scholarly sources (this does not include encyclopedias or trivial, non-academic sources like Cliff Notes and so on); only one of these sources must be accessed from the Internet. 

For instance, if you want to research how characterization is accomplished in prose fiction, you should begin by defining characterization and by noting the four distinct ways characters are developed by an author, then select particular characters and show how the authors have chosen to develop those characters, make a judgment about what is the best way to develop a character (upon what basis would you make this judgment?), and make a case for which writer best develops characters.

Regardless, in approaching each analysis, remember that your main task is to explain as clearly and fully as possible your thesis; that is, you must attempt to bring out the significance of your thesis by analyzing dramatic irony, metaphor, or characterization (or alliteration, simile, paradox, irony, personification, imagery, meter, rhyme scheme, theme, biblical influence/allusion, and so on).

The paper should have at least a paragraph of introduction with a clearly stated thesis. In the body of the paper you should quote freely from the texts being analyzed and to a lesser degree from scholarly sources. Students who do poorly on these analyses most often fail to quote specific passages from the texts being analyzed in order to support arguments or points of development. In addition, there is no substitute for careful, coherent, and relevant research; vague, generalized, non-specific, "off-the-cuff" remarks are not acceptable.

Finally, I will evaluate your paper according to three criteria in descending order of importance. First and foremost, I will note if your content is meaningful, thoughtful, and logical. I will look to see if you are "shooting the bull." If so, I will not hesitate to mark it as such. Second, I will study your paper to see if it is well-researched, well-documented, well-organized, neat, and easy to read. If you are uncertain about proper documentation techniques, refer to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Lastly, I will check the grammatical accuracy of you paper.

All papers must be handed on diskette or sent as email attachments.  Due dates are as assigned on the online syllabus; late papers will lose one letter grade for each day late.