Introduction to British Literature AS/EN 2250 6.0 (Y), Fall/Winter 2019-20

Introduction to British Literature AS/EN 2250 6.0 (Y), Fall/Winter 2019-20

Essay #2: Comparing Texts.

Length: Approximately 1500 words

Value: 20% of final grade

Due Date: January 14, 2020

Essays are due in hard copy at the beginning of lecture. No email submissions. Late submissions will be penalized at the rate of 2% per day to a maximum of 10% per week.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Answer either question 1 OR 2 (see alternate side).

Whether you choose question 1 or 2, no outside research is required or recommended for this essay.

Your argument should proceed as a series of claims that connect to one another; claims should be articulated with specific pieces of textual evidence in focused, well-developed paragraphs; and connections should be effectively signalled.

You should adhere to a consistent style for formatting and citations; follow the standards set by the MLA Handbook, eighth edition.

Formatting and Submission

Please include parenthetical act, scene, and / or line citations as appropriate to references within the text of your paper, and an MLA-formatted works cited list at the end. (The works cited list need not be printed on a separate page.)

Your paper should include a descriptive title, but a separate title page is unnecessary.

Your essay should be 5-6 pages long (single-sided OR double-sided) in a standard, 12- point font, or approximately 1500 words long. Please double-space your lines and include page numbers. Be sure to include your full name: see MLA format for submission guidelines.

SEE OTHER SIDE FOR TOPICS

SEE OTHER SIDE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

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TOPICS: Choose question #1 or #2.

1. Choose TWO of the following texts for comparison:

The Duchess of Malfi

Paradise Lost

The Beggar’s Opera

Consider a theme common to both texts. Make an argument that relates how certain formal elements function to develop that theme in the texts you have chosen. How do the elements you highlight contribute to the argument the texts are making about that theme? You may consider images, landscape descriptions, stage settings, stage properties, costumes, scene structure, character development, literary devices, and/or language and speech patterns, for example. (You will, of course, inevitably address aspects of plot as you answer this question, but that element should not be your specific focus.)

2. Choose ONE poem from TWO of the poets for comparison from the collection of sonnets and metaphysical poetry on the syllabus by Sidney, Spenser, Shakespeare, Wroth, Milton, Donne, Herbert, and Marvell.

Consider a theme common to both texts. Make an argument that relates how certain formal elements function to develop that theme in the texts you’ve chosen. How do the elements you highlight contribute to the argument the poems’ speakers are making about that theme? You may consider such elements as images, metaphors, conceits, sound, meter, and/or Petrarchan conventions/motifs, for example.

You may consider the following suggestions for theme if you wish for either question, but you are free to choose your own.

the faithful (and/or unfaithful) servant / service

ambition / pride

the unruly woman / female desire

money and marriage

social disruption / class distinctions

deception and illusion / seeming and being

crime and punishment / justice and revenge

sin and salvation

competing drives toward fruitfulness and ruin

love / sex / desire

writing / authorship

death

God / afterlife

Please see your tutorial leader for guidance choosing texts, a theme, and a focus for your essay.