Analysis of Elements of Fiction
Your first paper will be a 500-750 word critical essay on a selected short story, to be written in a 3rd-Person Point-of-View. You are to choose your story from the list below. The final draft will be due on Tuesday, August 27 by 8 Am. You need to upload it on turnitin via our class moodle. The purpose of turnitin is to AVOID PLAGARISM. Note: you will not be able to upload it after 4 pm. It will automatically close at 8:01 Am.
This paper is not a plot summary. Some suggested topics can be found on the accompanying page.
Apply the standards of good writing that you have learned in ENC 101 (Composition I), including a clearly stated thesis statement in the introduction and a clear, logical structure using topic sentences, developed ideas, and supporting quotes and details, ending your essay with a clear conclusion in which your thesis statement is reworded. End with a Works Cited page if outside sources were used.
To help with MLA style, use https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html . Also, review notes/handouts on documentation for matters of form. You must use direct quotations in this short essay. Per MLA guidelines, up to 25% of your paper can be direct quotations, while up to another 25% can be paraphrases. Remember, quotes and paraphrases are your evidence in a literary paper. For Short Essay #1 based on The Elements of Fiction for a short literary work, you should quote only from the reading selection in Literature and Ourselves (the primary text); do not quote/cite outside research (secondary sources) for this paper.[unique_solution]
CHOICE OF STORIES (from Literature and Ourselves):
- “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner (page 658) Compare this to “I Stand Here Ironing” discussing the theme of conflict between past and change.
- “Lusus Nature” by Margaret Atwood (page 260) Compare it to “Story of an Hour” using the theme of Identity and/or Isolation.
- “The Mark On The Wall” by Virginia Woolf (page 186) Compare this to “The Yellow Wall Paper” using the theme of gender roles and/or Trust.
I suggest you read the blurb before the story, too, that gives background information about the author and possibly of the story. I also recommend reading the questions and suggestions after each selection.
The Dos and Don’ts of Text Analysis Papers:
| DO NOT: Only summarize plot | DO: Analyze the thematic and symbolic significance of events in the story |
| DO NOT: Say you didn’t like a character | DO: Explain how a character was unlikable, how that effects the reading experience, and why that may or may not have been the author’s intent |
| DO NOT: Generalize and provide vague reasons behind your Text Analysis | DO: Use specific examples from the text(including quotes, if significant). |
| DO NOT: Make superficial, obvious insights (poor thesis: The Bluest Eye is about the struggles of growing up.) | DO: Think deeply, and look closely into the work. Notice things that a casual reader would not. |
| DO NOT: Simply repeat ideas mentioned in class by the instructor or by other students. | DO: Build off ideas mentioned in class, adding your own thoughts and insights to the discussion. |
**Remember: Text analysis papers must be typed and submitted on time. They will be evaluated based on focus, development, use of evidence, creativity, and level of insight.
POSSIBLE TOPICS:
- Characters and Theme: Select a character with an inner conflict or a set of characters in conflict with each other. Consider the motivations, influence on the plot, individuality or stereotyped traits, influence on other characters, and relationship to theme. Create a thesis statement asserting the chosen character’s/characters’ roles in developing a particular theme; include the Author and “Title” in the thesis statement (as the last sentence of the Introductory Paragraph). Then, support your thesis statement with an analysis of the ways this theme evolves from the character’s/characters’ actions and thoughts.
- Narrative Voice: Analyze the role of the narrator in mediating the story and helping the reader understand the conflicts and themes. Identify the narrative point-of-view. Then, mainly focus on the ways this particular narrative voice controls the other elements of the story, such as plot and suspense, portrayal of and biases toward other characters, and themes. Your thesis statement should be an assertion about the influence and impact of the particular narrative voice. Your thesis statement should be the last sentence of the Introductory Paragraph and should include the Author and the “Title.”
- Symbolism: Select a particular symbol or series of symbols in the reading, and discuss use and importance of the symbolism. Sometimes a symbol is a clear allegory of something else, and sometimes a symbol is an interpretive, changing expression of meaning, depending on character point-of-view, among other elements, as a symbol can represent different meanings to different characters for different reasons and different phases of life. However, be careful to avoid far-fetched interpretations, and remember that not every image or event is symbolic. Ground the meaning in the text. Most of all, avoid vagueness; be specific in your analysis. Your thesis statement, as the last sentence of the Introductory Paragraph, should clearly reference the symbolism to be analyzed, and it should include the Author and the “Title.”
- Your Choice: Select a particular feature of the short story, based on our study of the Elements of Fictions. Remember, this is not a plot summary, but rather, it is an analysis of a short work of fiction. Your thesis statement should assert the importance of the element you are featuring, and, being placed as the last sentence of your Introductory Paragraph, it should also include the Author and the “Title.”