Purpose
Contemporary practices of literary and cultural criticism are grounded, whether explicitly or implicitly, in one or more theoretical models or insights. This theoretical grounding structures a critic’s engagement with their object(s) of study–from the kinds of questions they ask of the text(s), to what counts as evidence, to the very manner in which their argument unfolds.
Graduate students in English should be attuned to the theoretical underpinnings of these critical debates and, ultimately, should be able to deploy useful theoretical frameworks and insights to develop their own critical analyses and arguments–a key learning out come for both this course and the program as a whole.
Description
For your WT assignment, we will be using Tropic of Orange as our object of study. The paper that results will demonstrate your understanding of the theoretical angle or insight that you are employing, and demonstrate your ability to apply that angle or insight to the novel. You will use Parker’s text as our theoretical guide, but you will not cite the text directly. Instead, you will bring in two other critical voices (this could be figures mentioned by Parker) and frame the approach through their ideas. Why cut Parker, our key theoretical introductory source? This has to do with our emerging roles as professional critics, who rarely cite introductory material. As emerging professional critics, we can view Parker’s work as providing more generalized (albeit quite specialized) knowledge within the field. It’s a key to the main figures.
Where to begin?
A short paper of this sort–aim for 5 pages double-spaced, or around 1,250 words–cannot truly take as its object the entirety of a novel. It is better to conceive of the object for your paper as a much smaller portion of the novel. This could be a particular scene or a related set of scenes, perhaps an issue or a pattern of imagery or ideas that recur in the novel, perhaps a particular set of relations or dynamic you see being explored in the novel. The possibilities are many.
Your decision about what you might take as your chosen object of study in Tropic should be based on certain criteria:
- Is the chosen aspect of Tropic substantial enough to sustain an application of theory?
- Does the chosen target for interpretation open itself up to the theoretical angle you want to apply?
- Will an engagement with your chosen section or aspect of the text illuminate, in some ways, the novel as a whole?
Theoretical angle or insight: as with your object of study, here, too, you will need to pare down, which is why I have adopted the language of “angle or insight.” One cannot hope to apply psychoanalysis as a whole, for instance, to Tropic in a short paper. But one can apply a concept or insight from that theoretical field to an aspect or section of the novel in an effective and revealing way. We will brainstorm some theoretical insights or angles in class and through our discussion posts.
Organization
In terms of structure, you should begin by introducing the theoretical angle or insight that you will be applying. Please do so in a way that signals the importance of this insight–what is at stake, why it matters, what the approach seeks to clarify. This might take up a substantial portion of your paper–even close to half.
You will be developing and sharing some of the general background from Parker’s text, but you should also quote two theoretical voices as well.
End this first section with a transitional paragraph that indicates the nature of the analysis you are about to offer in relation to Tropic as you transition to the next section. Think of this as a sort of thesis paragraph that both strategically introduces the novel and previews the argument that will result from your theoretical engagement.
After you have clearly outlined the theoretical approach and signaled how you plan to apply it in the transitional paragraph described above, move directly on to an engagement with Tropic. Here, you will clearly provide evidence from the text (via quotation and summary). Then, follow up as fully as possible on the evidence–close reading is all about digging deeply.
Conclude by making clear the exigence of your theoretical engagement: why it matters to the novel as a whole, what it accomplishes. You are also welcome to qualify your approach, noting any limitations to the theoretical framework that you have employed.
Evaluation
This paper will be evaluated according to four key criteria, and a rubric will be used to offer feedback in each area.
Section I
Theoretical Overview: Does the author describe the key theoretical angle of insight clearly and accurately using quotations and/or paraphrases as needed from our core theoretical readings?
Argumentative Intent: Does the author includes a full statement or statements indicating how the theoretical insight will be applied? And is this argument successfully framed by a brief, motivated summary of Tropic for readers who might not be as familiar with it?
Application of Theory
Does the author clearly identify the aspect or section of the novel that will be addressed? Does the author apply the theoretical insight to the chosen aspect or section of the novel consistently and thoroughly? Does the author introduce and interpret evidence from the the text to support the application? Does the author choose and integrate the most relevant evidence from the novel chosen? Does the author effectively endorse or qualify the theoretical approach and the insights it affords using metalanguage?
Writing
Is the paper well-written? Does that author vary pacing and sentence structure, avoiding passive voice, weak verbs, and strings of prepositional phrases? Are other voices and ideas integrated elegantly, using signal phrases and well-framed quotations? Do your best to use terms from our Style book–coherence, cohesion, action, and characters–as you address writing issues.