18 Unit 2 – Discussions
Module 5: Introduction to Literary Theory
Reading Journal 5
- Choose one of the texts from the “Library” and read it carefully.
- Choose one literary theory that interests you and read about it carefully.
- Come up with an analysis question that relates the literary theory to the text. For example, if you are interested in Marxism, you might write:”How is the town of Starkfield in Ethan Frome organized by social class?” or “How is the character Zenobia Frome defined by social class?”
- Respond to your question in 350+ words. Be sure to use quotations and to clearly indicate how your responses relates to literary theory.
Module 6: Literary Theory & Close Reading
Discussion – Literary Theory: Database Dive
Literary Theory Close Reading Project
Contact a librarian and have them help you locate an academic article on one of the readings in this course. Be sure to identify an article that employs some of the aspects of at least one of the literary theories we study in this unit. Then, post the following:
- Provide a Citation for the article you found.
- Identify which of our readings the author focuses on.
- Identify the Literary Theory the author uses to analyze the reading.
- Directly quote a section of the article that you believe best illustrates the elements of the Literary Theory you identified in #3
- Take your best attempt at explaining why the section you quoted in #4 reflects the attributes of the literary theory you identified in #3
Example:
- López-Rodríguez, Miriam. “The Short Story As Feminist Forum: Louisa May Alcott’s Pauline’s Passion and Punishment.” Short Story Criticism, edited by Jelena Krstovic, vol. 164, Gale, 2012.Short Story Criticism Online http://0-link.galegroup.com.library2.pima.edu/apps/doc/XKONYM428794012/LCO?u=pima_main&sid=LCO&xid=3061e51f. Accessed 18 Jan. 2018. Originally published in Scribbling Women & the Short Story Form: Approaches by American & British Women Writers, edited by Ellen Burton Harrington, Peter Lang, 2008, pp. 37-46.
- Lousia May Alcott “Behind a Mask”
- Gender Studies
- “Generally in this subgenre, just as in melodrama, the hero and the villain act while the heroine waits passively to have her fate decided by the men in her life. Alcott changes this, turning the traditional ingenue into a femme fatale; her heroines know what they want and how to get it, regardless of social conventions.” (López-Rodríguez, 218)
- López-Rodríguez’s analysis of Pauline, a character who refuses to adopt the typical passive trope assigned to young women in novels, reinforces the concept of gender as a performance, a central tenant of Gender Studies.
Reading Journal 6
- Choose one of the texts from the “Library” and read it carefully.
- Come up with a question about that text. It can be any question this time.
- Conduct some research on the database and attempt to answer your question.
- In 300+ words, report on your experience. If you found information in your research, cite the source(s) and explain how it answers your question. Be sure to use quotations.
If you were unsuccessful in your search, please explain your process. What databases did you use? What search terms did you try? What journals did you check out? Did you contact a librarian? Why do you think you were unable to find what you were looking for?
