AMERICAN LITERATURE

Essay 4: Critical Theory Analysis

ENGL 2327: Survey of American Literature I

Overview

For this assignment you will write a critical theory analysis that analyzes a modern literary work supported by secondary sources. You will develop a narrowly-defined argumentative thesis that argues the importance of viewing the literature through a specific critical theory. Much broader in its investigation of a literary work than a thematic analysis is, the critical theory analysis focuses on the ways in which a theory illuminates certain social, political, or cultural ideas developed in the literature. The critical theory analysis requires that you establish a relationship between a literary work and critical theory and, in doing so, understand how the literary work becomes an expression of individual or communal values within a social, political, or cultural context. A critical theory analysis usually requires that you establish criterion; in this case you will use the supplied with handouts about the critical theories. As you develop your analysis, make sure to support your assertions with specific evidence from the literary text and further support it with secondary critical articles. Avoid unnecessary plot summary; plot summary is not a substitute for critical analysis.

A very basic way of thinking about literary theory is that these ideas act as different lenses critics use to view and talk about art, literature, and even culture. These different lenses allow critics to consider works of art based on certain assumptions within that school of theory. The different lenses also allow critics to focus on particular aspects of a work they consider important. For example, if a critic is working with certain Marxist theories, s/he might focus on how the characters in a story interact based on their economic situation. If a critic is working with post-colonial theories, s/he might consider the same story but look at how characters from colonial powers (Britain, France, and even America) treat characters from, say, Africa or the Caribbean. Hopefully, after reading through and working with the resources in this area of the OWL, literary theory will become a little easier to understand and use. (Purdue OWL, “Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism”)

The most important thing about this paper, in addition to having a critical theory analysis based on specific criteria and an arguable thesis statement for the literary text and critical theory you have selected, is to make sure that you ground your analysis in a CLOSE reading of the literary work, including concrete details and explanation to engage the audience. This should be further supported with scholarly peer reviewed articles that are also exploring the application of critical theory to literature. No matter which texts you choose to explore (and you have free reign to develop any critical analysis you like that is appropriate to the texts and aesthetic rubric; there are no “right” or “wrong” interpretations in this course, only stronger and more weakly developed ones), just be sure to connect your main observations and ideas to each other and support them with textual evidence. Move beyond summary and interpretation and into analysis to critically examine your selected literary text through a critical theory.

Important Note: One of the pitfalls of the critical theory analysis is that students will sometimes write a paper in which the essay simply lists aspects of the work that appear to be related to the critical theory. An example of this might be a paper that just lists various scenes from the literary text, summarizing them and not looking in more detail to analyze how the literary work develops social, political, or cultural ideas through the lens of a critical theory. This is what we call a straight "description"-type essay, but it does not necessarily have anything interesting to say beyond listing certain obvious features the work. The important thing to remember is to have a debatable (and hopefully creative and interesting) point you want to argue (and this requires judgment and analysis on your part--you have to have some sort of critical edge in which you are adopting a particular opinion that requires persuading your reader to understand your point of view, even if they don't ultimately agree with it). Your thesis should be a point you want to make that could be contested; it should also pass the "why does it matter?" test. In other words, what is ultimately interesting about the point you want to make, and how does it go beyond just a literal reading of the surface details of the literary text?

Guidelines

Develop a comprehensive and detailed 5 to 10 typed (double-spaced) critical theory analysis analyzing a literary work that interests you, and that you feel would be interesting to a general audience. Because you will be writing about a literary work and supporting your analysis with multiple secondary works, you will need to include a Works Cited page (after your 5-10 page composition) to complete your assignment. You should focus on how the critical theory informs your understanding of the literary work, carefully constructing both your thesis statement and critical theory analysis (so that your analysis should be very clear and grounded in interesting textual evidence). A minimum of 3 outside sources are to be used for this paper, which should support (not replace) your own analytical thinking. When in doubt, contact me for further guidelines about your chosen subject.

Other Considerations

· Be sure that you are working with one of the assigned literary texts and critical theory pairs (see below).

· Include textual evidence from your literary work and multiple secondary sources per body paragraph.

· Review the extra resources about critical theory.

Consider the following questions when developing your comparative analysis:

· Objectives: What relationship (based on the critical theory) should the audience recognize is present in the literary work? Why is this relationship significant to the general reader?

· Angle: What social, political, or cultural idea is highlighted by applying the critical theory to the literary work, i.e. what is your thesis statement? Is the thesis statement clearly defined?

· Tone: What attitude about this relationship should be conveyed in your writing? What words will you use to convey this impression?

· Evidence: What evidence (concrete, reliable, credible) should be provided to support the thesis statement? How will you synthesize (connect) the literary work and the secondary sources to support the thesis?

· Contribution: How will the critical theory analysis show why the literary work is important to the writer and the reader(s)?

· Style: How clear is the language/style/expression?

· Conclusion: How does your critical theory analysis explore representative ideas from the texts? How does it develop characteristic perspectives or attitudes expressed in the texts? How do the texts express individual or communal values? How does your analysis explore social, political, or cultural implications in a literary work? What is the final evaluation about the relationship between the literary text and the critical theory?

Text Options

· Emily Dickinson Poems 225, 269, 1096 (NAAL pps. 1654; 1662, 1664, and 1687) and Gender Critical Theory

· Frederick Douglass “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself” (NAAL pps. 1159; 1163-1228) and Psychoanalytic Critical Theory

· Frances Ellen Watkins Harper poems (NAAL pps. 1630-1637) and Ethnic Studies Critical Theory

Organization

Arrange the parts of your critical theory analysis in the order that will prove most effective with the audience. Your essay should be objective and analytical rather than inward and subjective. Keep in mind that a good critical theory analysis includes a detailed discussion of a literary work supported by good reasons and evidence; so you must select your materials carefully and include rich details. Make sure to give plenty of specific examples from your literary text and secondary articles to support your analysis and argument.

When you write a critical theory analysis, you look first for the relationship between the literary work and the critical theory. For example, the literary text may focus on the ways in which woman gain power in a male dominated society, on the conflict between desires and socially accepted behavior, on the ways in which minorities experience alienation. Remember that these concepts are starting points. You need to decide what the literary text is saying about the selected these social, political, or cultural ideas, i.e. what is the text saying about the ways in which woman gain power? This then becomes your thesis statement. Once you have identified the relationship and carefully craft your thesis statement, you can consider why this relationship is important and how the literary work reveals this significance.

While you do need to begin with identifying the way the critical theory illuminates a certain aspect or relationship in the literary text, once you have established this you should develop specific supporting points that develop your thesis. Carefully look at the critical theory resources for ideas on how you might develop specific criteria to further analyze the literary text and support your analysis.

At a minimum, your analysis should include the following elements:

· A creative title

· An introduction that identifies the literary work and author and critical theory you’re discussing, a thesis statement that indicates the relationship between the literary work and critical theory and why this relationship is worth consideration (and to what extent).

· A summary or description of the literary work that provides the details necessary for a general audience member. This section should not normally take up more than 1-2 paragraphs of the analysis.

· Specific points of evidence that support your thesis statement and demonstrate that the thesis is developed and supported by the literary work and secondary texts. Keep in mind that this section is the core of your analysis, so you need to make clear the supporting points you are exploring and how each point/piece of evidence you have selected relate to and support the thesis. Furthermore, this should all be tied together with your analysis, synthesis of the literary work and secondary texts, and commentary.

· Body paragraphs that contain a synthesized comparison of the literary work and secondary texts, directly connecting and transitioning between the literary work and secondary texts. Body paragraphs should contain evidence from the literary work and multiple secondary texts to support the development of the analysis.

· A conclusion that provides a final impression of the relationship between the literary work and critical theory you have selected and explains why the thesis and analysis you have developed is important. Additionally, consider the social, political, and/or cultural implications of your analysis. What implications should the audience understand because of your analysis?

· A logical progression of ideas, and evidence and examples to support your ideas.

· A clear presentation and development of topics.

· Sentences that are complete and relatively error free.

Audience

Although this may be an unfamiliar exercise, it is a complex task because you are writing an essay that requires secondary sources and an understanding of social, political, and cultural implications explored in literature. Your critical theory analysis is for a reader who is interested not just in the general plot of the literary being analyzed, but also in your critical exploration and evaluation of the relationship between the literary work and critical theory and your presentation of the thesis and interpretation in your writing. Also, don’t assume that just because your instructor and peers will read your essay that they will automatically be interested in what you have to say. Generate reader interest by making clear what is at stake in your analysis and why it is important.

Style (using appropriate language)

Write in a style that demonstrates knowledge of your subject and a clear and accurate expression of your ideas. Think critically, understanding that the way you organize and express your ideas can be as important as the ideas themselves. Be credible, providing enough detail and evidence to show that you’ve reflected deeply on the subject and that you can support your claims. Be respectful, showing your readers that your ideas are approachable and thoughtful, not arrogant or insensitive (this may also mean that you consider alternate viewpoints and treat opponents with respect so that you aren’t ignoring or demeaning the opinions of others). And last but not least, be careful, ensuring that your writing is clear and accurate (not generalized, disorganized, or ignorant of writing conventions).

Formatting and Writing Conventions

Papers should be typed in a legible (ex: Arial, Times New Roman), 12-point font and double spaced (with space between paragraphs removed). All other formatting should adhere to MLA standards (see resource sin D2L for MLA formatting help). Additionally, you’ll want to make sure you proofread your paper carefully to avoid errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics.

Essay Checklist

With your essay in hand, go through the checklist below, noting where you have met the assignment criteria (these are the areas that I’ll be evaluating). If needed, re-read the guidelines for clarification.

	I have written a critical theory analysis that is 5-10 pages long (not including images and Works Cited), double-spaced, and in MLA formatting.
	I have written a well-developed analysis, and my specific thesis and interpretation are supported by evidence.
	I have written a title and introduction that engage my audience, and they identify the title and author of the literary work, the critical theory, as well as the thesis statement and significance of my discussion.
	I have included an objective summary or description of the literary work so that my reader will better understand the literary works.
	I have selected appropriate analysis points based on the critical theory to demonstrate the development of my analysis and to support my thesis statement. I have clearly stated them in topic sentences within my writing.
	I have included textual evidence that helps create a critical and detailed discussion of the literary work and I have added commentary, analysis, and transitions that are specific to the analysis point being explored.
	I have effectively synthesized evidence from the literary work and secondary sources to support my points of analysis, directly connecting the textual evidence with transitions. I have avoided the pitfall of separating the paragraphs by source.
	I have integrated my textual evidence effectively, introducing them and explaining their significance (and citing them when appropriate).
	I have written a conclusion that provides a sense of completion, reflection, and/or summation, making a point that could not have been made in the introduction, and reminding the reader why it is important to critically consider the literary work I have chosen, indicating the political, social, and/or cultural implications illuminated by the application of the critical theory.
	I have created a Works Cited page.
	I have written sentences that are complete, clear, and relatively error free.
	I have proof-read my essay, and it is coherent and well-organized.

Submission of Final Draft

Upload your assignment to the appropriate dropbox in D2L before the assignment deadline. This essay is due Tuesday, July 13, 2021, 11:59 pm, CST. Due to the final grading deadline, there will be no late essays accepted after this date/time

Suggested Writing Process

Step 1: Make a Choice. Your first task is to consider a possible literary works and critical theories that you can choose for this assignment. It is important that you choose texts that are significant to you. This will make your task of writing Essay 4 much more engaging. If you care about the texts, that will show in your writing. Ask yourself the following questions: Which works appealed to me? Which did I enjoy reading? Which texts do I feel I understand? Which texts do I have something to say about?

Step 2: Read, Read, Read. Get to know the literary text you have chosen to analyze.

· Look at the titles for the texts. What do the titles suggest? Who are the authors for the texts? When were the texts first published/produced? Do the texts belong to a specific genre(s) or literary movement?

· Complete an initial reading of the literary text, annotating any parts that “jump out” at you. Think about the themes, imagery, and literary devices.

· Consider also the critical theories as you consider aspects of the texts. How do these texts exemplify those characteristics that are important to the critical theories?

Step 3: Choose a Focus. Simply ticking off every similarity, literary device or interesting point in the text would make for a slack and rambling essay. More compelling writing would result from better focused topics. You can ensure that you do this by carefully constructing your thesis statement. Create a focused and argumentative thesis that responds to the prompt of your choice.

· What significant ideas can you identify?

· What literary techniques are used in the text and how do these develop (or not) key ideas from the prompt you have chosen?

· What specific thesis statement will show the relationship between the literary work and the critical theory?

Step 4: Refine and Outline. Now, on the basis of your overall knowledge of the literary text and critical theory and your decision about which points you will discuss, read in closer detail the sections which are relevant to these points. Make notes of the evidence and key literary devices. This is the perfect stage to create a rough outline of the main points and evidence you intend to incorporate in your writing.

Step 5: Write your Rough Draft. After completing the initial activities (#1-4), begin organizing and drafting your aesthetic analysis. Consider the following advice:

· Review your argument.

· Get your thoughts down.

· Write the part you feel most comfortable with first.

· Leave yourself plenty of space.

· Focus on the argument.

· Does your thesis hold up?

· Be open to new ideas.

Step 6: Revise and Edit. Leave time to revise and reflect upon your work as “a writer rarely – if ever – achieves perfection on the first try” (Kennedy and Gioia 1098). Consider the following advice:

· Be sure your thesis is clear, decisive, and thought-provoking.

· Ascertain whether the evidence you have provided supports your theory.

· Check whether your argument is logical.

· Supply transitional words and phrases.

· Make sure each paragraph contains a topic sentence.

· Make a good first impression with your introduction.

· Remember that last impressions count too (conclusion).

· Give your paper a compelling title.

Step 7: Be Credible. Make sure you come across to readers as a person of good sense, good character, and good will. In order to accomplish this:

· Know what you’re talking about. Provide enough details and evidence to show that you’re reflected deeply on the argument, and provide evidence to support your claims.

· Show respect for your readers and come across as approachable and thoughtful, not arrogant or insensitive.

· Consider alternate viewpoints and treat opponents with respect—don’t ignore or demean the opinions of others.

· Be careful and meticulous in your writing, not sloppy and disorganized.

Introduction (1 Paragraph)

Title and Author of literary text

Summary or Description (1 Paragraph)

Thesis Statement

Directional Statement (optional)

Significance

Summary or Description of each of the literary work

Critical Theory Critieria 1 (2-3 paragraphs)

Critical Theory Criteria 2 (2-3 Paragraphs)

Analysis of textual evidence

Conluding sentence(s) linking point to thesis

Topic sentence identifying key idea that relates the critical theory to the literary text

Critical Theory Criteria X (2-3 Paragraphs)

Repeat above pattern until analysis is complete

Conclusion

Significance of analysis

Topic sentence identifying key idea that relates the critical theory to the literary text

Transitions between literary work and secondary texts

Textual evidence from literary work and secondary texts with citations

Analysis of textual evidence

Transitions between literary work and secondary texts

Conluding sentence(s) linking point to thesis

Summaries should demonstrate the following qualities: brevity, completeness, and objectivity.

Textual evidence from literary work and secondary texts with citations

Discussion of political, social, and/or cultural implications