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E335: Literature of Victorian England Paper #2 Prompt and Suggestions Al Drake | Classroom | Wed. 3-4 | 714-434-1612 Formal Prompt: Choose a text by one author on our syllabus and write a 5-page essay that is clear in its thesis, structure, and language. You may also write a comparative paper on two authors / texts, though that structure might entail a paper somewhat longer than the suggested 5-page length. Some Topics: I generally leave paper topics up to advanced English majors, but here are some suggestions that might be useful. 1. Examine Matthew Arnold's self-criticism in "Preface to Poems, 1853" in relation to at least one of his poems from around that time period. To what extent do you think that Arnold's criticism of such poetry (his own included) does justice to the poems you choose to analyze? 2. Examine one or more of Christina Rossetti's poems in light of her connection to the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Explore the ways in which Rossetti's concerns and interests lead her away from easy acceptance of Pre-Raphaelite themes and conventions. 3. Explore one or more poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins in light of romantic poetics (expressive theory, the significance of nature, etc.). To what extent would you argue that Hopkins is, as some critics have called him, a "late romantic"? To what extent would you characterize him differently, and why? 4. Explore the argument Oscar Wilde sets forth in "The Decay of Lying" about the power of individualism and art to improve the human condition. Assess the extent to which Wilde's claims link him to predecessor "culture critics" such as Carlyle, Mill, Ruskin, and Arnold. 5. Examine Oscar Wilde's comedy Lady Windermere's Fan as a criticism of late-Victorian "bourgeois" (middle-class) values: explore the strategies Wilde employs to send up Victorian ideals concerning such things as sincerity, social class, wealth, education, sexual experience, and relations between men and women. Informal Suggestions: You might email me or come to an office hour with some ideas about your author/text, and I'll respond with some ideas and questions that should help you start drafting the paper. I do not require that you turn in a rough draft before the final draft is due, though I suggest that you do so I can comment and return it in time to help for the final draft. The final draft will be due along with the final exam, which takes place 4:15-6:45 PM Wednesday May 14, the usual location. Please look over some of the materials on writing available via hyperlinks on the Syllabus page. "Deductive Essays" is particularly recommended because in it I comment on the basics about structure and purpose in college papers. Another set of handouts deals with how to introduce and cite a literary text properly -- that is certainly something every writer needs to know.
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