English
5000
Spring
2014
Essay
Due Dates/Schedule:
Group 1 (due dates Fri Feb
21 & Fri Apr 18): Hirsch, Hunt, Huskey, Kuenzle, Primeau, Remelius
Group A (due dates Fri Feb
28 & Fri Apr 25): Brooks, Bennett, Huang, Johnson, Judge, Storm
[feel free to arrange trades of due
dates among yourselves, especially for the second essay, but be sure to let me
know when you do]
Essay Topics: The topic is open, but it should be metacritical
and (if possible) comparative. You may pursue in greater depth one of the
weekly discussion questions from previous classes, especially if there is one
that you found particularly difficult or challenging; good candidates for the
first essay would include, to my mind, questions related to institutional
issues or the nature of literature (or criticism) and its uses. Dipping into some of the supplementary texts
would be a good idea, depending on the topic.
Do keep your dates straight: Culler and Eagleton are contemporaries, as
are Guillory and Nussbaum--but Arnold is writing more than a century, and
Ransom a half-century, before Graff, for example. Below I’ve provided links to essay topics
I’ve used in the undergraduate theory class; feel free to use them as starting
points for your own work.
Five to six pages (say 1700 words,
give or take) should be sufficient. Please supply a one-paragraph description of your topic by the Monday before
your essay is due, in which you make a clear statement of your aims (insofar as
you understand them at that point). Feel free to discuss possibilities with me
any time; email in particular would guarantee a prompt reply. I’m happy to
recommend relevant readings, some of which I may be able to supply. Discussing topics with one another is also
highly recommended, as is the soon-to-be-active discussion board on
mygateway.umsl.edu.
Some essay topic links from past
classes (note that some of them obviously refer to materials that we haven’t
yet read, and may not read):
http://www.umsl.edu/~gradyf/theory/f05TOPIC1.htm
http://www.umsl.edu/~gradyf/theory/midtermqs05.htm
http://www.umsl.edu/~gradyf/theory/f05TOPIC2.htm
http://www.umsl.edu/~gradyf/theory/f05TOPIC3.htm