Literature Report

Literature Report Directions At least 750-1000 words, 3-4 pages, 3-4 secondary sources needed, MLA Style. (The Persepolis works themselves or the work itself does not count as a source). Choose to write on Persepolis or choose one work from our book. Do not choose an America or European work. Choose Persepolis (master narrative vs meta-narrative, gender, coming of age, historical vs personal) Read and watch: The Complete Persepolis (Volume 1 and 2) by Marjane Satrapi. Pantheon, 2007. Persepolis DVD, (2008) directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud First, students should finish both graphic novels and watch the film. You do not have to give an overview of both novels. You can focus on just one, but read both and decide. Compare the novels to the film. What worked? Below is only a suggested way to organize a report. If students want to arrange their essays differently, they can. Research the Iran/Iraq relationship or war and also the Iran and American politics. Find a focus. History or Politics. Why do we fear Iran? How do these novels and film help us re- examine our historical and political fears? What do you know about the history of Iran? Gender. How do the graphic novels and films examine gender? What do you learn? Is it difficult being a female in Iran and Islam? Coming of Age. Growing up in any culture presents certain problems, but growing up as a Muslim in Western society presents an additional element of angst and pain. Articles (PDF format). You can use these for your other sources under databases. “Marji: Popular Commix” by Manuela Costantino “Texture of Retracing” by Hillary Chute “Melancholy Ties” by Kimberly Segall Find other articles library.uco.edu under databases. OR Choose a Literary work from One World of Literature. (Non-Western) Research is required. Alternately, you can pick a reading that we did not read, but it must be in the text. However, do not read an American, British or European reading from the book. You can also compare two similar readings, even those you wrote about in reactions. Below are some suggested topics. You can come up with your own. Gender Roles in the “Intruder” (death of a woman) vs “Body” (death of a man) Machismo in “Sunday, Sunday” vs “Intruder” 1 ENG 3213 World Literature 2: Dr. Wayne Stein Comparing Magical Realism in Allende’s “Phantom Palace” vs Garcia Marquez’s “Big Mama’s Funeral” Post colonialism in Wole Solinka’s “Swamp Dwellers” Samurai Heroic Acts of Suicide in Mishima’s “Patriotism” Feminism in Bessie Head’s “The Collector of Treasures” LITERATURE REPORT ORGANIZATION Below is only a suggested way to organize a report. If students want to arrange their essays differently, they can. 2 ENG 3213 World Literature 2: Dr. Wayne Stein Title: Introduction: The introduction should define the major purpose of the work. You can do a character analysis. What does the character learn? Develop a focus for the report. What is the purpose? That is it you are trying to prove. Don’t point out the obvious if you want a good grade. Try to point out something that might not be obvious and /or discussed in Wikipedia. In other words, be critical and somewhat original. Have a unified purpose. Don’t examine three or more different topics. Don’t be too obvious: “War is hell and the work shows how the Vietnam War was hell. . “ Take off five points if you do not have a title. The title should have the name of the work (year) and the name of the author or director. The title should hint at the thesis or purpose of the report. The title should have some critical thought. Body: The body, a group of paragraphs, must give examples from the work itself and from secondary sources. What do the scholars say? If there are no scholarly points about the work, find out what scholars write about issues that the work examines. Be sure to quote specific pages or scenes as the examples are given. The body should demonstrate how such examples fit into the points given above in the introduction. Often, the best example is given as the last example of the body. Conclusion: Instead of repeating what you said in the introduction, you might try a call for action. Perhaps ask the reader to cultivate a better appreciation for similar works. You can end with an interesting quote that points to larger implications. Keep in mind the conclusion is your last chance to engage the reader. Rewrite the conclusion several times until you have one that is effective. Works Cited Take off 5 points if you do not have the title “Works Cited” since MLA is the format. – Take off more points if the MLA is not correct.