ENC 1102.5865 Paper #3 Assignment


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Nick Melczarek, instructor Department phone: 392-6650
Office: Turlington 4357 e-mail nickym@melczarek.net
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Office hours: MW Per 4 (10:40-11:30 a.m.)
& by appt. 		Office phone: t.b.a.
course listserve: FALL-5865-L@lists.ufl.edu
Contents (click to jump to the following sections)
Paper 3 Assignment (read all the way through -- there are helpful tips throughout):
»» Choose either of the followng texts -- -- and in 5-6 pages do one of the following: (back to Contents)

  • Rationale:
    Basically, you're asked to pick a novel, and then trace through it a series of images, elements, themes, or versions of a scene or event. Since both novels are "open-ended" -- that is, the text or narrative ends before the story does, and gives no clue to the "end" of the story -- show how your chosen series of images, elements, themes, or versions of a scene or event in the text permit you to make sense of your chosen text. You can pick a single image, word, motif, or theme from your text and trace its similar recurrences through the narrative, noting where each occurs in the text and making the parallels clear. Or, you can trace how that image, word, motif, or theme recurrs differently through the narrative, noting where each instance occurs in the text and making the differences clear. Similarly, you can trace how the narrative gives several versions of the same event or scene (with variations, or from more than one perspective), note the differences and indicate from whose perspective. In each case, indicate how your chosen series of items helps you as a reader to make sense of these ambiguous, ambivalent, open-ended narratives.
    Use terms and concepts from the critical/theoretical material we've read (Eco, Barthes, Freud, Cixous) when/where/if they apply. Employ critical literary vocabulary(from the Terms site) when/where/if they apply.

  • Caveats/cautions:
    -- This is not an exercise to see how many terms or examples you can cram in your paper, nor will you receive extra credit for doing so. Use the literary and/or critical terms at your disposal only when/if they help you explain your ideas, and choose your examples well.
    -- By "5-6 pages" I mean 5-6 pages; 4 pages plus two lines on page 5 doesn't count! (Nor does enlarging the font size, nor enlarging the margins.) The works cited page does not count toward your page total. This is not an invitation to pad you paper with needless material; rather, this is an opportunity for you to fully explain your ideas and illustrate those ideas with examples from the original texts. Don't forget your introduction and conclusion, too. If you're padding, waffling, or tangenting, I'll know it -- and it'll count against you.

  • Thesis note: Be sure that in your final draft you state clearly and directly your thesis within an introductory ¶. Try not to phrase your thesis as "In this paper I will show that ..." -- your reader already works from the assumption that you're going to show her something.
  • Need a little help with your thesis? Before you start writing, have a look at "timesaver #3 (a)," "timesaver #3(b) and "timesaver #4" on the writing tips site -- these items will help you AND save you oodles of time!!!

    Be sure to consult the writing tips site!
    (back to Contents)

    »» What I'll look for in this paper:

    Content-wise:

    Writing mechanics:

    (back to Contents)
    »» DUE DATES AND KEY ACTIVITY DATES: (correlate these dates with those on course schedule sites) (back to Contents)
    »» Troubleshooting & therapy: If you have questions about the assignment or your paper that we don't address in class or during conference times, (back to Contents)

    Ciao, Nick
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