Options for your first paper—choose one:
1) What does setting tell us? Analyze at least three settings described in detail in the novel (choose places that are described with at least a full paragraph of description) and argue for the importance of this detail in the development of the larger themes of the novel. You may bring in your understanding of Victorian interior design in this paper—that is, if you have been to the White House of the Confederacy, you may substitute no more than one room from the WHC for a room in the novel, either comparing or contrasting the room from the WHC to two of Gaskell’s rooms. In either case, make sure your argument does more than make the claim that such detail provides “context” for the plot—what does setting tell us that we cannot learn in any other way? Is setting symbolic? Of what?
2) Trace an object or type of object throughout the novel, analyzing its shifting or stable meanings. You may want to focus on a type of clothing, for example, or food—any material object that appears at least three times, widely spaced, throughout the novel. (That is, if we only read about it in London or Helstone, it will probably not work well for this topic.) This need not be the same object in each case—so, you could focus on three different dresses, for example, or several different meals. What do these material objects tell us about their possessors/users? How do they illuminate the plot or themes of the novel? Again, this analysis should go beyond the claim that the objects provide much-needed “context” to explore their symbolic or metaphoric implications.
3) The critic Ruth Yeazell once wrote that marriage in the novel often serves as a metaphor for a heroine’s maturation. Would you argue that this is the case in North and South? And if so, does it in any way mark a transformation in the hero as well as in the heroine?
Your paper should be 3-5 pages long, double-spaced. Please e-mail it to me by 5 pm on Monday, February 18 (this is a change). Your paper should begin with a focused, clear introduction that ends with a statement of a non-obvious thesis which you can then support with evidence from the text. See the rubric for written work for more details on essay writing. (Also see below.)
A few small details
1) naming convention: please name the document you send me as follows: alyourlastnamep1—that is, Accounting & Lit [your last name] Paper #1. This will help me sort the papers when I read them so they don’t all say, for example, simply “English paper” or “paper number one.”
2) You should not need any outside sources for this paper. All quotations from the text should be cited within your text, parenthetically, like this (Gaskell 114). If all your quotations come from the same text I am using you do not need a works cited list; if your edition is different from mine, please indicate what edition you used in a works cited list. See me if you have any questions about citation formats.
3) There are some very useful handouts on writing collected at the English department’s website, here. (Scroll down.) See especially “starting out and editing,” “crafting strong arguments,” and “close reading and analyzing quotations.”
4) Please give your paper a title. Titles help focus your claim, and remind both you and me of what you’re trying to do in the essay. Center the title at the top of the first page—do not use a title page.
I’m happy to work with you on papers—please feel free to consult with me over drafts, introductions, thesis statements, outlines, etc. If my office hours are inconvenient, you can make an appointment to see me—just don’t wait until the last minute, or e-mail me with questions hours before the paper is due.