Class work for Wednesday-Friday (1/22-24)

1. You will need to review the last two schools of theory on the PowerPoint... Feminist and New Historicism. Please take very good notes on the two remaining schools..

So.. you will have the following schools addressed in your notes:
Moral Criticism and Dramatic Construction
Formalism
Psychoanalytic
Archetypal
Marxist
Feminist
New Historicism 

2. Over the next two class periods, you will be working in groups that I have assigned in order to start putting these theories into application. 

Your overall goal is to understand basic literary theory and criticism. As you complete this assignment, you will be come more familiar with how and why literary criticism is used. You will be working in small groups to explore different theories. Each group will be responsible for one particular type of literary criticism. Using the information gathered through this web exploration, each group will put together a presentation to teach the class their assigned theory and how it can be applied to our future reading of British Literature.

This project will help us gain a basic understanding of the following literary criticism theories:
-Group #1: Historical/New Historicism 
-Group #2: Formalism/New Criticism
-Group #3: Psychoanalytic
-Group #4: Archetypal
-Group #5: Feminist/Gender
-Group #6: Marxist
We will be spending a lot of time with Aristotle when we get to Shakespeare... so Moral Crit/Dramatic Construction will wait..

To successfully complete this assignment, you must complete the following tasks:

STEP 1: Research and gloss articles about the foundations and theories of literary criticism.

STEP 2: Look up definitions for 12 literary terms related to the specific literary criticism school and theory.

STEP 3: Work in your small group to explore your assigned literary theory in depth.

STEP 4: Each group will create a Google Drive presentation to explain your group's assigned literary theory.

STEP 5: Teach your theory to the class.

PROCESS AND STEPS:

In order to successfully complete this web-based assignment, you will need to use the linked web pages below. You will ONLY use the web sites linked to these pages. It will be important for each group member to share equal responsibility in the success of the group.

Read all directions. As you complete the steps listed below, keep track of your ideas and information regarding your assigned theory. You will need to be thoroughly understand the basics of your theory and how to apply it when you present it to the class on Wednesday/Thursday, January 29/30 . You will be given VERY little time to meet (if any) on the 27th and 28th. Get the work done THIS WEEK.

STEP 1: Read about the basic foundations and theories of literary criticism

First, each group member should read and gloss the two articles linked below. The articles provide a basic foundation for our study of literary criticism. Read through the articles with a pen and notes handy. Remember to write your questions, connections, and interpretations in your notes as if you were annotating the direct text. 

• Steven Hale provides a basic introduction to literary criticism in "Literary Criticism as a Tool for Interpreting Literature."
• Professor John Lye's article on "The Problem of Meaning in Literature" is a good introduction to on things to consider when reading.
• Literary Criticism Map

STEP 2: Look up definitions for 10 literary terms related to literary criticism and theory

Use the websites listed below to look up the definitions for the following 12 literary terms related to literary criticism. Add these definitions to the literary terms page of your English notebook.

• A Glossary of Rhetorical Terms - BYU Rhetoric (use the menu on the right side of the page)
• A Glossary of Literary Terms- http://www.gale.com/free_resources/glossary
• Literary Vocabulary - http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms.html

These lists are very big and extensive.. think about your school of theory and which terms REALLY are necessary to apply this school. Part of your presentation grade will address the applicability of the 12 terms to the school of theory.

STEP 3: Each group will create a 6-10 slide Google presentation presentation to explain your group's assigned literary theory

Your group's PowerPoint presentation must contain the following:

1. A title slide to introduce your group's assigned theory and names of your group members. 
2. A brief definition and introduction to your theory.. make it understandable, yet academic.
3. Basic background information regarding your theory, such as: basic history of your theory, why would someone most likely use this approach, and what major questions does your approach address.
4. Pros: Why would someone chose to use this approach? What are the advantages?
5. Cons: What are the drawbacks of using this approach?
6. Apply your approach to our class readings. Each group has been assigned a specific poem or text from our textbooks to analyze using their assigned approach. Write a brief commentary on the text using the assigned theory. Be sure to use textual evidence to support your commentary.
7. Credits: Create an works cited slide for the images and works used to prepare your presentation

Step 5: Present your PowerPoint to the class

Each group will teach their assigned theory on Wed/Thurs, January 29/30

Please review the RUBRIC for the presentation, which will be handed out on WED/THURS

GROUP 1: Historical/New Historicism Approach
Your group will apply this theory to:

English 11, American: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (first 3 pages)

http://www.brookwoodhighschool.net/Portals/0/teachers/mhuneycutt/Complete%20Text.pdf

English 12, British: "In the Time of War", W.H. Auden

http://voiceseducation.org/content/wh-auden-british

Explore the following links to learn more about this approach.

• A GREAT introduction to the the history and concerns of both Historical and New Historicism
• A basic introduction to concerns and methods of Traditional Historicism and New Historicism
• A good General Introduction to New Historicism
• Assumptions the New Historic critics make
• Find the advantages and disadvantages to this approach by scrolling down this site to the appropriate section.

After your exploration of these articles, complete STEP 3 and STEP 4.

GROUP 2: Formalist/New Criticism Approach

Your group will apply this theory to:

English 11, American: Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"

http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/20323/

English 12, British: Andrew Marvel's "To His Coy Mistress" 

http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/marvell/coy.htm

Explore the following links to learn more about this approach.

• A GREAT introduction to the the history and concerns of the Formalist Approach
• Another great introduction to the New Critics concerns
• Another good introduction, including what questions a New Critic might ask
• Professor Barry Laga offers some good distictions between these two forms
• This article lists some of the advantages and disadvantages of using this approach
• Some key terms are defined
• Find the advantages and disadvantages to this approach by scrolling down this site to the appropriate section.

After your exploration of these articles, complete STEP 3 and STEP 4.

GROUP 3: Psychoanalytic Approach (also called Freudian)

Your group will apply this theory to:
English 11, American: "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe 

http://www.heise.de/ix/raven/Literature/Lore/TheRaven.html
English 12, British: Sonnet 35 Edmund Spencer

http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/20323/

Explore the following links to learn more about this approach.

• A GREAT introduction to the the history and concerns of the Psychoanalytic Approach.
• Another good introduction, including what questions a psychoanalytic critic might ask
• Professor Barry Laga offers some good specific details on this approach
• This article lists some of the advantages and disadvantages of using this approach
• Some key terms are defined
• Find the advantages and disadvantages to this approach by scrolling down this site to the appropriate section.

After your exploration of these articles, complete STEP 3 and STEP 4.

GROUP 4: Archetypal/Mythological Approach (also called Jungian)

Your group will apply this theory to:

English 11, American: "Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15609

English 12, British: The Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad (first 5 pages)

http://foa.sourceforge.net/examples/darkness/Darkness.pdf

Explore the following links to learn more about this approach.

• A GREAT introduction to the the history and concerns of the Archetypal Approach.
• Another good introduction to the Jung and Archetypal theory.
• Some key terms are defined
• Find the advantages and disadvantages to this approach by scrolling down this site to the appropriate section.

After your exploration of these articles, complete STEP 3 and STEP 4.

GROUP 5: Feminist Approach

Your group will apply this theory to:
English 11, American: "Barren Woman" by Sylvia Plath
http://www.internal.org/Sylvia_Plath/Barren_Woman

English 12, British: Selection from Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own" (from first 5 pages) 
http://cristianaziraldo.altervista.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/A-Room-of-Ones-Own.pdf

Explore the following links to learn more about this approach.

• A GREAT introduction to the the history and concerns of the Feminist Approach.
• Professor Barry Laga offers some good specific details on this approach
• This article lists some of the advantages and disadvantages of using this approach
• Some key terms are defined
• Find the advantages and disadvantages to this approach by scrolling down this site to the appropriate section.

After your exploration of these articles, complete STEP 3 and STEP 4.

GROUP 6: Marxist Approach

Your group will apply this theory to:
English 11, American: "I Hear America Singing," Walt Whitman 
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15752

English 12, British: Utopia selection, "OF THEIR TRADES, AND MANNER OF LIFE"
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2130/2130-h/2130-h.htm

Explore the following links to learn more about this approach.

• A GREAT introduction to the the history and concerns of the Marxist Approach.
• Another good introduction, including what questions a Marxist critic might ask
• Professor Barry Laga offers some good specific details on this approach
• This article lists some of the advantages and disadvantages of using this approach
• Some key terms are defined

After your exploration of these articles, complete STEP 3 and STEP 4.

Assignment adapted from http://writersleague.wikispaces.com/Literary+Theory+Activity