ENC 1102 Fiction Paper Assignment MLA Review Midterm Review

Fiction Paper Assignment The Mission: to write a 5 page research paper analyzing one or more short stories from our class’ selection. Requirements: – Minimum of five full pages (not counting the Works Cited page, of course) – At least 2 reputable secondary sources plus the primary source(s) – MLA documentation CategoryWorth On Time10 Effective Intro/Conclusion/Thesis 10 Thoughtful & Coherent Analysis 20 Adequate Proof from Primary Source 10 Use & Choice of Secondary Sources 10 MLA Format & Documentation 20 Grammar & Punctuation20 Total100

Talk About Topics A character study Trace a particular motif/theme Adopt a critical lens and apply it to a limited aspect of the story Compare & contrast two stories – Characters – Treatment of a similar theme – Point of view – Other aspect

Research Reminders For books – Author’s Last Name & “Criticism” as a Subject search Databases – Two literary databases with many articles on both our books – Unlike books, you can target more if overwhelmed by looking through Book’s title rather than author Even try area of interest “Walker and Color Purple and sexuality” for example – Exploring other databases Encyclopedia Databases for reference information Many great articles available on JSTOR

Do your works cited list as you locate resources Start with the stories themselves Helpful tools – A handbook such as The Little Brown Compact Handbook – Any library will also have the actual MLA Handbook – DO NOT rely on Word 2007 – Sites like MLA: Works Cited

The Basics Author Title of work Title of source Editors for anthologies Page numbers for parts like articles, etc. Dates of publication Dates of access for electronic sources Database names, owners, and location of access URLs

Still plain double-space – Just like the rest of the paper Part of the same document – Header with page # continues on this last page Works Cited – Centered at the top of the page The entries are alphabetized Entries use the “hanging indent” – Reverse of paragraph indent The Look

Citing from an Anthology This includes our textbook. Author. Title. Source. Edition. Editors. City: Publisher, Year. Page range. Format. For example: – Mason, Bobbie Ann. “Shiloh.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing. 10th ed. Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Pearson Longman, Print. The benefit of using an essay collection is that you might find multiple sources in one book!

Book with an overall author: – Author. Title. City: Publisher, Year. Print. Book that collects essays: – Author of essay. “Title of Essay.” Title of Collection. Editor(s). City: Publisher, Year. Page range of essay. Print. Reference books—actual Encyclopedia: – “Article.” Encyclopedia Title. Edition. Year. Print. Book Sources

Articles from Databases Samples abound on the library’s website Here’s a sample from both of the Literary Databases you’re targeting: – Sackton, Alexander H. "A Note on Keats and Chaucer." Modern Language Quarterly 13 (1952): Literary Reference Center. 16 Sept Web. – Wood, Michael. "Tolkien's Fictions." New Society 27 Mar Literary Resources from Gale. 30 May Web.

Web Sources Web sources require: – Author. “Title.” Webpage Title. Publisher, Date published. Date Accessed. Web. – The only time you’ll need the URL at the end now is if it’s “hard to find.” You really should not be using web sources for your secondary material.

Citing Inside the Paper Overtly introduce/mention your sources – In “Sunday in the Park,” by Bel Kaufman, we meet Morton, a “city pale” university professor… – According to Barbara Christian, Alice Walker’s use of…. End cited material with a parenthetical citation – What goes inside? (Author #) – If no author: (“Title” #) – If author previously mentioned, just (#) – If electronic and no actual page number available (par. #)—this is new to MLA this year

It is NOT ok to just have a citation at the end of a paragraph – Implies that only the last sentence came from the source – Often, you will include a paragraph full of information from the same source By starting with a mention and ending with a citation, you make it clear everything from point a to point b came from that same source » Examples…. The Mention-Citation Sandwich

o John Doe’s early childhood is still somewhat of a mystery to scholars. Nobody really knows much about his school days. We know he attended school for at least part of his childhood. “Doe was apparently not a good student. School records indicate he was suspended three times in one semester” (Appleton 376). o John Doe’s early childhood is still somewhat of a mystery to scholars. Adam Appleton’s book, Doe’s Early Days, offers a little insight into this man of mystery. We know he attended school for at least part of his childhood. Appleton asserts, “Doe was apparently not a good student. School records indicate he was suspended three times in one semester” (376). The Mention-Citation Sandwich

o John Doe’s early childhood is still somewhat of a mystery to scholars. Nobody really knows much about his school days. We know he attended school for at least part of his childhood. “Doe was apparently not a good student. School records indicate he was suspended three times in one semester” (Appleton 376). Note how it could be just the quote, any part or the whole paragraph that comes from Appleton’s book Also, note how the quote isn’t attached to any other phrase or sentence: DON’T DO THIS! Integrate quotes with at least an opening phrase. What was wrong with…

When writing about literature, you’ll quote more from your primary sources and paraphrase more from your secondary sources Even then, you don’t want lots of long quotations Make sure to format quotes properly – In-text vs. Indented Integrate and follow up on quotes Quoting & Paraphrasing

What’s Next Put together your thoughts on novel and what aspects you wish to cover Pick passages from the novel that illustrate your points Research your stories to supplement your discussion – In some cases the research won’t cover what you’re talking about – In those cases, you can include some biographical, historical, or other background with the research For example, say I wanted to argue that the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” suffers from post-partum depression. I could research post-partum using psychological sources and then tie to the story myself.

The Terms from Fiction Antagonist Antagonist Character Character Climax Climax Conflict Conflict Dénouement Dénouement Exposition Exposition Falling action Falling action Fiction Fiction Flat characters Flat characters Foreshadow Foreshadow Limited omniscience Limited omniscience Modernism Modernism Motivation Motivation Narrator Narrator Naturalism Naturalism Omniscient narrator Omniscient narrator Plot Plot Point of view Point of view Protagonist Protagonist Realism Realism Resolution Resolution Rising action Rising action Romanticism Romanticism Round characters Round characters Setting Setting Stream of Consciousness Stream of Consciousness Symbol Symbol Theme Theme Unreliable or Naïve Narrator Unreliable or Naïve Narrator

The Tales William Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily” – Includes point of view discussion from the chapter Edgar Allen Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” – Includes point of view discussion from the chapter Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour Jhumpa Lahiri, “The Interpreter of Maladies” Ernest Hemingway, “Cat in the Rain” Bel Kaufman, “Sunday in the Park” Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” – Including accompanying readings Flannery O’Connor, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” – Including accompanying readings Alice Walker, “Everyday Use” Including accompanying readings