Looking at East of Eden or Frankenstein through Critical Lenses

MARXIST BIOGRAPHICAL FEMINIST FORMALIST PSYCHOLOGICAL HISTORICAL

Formalist Pick ONE aspect of the novel to focus on—the way Steinbeck develops character, allusion, generations, etc. or Shelley’s frame narrative would be ideas Find three or four examples of the way Steinbeck or Shelley approach your topic of choice Draw some conclusions as to how this element is related to the work as a whole. What is Steinbeck’s/Shelley’s point/what is he/she trying to do with this technique?

Feminist Pick ONE aspect of the novel’s portrayal of male/female roles in the novel: Who has power? Who doesn’t? Why? Find three or four examples in the text. Draw some conclusions as to what Steinbeck’s/Shelley’s point is about the topic you chose to write about.

Historical Pick one aspect of the text to focus on—how the work reflects the time period and/or place it was written in. You could also consider an author’s (Steinbeck’s) lack of specific details about what was going on in the outside world at the time, whether this information was necessary or not. Find three or four examples of text that reflects what you chose. Draw some conclusions about the influence (or lack) of the historical on the text.

Biographical What do you know about Shelley’s/Steinbeck’s life? Read some of the information available. Focus on one aspect of the text that you see a connection with Steinbeck’s personal life—personality, views of marriage, social standing, etc. Find three or four examples of text illustrating your focus. Draw some conclusions about the connection between the author’s life and the text.

Psychological/Author and Psychological/character Pick ONE aspect of the psychological to focus on—Steinbeck’s/Shelley’s personal psychology (or a character’s psychology) that may be evident in the text, events, or characters (for author) and what that reveals about him/her. Find three or four examples from text. Draw some conclusions about the function of these aspects to the work as a whole.

Marxist Pick ONE aspect of the novel to focus on—class differences, economic and social forces that affect the characters’ lives, ideological values, whether the work challenges or affirms the social order it describes. Find three or four examples of text exploring your focus. Draw some conclusions about these ideas and their connection to the whole or what they say about these particular forces in the context of the whole work.

Assignment 3-5 Page Essay MLA Formatted Cited WCP Draft due to class Wednesday, 12/15