CRITICAL ANALYSIS INSTRUCTIONS
In this literary analysis, you will write a 750–1,000-word essay analyzing the characteristics that help to define one work as either Neoclassical or Romantic and exploring how this work engages with a major social concern of that period.
You may use the Bible, the primary text, and the introductory essays from your anthology in your discussion. No secondary sources are permitted.
This essay must begin with an introduction that includes the subject of the work (title and author) as well as a thesis. The body of your essay must prove the value and logic of your thesis through examples from the text.
This essay must present critical thinking and discovery, not simply known facts about a work. Do not give a plot summary; this is not a book report. The author(s) and work(s) must be selected from those we have read for this course.
Select one of the following works:
Neoclassical
Jonathan Swift, “A Modest Proposal”
Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock
Thomas Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”
Samuel Johnson, Rambler No. 4 “On Fiction”
Eliza Haywood, Fantomina
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, The Turkish Embassy Letters
Frances Burney, The Journal and Letters
Romantic
From Songs of Innocence:
o “The Lamb,”
o “The Little Black Boy,”
o “The Chimney Sweeper”
From Songs of Experience:
o “The Chimney Sweeper,”
o “The Tyger,”
o “London”
Vindication of the Rights of Woman
“Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey”
“The World Is Too Much With Us”
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
“Ozymandias”
“Ode to the West Wind”
“The Eve of St. Agnes,”
“La Belle Dame sans Merci”
“Ode to a Nightingale,”
“Ode on a Grecian Urn”
“She walks in beauty”
Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage
NOTE for this assignment:
• Review the following information about thesis sentences: http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html. A thesis statement must present an argument (proposition), not merely a statement of fact.
• Adhere to academic writing standards, which include using 3rd person only, omitting contractions and jargon, and remaining in literary present tense. For additional information on literary present tense, see https://www.vanderbilt.edu/writing/wp-content/uploads/sites/164/2016/10/Literary-present-tense.pdf.
• Include a targeted title that suggests the purpose stated in the thesis. The title should not be “Critical Analysis,” nor should it be simply the title of the primary text (the poem, play, essay, or fiction).
• No outside research is allowed since the analysis must be your own work. Including any source outside of the Bible, your anthology, or the primary text will result in a “0” for the assignment.
• The essay must be double-spaced, written in Times New Roman 12-point font, and use 1” margins. In addition, format your paper using current MLA, APA, or Turabian format (whichever corresponds to your degree program).
• You must document information from the literature through in-text citations and an end-text Works Cited/References/Bibliography page conforming to current MLA, APA, or Turabian format.
• Do not use any material or words from sources without giving proper credit for that material or those words. To do otherwise is plagiarism and will result in a “0” on the paper or a possible “F” for the course. Your paper will be checked for plagiarism.
• Review the Critical Analysis Grading Rubric to learn more about how the paper will be graded. Comply with all requirements.
For additional tips on writing essays, consult the following website: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/literature-fiction/
