For the project, you will be engaging with ONE of the following books:Books:
• The Pressed Fairy Journal of Madeline Cottington by Wendy Froud and Brian Froud
• The City & the City by China Miéville
• The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien
Persuasive Essay:
Essays written for this project will engage with the topic below.
The paper must have a title, be double-spaced, and must indicate (by number) which topic you have chosen on both the first page of the paper, and in the file name. Include your name, your instructor's name, your course number (including section), and the assignment due date at the beginning of your essay. You will be required to use proper MLA format for in-text quotations and selections from the works that you analyze, and from all scholarly texts you consult. You will also be required to provide a Works Cited page in MLA format.
As this is a formal essay, your paper will be structured to include a strong introduction – in which you lay out your thesis and provide an overview of your analysis – and conclusion – in which you will summarize your key points, and come to a decisive conclusion which supports your thesis. In addition to providing a detailed reading of your assigned works, you will be required to incorporate two literary critics' analyses. These critical works must be from peer-reviewed academic journals, articles in essay collections, or chapters from scholarly books, and they must address your chosen texts (i.e. they must directly discuss the works you are analysing, or the topic you are considering). These academic sources must be literary criticism; secondary sources from other disciplines are not acceptable for this assignment.
You will be assessed for your ability to read closely and carefully, to organize your ideas around a central argument/thesis, to integrate your chosen critics' analyses, and to argue your position convincingly. Your paper will also be assessed for grammar, sentence structure, word choice, paragraphing, and overall organization of ideas. This essay will be a maximum of 1300 words. (Do not go over the word count.) This is an MLA-style essay; include proper MLA in-text citations, and an MLA-formatted Works Cited list at the end.
Topic:
Some forms of fantasy are directly associated with a particular time and/or place (i.e. Celtic Fantasy, Gaslamp Fantasy, Bangsian Fantasy, and Shenmo Fantasy). While "Canadian Fiction" is a large and loosely-defined category, "Canadian Fantasy" does not have an official and widely-agreed upon definition. How might we define Canadian Fantasy? What tropes, characteristics, or themes would mark a work as part of the Canadian fantastic, and why? What historical, cultural, or social ideas, events or qualities could we consider to be major influences on this subgenre? Identify and discuss one book OR two short stories/poems on the course reading list which fit one or more fantasy subgenres associated with specific historical moments or cultural placements. Does your definition of Canadian Fantasy share any characteristics with your identified subgenre(s)? Why or why not?
Evaluation:
Projects receiving grades of A- or above are significantly above average in these areas: creativity, figurative language, structure, grammar/punctuation, narrative or argumentative organization, argument, ideas, supporting details and engagement with primary sources.
Projects receiving grades of B- to B+ are above average in the same areas.
Projects receiving grades of C- to C+ are average in these same areas.
Projects receiving grades of D to D+ are below average in these same areas.
Projects receiving grades of F are incomplete or have failed to meet the basic requirements of the assignment.
Sample Solution