Insults and Humor in Shakespeare
THREE things need to be done:
1- Propsal
2- Book review
3- Final paper
You need to do research and find resources about insults and humor in Shakespeare's plays: "Much Ado About Nothing," and "The Merchant of Venice."
Your topic and the argument can be like this:
(Insults and jokes as plot devices that affect the outcome in "The Merchant of Venice" and "Much Ado About Nothing." If Benidict and Beatrice they wouldnt lined up together and if Antonio did not insult Shylock he wouldnt demand a bound of flesh.")
You can find the (Book review) and (Final project) DETAILS in the Attchemnt that i'm attaching here.
At least 10 resources need to be there for proposal and final project. (there need to be at least 4 books )
Remember it is an ARGUMENTATIVE paper, which means you will argue on something and provide your evidence from the text and the books and the articles.
* the book review can be one of the resorces you found.
Proposals are due November 22They must be uploaded to Pilot by midnight
The proposal will describe the essay you plan to write. Abstracts often resemble forecasting introductions. Your abstract should include:
- your research question-
- your answer to that question (your thesis)
- a close reading of a passage you will be using in your paper to support your thesis
- a course of action to pursue your thesis
Here are questions/prompts to consider while writing your proposal. Read these carefully!
Describe your research question.
- Formulate a research question that encompasses your objective(s) for the paper.
- Ask yourself: what problem(s), issue(s) or question(s) are to be investigated?
Justify your thesis statement.
- So what? Why is your research question worth pursuing?
Execute your argument's relevance to reading a specific part of the play or a specific text related to the play.
- Identify a passage that embodies the concepts that drive your research interest.
- Provide a close reading of the passage. Remember that your close reading should not be a plot summary or a modern English paraphrase of the text. Assume your audience is familiar with the play. Pay particular attention to literary devices such as symbolism, metaphor, alliteration, and elements such as tone and voice.
- Note: Even the most theoretically invested argument, if it is to work with a literary text, engages with the author's employment of language. I am interested in how you function as a reader and observer of the language of the text prior to including secondary sources.
Plan
- Are you working from a specific theoretical position? What is it?
- Are you using theorists who are specifically seminal figures in that school of thought? Who are they?
- What key concepts are central to your argument? How do you plan to define them?
- Begin your research by keeping in mind the key terms, concepts or theories useful to your project.
- Which journals or books came up in your search?Which research search indexes have you visited?
- Name and justify 3 articles or books that you will consult while writing your paper.
Book Review:
Review a book relevant to our course material and published by a reputable, academic press. The review asks you to be a critic of critics-a skill necessary for honing your confidence and competence in using secondary sources. This portion of the course will allow me to assess your understanding of a scholarly contribution to the field of Shakespeare criticism and your involvement in the interrogation of, and reflection about, issues significant to the course's debates.
You will spend some time summarizing the content of the book, but the purpose of this exercise is to evaluate, and not just explain, the book's contribution to the field. The written review should be 1200-1700 words. Citations should follow MLA format which includes in text citation of the literature and a works cited page at the end of the document.
Questions to consider for the Book Review
What, if any, is the value of this book?
After exploring the book's goals, how well does the author achieve those goals?
What has the book left out?
What specific points are not convincing?
Is there evidence from the play texts that seems in conflict with the book's analyses?
Think of your own reading of the play texts; how has the book affected or changed your initial reactions?
Is there anything in the evidence or the execution that needs further explanation and/or seems erroneous?
Project
All of these components are meant to help you develop a final project in which you work through some issue or question of your own choosing. The paper is an exercise in choosing an appropriate topic as well as an opportunity to demonstrate critical analysis and research skills. Its length and general breadth will model that of the papers you will be auditing at the conference. Constructive and critical use of secondary sources is expected but an exploration of an individually chosen topic is the priority. Citations should follow MLA format which includes in text citation of the literature and a works cited page at the end of the document.