English 330: Medieval Literature Dr. Debora B. Schwartz English Department, California Polytechnic State University     FYI ONLY -- NOT A WRITING ASSIGNMENT IN W10 (Prompts used in the past for an ENGL 330 paper due prior to the midterm exam) Choose your subject from the following list. You do NOT have to answer all of the question listed under a given topic when you write your paper. These questions are designed to help you come up with a DEBATABLE POINT to argue. Think about them as you decide what to focus on and what interpretation you will argue in your paper. Remember: these are ONLY topics; unless you have something DEBATABLE to say ABOUT the topic, your paper will have no thesis.  Be sure to consult the PAPER GUIDELINES and ESSAY EVALUATION CHECKLIST as you work on this paper. 1. In our discussions, we have noted some striking similarities -- but many crucial differences -- between the epic hero Beowulf and the warrior Christ of The Dream of the Rood.  Write an analysis of ONE of these figures /works which explains how and why the lines between savior and warrior are blurred. Your paper should answer a question that requires thoughtful analysis, not just summary, e.g. how and why is Christ depicted as a warrior in Dream of the Rood?  (How does this characterization serve the author's purpose?)  How and why is Beowulf presented as a savior figure?  (Does this characterization help explain why the epic was written down by a Christian scribe?) NB: this topic does NOT ask you to "compare and contrast" two works.  Focus your analysis on only ONE of the two works/figures; include references to the other figure/work (if at all) only to make a point about the figure / work which is your primary focus.  2. Beowulf is an oddly structured poem, consisting of a long primary narration (the youthful Beowulf defeats Grendel and Grendel's mother) followed by a brief account (after a fifty-year fast-forward) of Beowulf's death fighting a dragon, assisted only by his loyal thane Wiglaf.  What purpose does this final episode serve? What is Wiglaf's symbolic significance? How does his presence alter our understanding of the text? Can the Wiglaf episode help explain why this secular monster story was preserved in writing by a Christian scribe? 3. Describe and analyze the fusion of pagan and Christian values, elements and beliefs in The Dream of the Rood.  In order to keep this analysis from being purely descriptive, be sure your essay presents a thesis concerning e.g. what the author is trying to achieve and why the familiar story of the Crucifixion must be changed to make it relevant to his target audience (which you should clearly identify). Elements to consider: the characterizaion of Christ; the characterization and function of the Rood; ways in which the poem mediates between pagan and Christian beliefs; the role and function of the Dreamer. 4. Compare/contrast what constitutes a hero or the notion of heroism in the Old English and Middle English periods. Draw your examples from two texts: either Beowulf OR The Dream of the Rood (O.E. period) AND either Troilus and Cressida OR Seinte Margarete (M.E. period). What makes the central figures heroic? How is their respective heroism similar? How does it differ, and why? (Possible reasons include differences in genre, in the texts' messages or the purposes for which they were written, in the target audience or in that audience's or the author's world view.)  Your thesis should account for both the similarities and the differences between the two works. 5. Compare/contrast the role and importance of love in a secular text intended primarily for entertainment (e.g. Beowulf OR Troilus and Cressida) and a didactic work with a religious message (e.g. Hali Meidhad OR Seinte Margarete OR The Pearl). If you choose this question, be sure to make clear what kind(s) of love you are discussing -- e.g. erotic love; platonic bonds (e.g. between warriors or thane and king); the love between parents and children; spiritual love of and for God; etc.  Do NOT simply describe examples of love in two texts, concluding that "they are different." Choose your texts carefully so as to illustrate an important distinction that is the focus of your thesis.  Issues you might consider include differences in genre, in the texts' primary messages, the purposes for which they were written, the target audience, and the audience's or author's world view.  6. Drawing your examples from Beowulf and one Middle English work, compare/contrast the roles assigned to women in literature of the Old and Middle English periods. Do not simply describe the depiction of women in two works, concluding that it is "different." Choose your examples carefully so as to illustrate a distinction that is the focus of your thesis. (Issues that you might want to consider include genre, central messages of the two texts, the purposes for which each was written, their target audiences, and the audience's and / or author's world view.)  7. Analyze the reliability of ONE of the following narrators and explain how this narrator contributes to the work's overall message or meaning: Bede in the Ecclesiastical History; OR the Dreamer in The Dream of the Rood OR in Pearl; OR the narrator of Troilus and Cressida.   While you may find it useful to refer (briefly) to the narrator of another work in your response, keep your focus primarily on only one reading.  You may find it helpful to consider the following questions: What is the primary purpose or message of the text? (Why was it written?) What would seem to be the narrator's definition of "truth" and/or attitude towards the value or purpose of literature? NB: If you do choose to draw comparisons with another author or narrator, do NOT simply describe them and assert that "they are different"; use the contrast to get at a larger issue, e.g. an important distinction between Old English and Middle English world views; the tension between oral and written literature; the target audience for and purpose of the work. 8. Discuss the didactic and moral aspects of ONE of the following: The Dream of the Rood, Hali Meidhad, Seinte Margarete, The Pearl. What is the author trying to achieve? Who is his/her target audience?  What imagery does the author use to get his/her point accross or to make the events depicted relevant to the target audience? Does s/he achieve his/her purpose? Choose your textual evidence carefully so as to illustrate an important point that is the focus of your thesis. 9. Analyze the way in which form contributes to meaning in The Pearl. To answer this question, you will need to do more than describe the form of the poem; you must have a thesis about what the poem MEANS and show how the form helps to convey that meaning to the audience. 10. Using the thematic Study Questions for Troilus and Cressida, formulate a thesis which presents an interpretation of a debatable aspect of this complex work (e.g. what motivates Pandarus; whether Cressida actually betray Troilus (or vice-versa); whether Troilus and Cressida truly love each other; etc.) NB: the study questions are meant to stimulate reflection rather than provide a road-map for essay writing -- so your essay will not necessarily address all the issues raised in the study question. A few reminders before you write. . . Your paper will NOT necessarily answer all the questions in the prompt. These questions are designed to get you THINKING. You must decide what to focus on and what DEBATABLE INTERPRETIVE POINT to argue.    A topic is not a thesis.  A series of observations that are true but not debatable may be excellent notes for a paper, but they are not (yet) interpretive analytic writing.  Until you say something debatable about the topic which can be supported by textual interpretation, your paper has no interpretive focus (there is no debatable thesis).   Be sure that your essay conforms to the standards outlined in the PAPER WRITING GUIDELINES and on the ESSAY EVALUATION CHECKLIST (which I use when grading written work).  PROOFREAD CAREFULLY to ensure that you do NOT make the mechanical or stylistic errors listed on the checklist!   Your essay should have a title which suggests the topic/thesis of your paper and should include a foot- or endnote providing full bibliographic information on the primary text(s) you will discuss in your paper.  See the "Documentation" section of the Paper Writing Guidelines for proper format and information to include. Go to ENGL 330 PAPER GUIDELINES Go to ESSAY EVALUATION CHECKLIST Contents of this and all linked pages Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 1999-2005 Return to ENGL 330 homepage Return to Dr. Schwartz's teaching page Return to Dr. Schwartz's homepage Send me mail!