Prompts for 1st Class on Ware/Marcuse

Images in Jimmy Corrigan

Do a close reading/viewing of an image, or brief series of images in Jimmy Corrigan. This means that you should select a single image (probably in a single frame or short sequence of frames, although it might be a repeating image), examine it as closely as you can, and explain in detail how it can help us understand either the book as a whole, or a particular section of it. For instance - you could analyze the significance of the details of Jimmy’s apartment as he works up his courage to call Peggy, or you could analyze the details of the appearance of the “dream-robot.”

The Instructions

Pick some part of the “general instructions” on the inside cover of Jimmy Corrigan, and use those instructions (which are simultaneously serious and funny, very complicated and silly - this isn’t easy material) to explain how we ought to read some section of the book (as short as an image, or as long as a few pages). Note that the instructions appear in images as well as in words.

Note: 

If I think of a good prompt bringing together Marcuse and Ware, I'll add it here.

Instructions for Your Revisions

These instructions are a reminder/update of what's going on for the next couple weeks.

First, just so everyone is clear - there is no regular essay due next week. You should be working on your revisions instead.  These revisions will be due by Saturday, February 16th at 8:00 a.m. (this time isn't a joke, but a little extra time for those who need it).

We will be discussing revisions in detail next week, and possibly the next class as well. There are also many details on the syllabus. But as a reminder, here are the basics.

1. You are expanding, rewriting, or reimagining one of your earlier essays. While you should pay attention to my advice and the advice of others, your goal should be neither to minimize your work nor to slavishly follow comments, but to present your best work, where your focus will be your argument. You should do much more work than you would for a weekly essay, but I am not expecting lengthy papers - 5 good pages is the minimum, with at least 2 of those being wholly new writing.
2. Using at least one outside academic source is required. You need to cite your source(s) accurately, although I will not penalize you for, e.g., incorrect formatting in your bibliography. You should use Pitt's library (physical or digital) for your research.
3. Using literary criticism is an obvious strategy, but it would be easy enough to fit in sources from other disciplines - Biology, Psychology, Philosophy, etc. If the source(s) is/are academic, and you are citing them, that's the minimum requirement. Note the links at the bottom of the post!
4. I will discuss at least 1 or 2 of your essays in class next week, so I'm looking for volunteers. If you want us to discuss your work (and you should - it's a very helpful process), send me a link to the one you want to discuss, or email me the version you have started to revise, before our next class.
5. The following links summarize my position on plagiarism, the English departments position, and give you an introduction to the MLA citation method. Other methods of citation are fine also! The MLA is just the default for this class - not a requirement.

I am also giving you a link to the MLA Bibliography, on Pitt's digital library (you may need to be on campus, or to log in remotely to the digital library, to access it). For research in literary criticism, this is the usual starting point. For instance, you might load the bibliography, then conduct a search on "Frankenstein" to see the wealth of research which is open to you.

Plagiarism and Citation:

my summary

Plagiarism:

Pitt's English department

MLA Citation:

Purdue's Page

MLA Bibliography:

via Ebsco

Prompts on Philip K. Dick & Marcuse - Week 1

Prompt 1:  

Clearly quoting or citing a location in Marcuse's text (just citing the chapter number, or prologue, is fine for Marcuse, since we all have access to the electronic text), identify an idea or concept, used by Marcuse, which you believe can and should be used to better understand some aspect of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.  Then, do exactly that:  show how and why that concept from Marcuse can be used to understand the novel.  Be sure to show and understanding of, and cite material from, both texts.  Our discussions of how Heidegger can be applied may be relevant here.

Prompt 2 (Research):  

Using academic sources only, probably from Pitt's library (that is, an actual book, or an article from a peer-reviewed journal), present research relating to Marcuse that you think would help the class, and that is at least moving toward an argument.  To put it another way:  it's fine to spend most of your space simply presenting one or several interesting sources, but you need to also, at the very least, show us the beginning of an argument, or to pose a question or series of questions which would lead to an argument.  A 75%/25% division between research and argument would be fine, although I'd be skeptical of a 90%/10% division.

Your sources should be obviously serious and substantive - at least 20 pages of academic writing, and probably more.  If you're using a book, you shouldn't necessarily read the whole thing, but read at least the introduction, and whatever material deals with a topic of interest to you.

Example topics:  how was Marcuse's work received and used when it was published?  How did Marcuse use, and react against, Heidegger?  How can/should we understand Marcuse using either the history of philosophy, or the history of technology?  What was the role of Marcuse's thought in American politics of the 1960s?  Etc.

Recommended book:  Andrew Feenberg's The Catastrophe and Redemption of History, which relates Heidegger and Marcuse, and is even available as kindle book, if you're too lazy to go to the library.

Prompts for Thursday the 24th

Option 1:  Frankenstein and the Human

I ask this with great trepidation, because it often leads to underdeveloped responses.  Here's the short version:  "Is the monster human?"  The reason this simple question often leads to weak or underdeveloped writing is that people tend to give very little attention to the great complexity and difficulty of defining what it means to be human in a way that will withstand scrutiny - especially in a novel that at some level challenges our preconceptions about what the word means.

So, here's the slightly longer version:  Answer whether or not the monster is human, where your definition  of "human" is clearly and articulately defined, and rooted in an outside, probably academic text (scientific, psychological, historical, philosophical, etc.).  You should be defining humanity not in a trivial or casual way, in other words, but using a well-developed theory of human nature.

Option 2:  Frankenstein and Gendered Viewpoints

This prompt is inspired by a former student.  Here's an excerpt from a post of hers for context:

I read Frankenstein about three years ago, and the English class was to direct attention toward the theme of the creation of a disaster. However, reading Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel a second time, I approached it by looking closely at the individuals characters. Overall, I find all of the characters to be passive. In terms of Victor Frankstein’s monster, I couldn’t classify his actions as passive, but because he hasn’t been nurtured and integrated into society, I’m not so sure he comprehends what it means to be passive. The females are the most passive of the novel, listening and agreeing with what men tell them. Victor Frankstein’s mother, she takes a more passive role as the husband swoops in to provide shelter and security to Elizabeth (Shelley 26). Elizabeth herself can’t even formulate her own opinions, listening to either what the police say or Victor about Justine Moritz role in William Frankenstein’s death. Justine Moritz is the most passive woman in the novel so far, welcoming death despite her not murdering William (Shelley 91). However, when I consider that the author of Frankenstein is a woman, this brings me to a question that relates to my insight: Is Mary Shelley telling the story from a man’s point of view? The story of Victor’s despair is told through Victor telling it to Robert Walton.

Your job is to answer one of the two following questions, in the form of an essay, both of which are inspired by and should be contextualized by the above quote.  DO NOT ANSWER BOTH - JUST ONE.

a)  Focusing on specific passages and/or characters (don't try to do everything), address what it means that Shelley is "telling the story from a man's point of view," also keeping in mind that Shelley was raised in an environment, unusual for its time, in which feminist thought was accepted and even welcomed.  Is there a strategy, or an implicit argument, to the dominance of male voices in the narrative?

b)  Are the women of the novel, in fact, passive?  What is the significance (political, intellectual, theoretical - you pick the kind of significance) of their passivity, or their lack thereof?  As always, support your argument with details from the text!

Option 3:  Frankenstein and Heidegger

Note:  this is the same as a prompt from last week.  The only change is that you are expected to to use the second half of the novel.  Any time when I reuse prompts form week to week, you are allowed to use them again unless I say otherwise.

Focus on the creation (or birth, if you prefer) of the monster at the beginning of chapter 5.  Use a specific idea from Heidegger to help interpret what the monster means, or what it is.  Example:  you might use Heidegger's concept of "standing-reserve" to argue that Shelley is imagining what happens when humanity becomes "standing-reserve", or vice-versa.  Cite at least one specific passage from both texts.

Note:  If you don't actually think Heidegger is useful for understanding Frankenstein, this really isn't the prompt for you.

Prompts for First Assignment

Reminders

1. These are due before class, by 5:00 p.m. (I try to skim them before class, although results vary), next week - that's January 17th.
2. Post your essays after proofreading them (I'm not looking for absolute perfection, but for readability).  Also verify that they are readable on the blog after you post them.  Please have a title, even if it's only your name (first names are fine) and the prompt number.
3. Pick one prompt - don't do all of them.    You're aiming for 2-3 pages, or 500-750 words, very approximately.

Prompt 1:  The Monster through Heidegger

Focus on the creation (or birth, if you prefer) of the monster at the beginning of chapter 5.  Use a specific idea from Heidegger to help interpret what the monster means, or what it is.  Example:  you might use Heidegger's concept of "standing-reserve" to argue that Shelley is imagining what happens when humanity becomes "standing-reserve", or vice-versa.  Cite at least one specific passage from both texts.

Note:  If you don't actually think Heidegger is useful for understanding Frankenstein, this really isn't the prompt for you.

Prompt 2:  Characters as Lenses

Focus on one of the following characters:  Clerval, Elizabeth, or Walton.  Through paying close attention to the role and development of your chosen character through the first half of the novel, argue that we should understand the novel in a particular way through the lens of that character.  To put it another way - what can we learn about what the novel means through focusing on one of these three characters?

There is no specific argument in this prompt, but your essay should have a specific argument.

Prompt 3:  The Purpose of Place

Being careful not to overgeneralize, and citing multiple examples from multiple chapters, discuss the role of place in the novel so far.

Example 1:  We might argue that the use of extreme environments teaches us something about the nature of the monster, or reflects something about the nature of the monster.

Example 2:  There is a great deal of water and ice in the novel, and a great deal said by Victor especially (although not exclusively) about that water and ice.  What does the use of water and ice mean?

Again, I give a general prompt, from which you craft a specific argument.