Guidelines for Formal Papers

You will be responsible for writing TWO papers during the course of the semester. I have given you several options for paper topics and due dates on the schedule of classes in your syllabus. Papers are due on the date listed, and they should be concise, original interpretations of a particular theme or idea suggested by the reading due on that day. Papers should be ONE page and single-spaced. I will not accept papers that exceed this page limit. Your paper will count for 30% of your final grade.

Suggestions and guidelines for writing your paper:

• Due to space considerations, you cannot waste time and space with abstract, flowery introductions that don’t focus directly on the text. The very first sentence of your paper should get right to the point. (See SAMPLE.)
• The thesis / main argument should be stated clearly in the paper’s first paragraph.
• Due to space considerations, you must organize your paper effectively. This means that each paragraph should have a definite point or purpose, and this point should be stated in the first sentence. So, you’ll see on the sample paper that no paragraph begins with plot summary. In fact, the paper only uses plot summary if summary contributes actively to proving the argument.
• You should assume that the reader of your paper is familiar with the work and does not need to be told what happened and who’s who. You should focus exclusively on proving the point that you made in your introduction.
• The best papers have a narrow focus (one problem or one character) and go into great depth about the selected topic. See below for how to come up with good paper topics.
• Due to space considerations, you will not have room to quote extensively and at length from the text. Therefore, you will have to be EXTREMELY SELECTIVE about the quotes that you do choose to use. You may even cite quotes in parentheses (see sample). Quotes that are particularly important can be integrated into the argument. Your paper should include at least one quote per paragraph to back up your point.
• On the other hand, your paper should NOT consist entirely of quotes with no substantial argument / ideas. Again, I’m interested in your unique perspective on the text (I’ve already read the text, so it does me no good to read a bunch of quotes left to stand on their own).
• There should be a clear argumentative progression through your paper. That is, the topic of each paragraph should build off the one before it. Your paper, in other words, should construct a cohesive narrative of your own reading of the text.

Here are some suggestions for generating ideas for your paper:

• Expand on an idea or question not fully explored in class.
• Think about a set of contradicting ideas in a text and trace how this contradiction is played out and resolved in the course of the text.
• Begin with a particularly troubling or interesting passage or character in the text. Try to figure out why this passage / character interests or disturbs you.
• Trace the shifting significance of a single metaphor or image through several episodes.
• Argue with a reading or interpretation that I or someone else proposed in class.
• DO NOT REITERATE MY IDEAS BACK TO ME. There is nothing so boring (or, frankly, so irritating) as reading my own interpretation written by someone else. Save regurgitation for exams.

Further Technicalities:

• Your paper must have a TITLE, and it must be TYPED. You should not use smaller than 10-point font (Times), and your margins should not be narrower than .2. If I cannot read your paper (because the font is too small or illegible), I will not grade it, and you will simply have to write on another topic.
• You will NOT be allowed to rewrite the same paper for a new grade. You may, however, choose to write all three papers. I will always take the average of your two best grades.
• I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE PAPERS. If you do not hand in your paper on the date it is due, you must write for the next due date on the topic assigned.