ENGL 326: British Literature (Restoration to Romantic)
Professor E. Derek Taylor
Response Paper 1
Due Monday, 2-18-19 (bring a hard copy to class)
Topic: Despite their many differences, all of the authors we have encountered thus far share an inclination to approach received wisdom with a skeptical eye. Rather than accept comfortable answers, in other words, they tend to ask uncomfortable questions; they poke, prod, and dissect ostensibly “obvious” truths, thus allowing room for new ideas, new “truths,” to emerge. Choose one (possibly two) of these authors and the deployment of skepticism in his/her writing. What purported “truth,” or cultural practice, or idea, or belief, does this author choose to challenge? Why? How? What alternative views or ideas or suggestions does he/she discover in the process? You need not answer all of these questions in the course of your essay—but these will hopefully help orient your argument.
Instructions: Aim for 700 words—roughly three pages (double spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman). As a rule, use MLA formatting guidelines (i.e., cite quotations parenthetically).
Some key questions to consider:
Professor E. Derek Taylor
Response Paper 1
Due Monday, 2-18-19 (bring a hard copy to class)
Topic: Despite their many differences, all of the authors we have encountered thus far share an inclination to approach received wisdom with a skeptical eye. Rather than accept comfortable answers, in other words, they tend to ask uncomfortable questions; they poke, prod, and dissect ostensibly “obvious” truths, thus allowing room for new ideas, new “truths,” to emerge. Choose one (possibly two) of these authors and the deployment of skepticism in his/her writing. What purported “truth,” or cultural practice, or idea, or belief, does this author choose to challenge? Why? How? What alternative views or ideas or suggestions does he/she discover in the process? You need not answer all of these questions in the course of your essay—but these will hopefully help orient your argument.
Instructions: Aim for 700 words—roughly three pages (double spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman). As a rule, use MLA formatting guidelines (i.e., cite quotations parenthetically).
Some key questions to consider:
- Does my essay have a thesis?
- Are my paragraphs constructed around thesis-directed topic sentences?
- Have I supported my claims with carefully selected words and phrases quoted directly from the texts in question?
- Does my essay begin and end thoughtfully and deliberately?