American Literature and Theater Wrtite two papers about American Literature and Theater Appreciation. Ameican Literature paper needs 3 pages and Theater Appreciation 1 page. you need watch a theater play on youtube before write the theater appreciation p

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American Literature and Theater

Wrtite two papers about American Literature and Theater Appreciation. Ameican Literature paper needs 3 pages and Theater Appreciation 1 page. you need watch a theater play on youtube before write the theater appreciation paper. I will send the requirement about Literature paper later.

Theater Appreciation: watch the play on youtube The Skin of our teeth 

Then write a 1 page paper about it, talk about what you think

American Litertature paper:

Write an analytical essay about Virginia Woolf’s Jacob’s Room(novel), elements include:

-Character

-Voice(narrator)

-Focalization

-Abstraction

-Metaphors or symbolism

-Chronology (plot v.story)

in Times New Roman 12point font, and with one-inch margins

358:206​ ​Women​ ​and​ ​Modernity
Short​ ​Paper​ ​Writing​ ​Assignment

In​ ​the​ ​past​ ​few​ ​weeks,​ ​we​ ​have​ ​discussed​ ​the​ ​major​ ​elements​ ​of​ ​modernism​ ​as​ ​a​ ​response​ ​to​ ​and
reflection​ ​of​ ​a​ ​rapidly​ ​changing​ ​society.​ ​From​ ​the​ ​British​ ​tradition,​ ​we​ ​have​ ​read​ ​Virginia
Woolf’s​ ​​Jacob’s​ ​Room​,​ ​an​ ​example​ ​of​ ​high-modernism,​ ​or​ ​the​ ​most​ ​abstract​ ​and​ ​experimental
form​ ​of​ ​modernist​ ​writing.​ ​We​ ​have​ ​also​ ​discussed​ ​Woolf’s​ ​feminist​ ​writing,​ ​focusing​ ​on​ ​her
understanding​ ​of​ ​women’s​ ​changing​ ​roles​ ​in​ ​political​ ​and​ ​artistic​ ​life.​ ​Using​ ​your​ ​knowledge​ ​of
the​ ​class​ ​materials​ ​and​ ​discussions,​ ​write​ ​an​ ​analytical​ ​essay​ ​in​ ​which​ ​you​ ​comment​ ​on​ ​one
technical​ ​element​ ​of​ ​Woolf’s​ ​prose​ ​style​ ​(listed​ ​below;​ ​using​ ​several​ ​examples​ ​from​ ​the​ ​novel)
and​ ​connect​ ​it​ ​to​ ​an​ ​interpretation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​novel.​ ​Some​ ​questions​ ​you​ ​might​ ​ask​ ​yourself:​ ​What​ ​is
the​ ​impact​ ​of​ ​using​ ​this​ ​style?​ ​How​ ​does​ ​it​ ​affect​ ​the​ ​major​ ​themes​ ​of​ ​the​ ​novel?​ ​What​ ​is​ ​your
interpretation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​reading?

Elements​ ​include:

– Character
– Voice​ ​(narrator)
– Focalization
– Abstraction
– Metaphors​ ​or​ ​symbolism
– Chronology​ ​(plot​ ​v.​ ​story)

Due​ ​at​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​class​ ​on​ ​​Tuesday,​ ​November​ ​21​.​ ​Responses​ ​should​ ​be​ ​3-4​ ​pages,​ ​typed,
double-spaced,​ ​in​ ​Times​ ​New​ ​Roman​ ​12​ ​point​ ​font,​ ​and​ ​with​ ​one-inch​ ​margins.​ ​See​ ​syllabus​ ​for
our​ ​late​ ​paper​ ​policy.

You​ ​should​ ​follow​ ​the​ ​conventions​ ​of​ ​an​ ​academic​ ​paper​ ​in​ ​both​ ​organization​ ​and​ ​tone.​ ​The​ ​tone
of​ ​your​ ​paper​ ​(word​ ​choice,​ ​syntax,​ ​punctuation,​ ​general​ ​style)​ ​should​ ​be​ ​appropriate​ ​for​ ​an
academic​ ​setting.​ ​Your​ ​paper​ ​should​ ​contain​ ​an​ ​introductory​ ​paragraph​ ​with​ ​a​ ​thesis​ ​statement​ ​at
the​ ​end,​ ​body​ ​paragraphs​ ​containing​ ​topic​ ​sentences​ ​and​ ​evidence​ ​in​ ​support​ ​of​ ​claim,​ ​logical
transitions​ ​between​ ​paragraphs,​ ​and​ ​a​ ​concluding​ ​paragraph​ ​that​ ​states​ ​the​ ​broader​ ​implications
of​ ​your​ ​argument​ ​(do​ ​not​ ​use​ ​“In​ ​conclusion”).​ ​Your​ ​“evidence”​ ​will​ ​likely​ ​be​ ​significant
quotations,​ ​details,​ ​patterns,​ ​or​ ​passages​ ​from​ ​the​ ​text,​ ​cited​ ​appropriately​ ​(using​ ​page​ ​numbers
for​ ​all​ ​evidence​ ​used).​ ​Use​ ​quotation​ ​marks​ ​to​ ​denote​ ​ANY​ ​writing​ ​that​ ​is​ ​not​ ​your​ ​own.​ ​You
will​ ​only​ ​be​ ​working​ ​with​ ​the​ ​novel​ ​for​ ​this​ ​paper.​ ​You​ ​may​ ​not​ ​quote​ ​word​ ​for​ ​word​ ​from​ ​the
study​ ​materials​ ​provided​ ​to​ ​you​ ​or​ ​any​ ​other​ ​sources.​ ​All​ ​information​ ​must​ ​be​ ​in​ ​your​ ​own
words,​ ​unless​ ​it​ ​is​ ​a​ ​direct​ ​quote​ ​from​ ​the​ ​text.

Six ​ ​Requests: 
 

1. Provide ​ ​a ​ ​thematically ​ ​rich​ ​thesis ​ ​statement.​ ​Usually,​ ​your​ ​thesis​ ​will​ ​be​ ​the​ ​last​ ​sentence 
or ​ ​two​ ​of ​ ​your​ ​introductory ​ ​paragraph.  
 

2. Work ​ ​on ​ ​developing ​ ​strong ​ ​topic​ ​sentences​ ​that​ ​explicitly​ ​articulate​ ​the​ ​claim​ ​or​ ​insight 
of ​ ​a ​ ​particular ​ ​paragraph​ ​and​ ​serve​ ​as​ ​supporting​ ​parts​ ​or​ ​stages​ ​of​ ​your​ ​overall​ ​argument. 

 
3. Quote ​ ​from ​ ​the ​ ​text.​ ​Your​ ​essays​ ​need​ ​to​ ​provide​ ​examples​ ​demonstrating​ ​your​ ​points. 

They ​ ​also ​ ​need​ ​to​ ​be​ ​enlivened ​ ​by​ ​drawing​ ​your​ ​readers​ ​into​ ​the​ ​stories​ ​you​ ​have​ ​to​ ​tell 
about ​ ​the ​ ​works ​ ​of ​ ​fiction. 
 

4. Reread. ​ ​And ​ ​reread ​ ​again. ​ ​At​ ​least​ ​sixty​ ​percent​ ​of​ ​the​ ​time​ ​you​ ​devote​ ​to​ ​this​ ​essay 
should​ ​be ​ ​spent ​ ​re-reading ​ ​the ​ ​text.​ ​Keep​ ​asking​ ​yourself​ ​“what​ ​else?”​ ​and​ ​“where​ ​else?” 
Try ​ ​to​ ​get ​ ​as ​ ​rich ​ ​and ​ ​inclusive​ ​interpretation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​stories​ ​as​ ​possible.​ ​Don’t​ ​settle​ ​for​ ​a 
single​ ​telling​ ​quotation,​ ​but​ ​find ​ ​others​ ​that​ ​are​ ​like​ ​it​ ​that​ ​can​ ​be​ ​used​ ​for​ ​elaboration, 
clarification,​ ​and ​ ​qualification.  

 
5. Search​ ​for ​ ​the​ ​nuances. ​ ​Your ​ ​responses​ ​should​ ​not​ ​fall​ ​into​ ​either/or​ ​categorizations,​ ​but 

rather​ ​should ​ ​focus ​ ​on ​ ​subtle​ ​differences​ ​or​ ​surprising​ ​similarities.​ ​I​ ​would​ ​be​ ​as​ ​happy​ ​to 
see ​ ​you ​ ​open ​ ​up ​ ​a​ ​problem ​ ​that ​ ​cannot​ ​be​ ​solved​ ​as​ ​to​ ​settle​ ​conclusively​ ​on​ ​an 
interpretation​ ​that ​ ​fails​ ​to​ ​admit ​ ​of ​ ​its ​ ​limits. 

 
6. Bring​ ​some ​ ​energy ​ ​to ​ ​your ​ ​writing.​ ​Tell​ ​a ​ ​good​ ​story,​ ​back​ ​it​ ​up​ ​with​ ​evidence​ ​from ​ ​the 

text, ​ ​and ​ ​don’t ​ ​assume ​ ​that​ ​there ​ ​is​ ​a ​ ​right​ ​answer​ ​to​ ​any​ ​of​ ​it.​ ​Show​ ​your​ ​thought​ ​and 
provide ​ ​evidence ​ ​for​ ​it.

Introduction to Literary Studies: Who Speaks and Who Sees

Voice and Focalization

· Voice: Who speaks?

· Focalization: Who sees?

· When we read for voice and focalization, we are often attempting to determine a relationship of DISTANCE OR PROXIMITY between:

· A: Author (NOT narrator)

· B: Narrator

· C: Characters

· B: Narratee (implied reader: Who hears? Who reads?)

· A: Reader

Voice: Who Speaks?

· When?

· Where?

· How? With what voice? Authority? Tone?

· What kind of language?

· To whom?

· When? Past, present, long ago, or just a short while ago?

· Where? From the perspective of a friend? A neighbor? With poetic distance?

· How? Affectionately? Kindly? Angrily? Bemused? Compassionately?

· With what voice? Authority? Tone? Factually? Untrustworthily?

· What kind of language? Realistically? Poetically? Scientifically?

· To whom? To us as readers? To someone like the character?

Focalization: Who Sees?

· When?
· Where?

· How? To what extent?

· With what level of accuracy?

· More or less than what “we” see?

· Where? In a room? In the mind? On the street?

· Who sees? Is it the character or someone else? Is there a distance implied?

· How much more than the protagonist does the narrator know? What can the narrator “see” that other characters cannot?

· How close is the omniscient narrator’s voice to that of the protagonist?

Direct, Indirect, and Free Indirect Discourse

· When considering “who speaks,” we encounter different kinds of speech represented by the narrator: direct, indirect, and free indirect discourse or speech.

· Direct discourse or direct speech is the direct representation of speech. Often identified by quotation marks; a reporting phrase such as “he said” or “she said;” sociolect or dialect; the present tense; and first person when the speaker refers to him or herself.

· Illusion of least mediation.

· Indirect discourse or indirect speech (a.k.a. reported speech) is the indirect representation of speech. It also uses reporting phrases such as “she said,” but no quotation marks; tends to be in the past or past perfect tense; can adopt character’s syntax, vocabulary, and pronunciation; and references to the first person are rendered in the third person.

· Less immediate, more mediation.

· Representations of thought are sometimes called silent or inner speech and can be represented in a direct or indirect manner:

· Direct: He thought, “I’m tired today.”

· Indirect: He thought he was tired today.

· Free indirect discourse (FID; also known as narrated monologue) is a technique by which the narrator reproduces the “mind style” of the character, as if the narrator is ventriloquizing what the character is thinking or feeling (without saying so). The narrator continues to talk of the character in the third person but the character’s thoughts are reproduced in a way that one would imagine the character to think. Unlike drama, narrative allows the reader to look into a character’s thoughts without having the character speak, giving the impression of first-hand and intimate knowledge.

· Gosh, how tired he was today!

· FID should NOT be straightforwardly equated with “stream of consciousness,” which describes the way cognitive processes are formed through chaotic associations rather than orderly and well-structured thoughts.

· FID can be recognized by:

· A change in syntax, often to less formal incomplete sentences, exclamations, rhetorical questions, dashes, etc.

· A change in diction, to match the speech style of the character; emotive words (Oh! Damn!).

· Stream of consciousness of the character to reproduce their thoughts and perceptions.

· Adverbs indicating uncertainty (perhaps)

· Modal verbs (can/could, may/might, must, will/would, shall/should)

· DUAL VOICE: FID gets you “inside” the character’s thoughts while maintaining the possibility of distance (frequently ironic): proximity with the hint of distance!

· Find an example in the novel where the narrator is describing Jacob in what seems to be free indirect discourse: where is the distance? Where is the proximity? How do we know this is FID?

· What can we learn about the narrator by their approach to Jacob?

Introduction to Literary Studies: Terms and Questions

Narrative – story (what is told) and discourse (how it is told)

·

Story (general) – a sequence of events and actions involving characters; the “what” of narrative. Story/plot,[footnoteRef:1] character, setting. [1: There are two important definitions of story. The first definition is the part of narrative that describes what is told (the basic sequence of events). The second definition refers to the chronological sequence of events (in contrast to the “plot,” which is the relation of events in a particular order to show causality or logical structure). ]

· Story (specific)/plot – the chronological sequence of events and the order in which those events are told.

· Space/setting – atmosphere, characterization, milieu (social background), fiction vs. real space, symbolic space or other symbols, plot-line that occurs in only one setting.

· Character – representations of people with certain functions in a narrative context.

· Discourse – how the story is transmitted. Plot, narrative situation, time, style, etc.

· Narrative situation – an aspect of discourse, including narrative voice and focalization.

· Narrative voice – “who speaks” or who tells the story. Narrative (prose) is always told or mediated through a voice, even when the narrator presents directly dialogue between characters.

· Homodiegetic narrator is also a character in the story.

· Heterodiegetic narrator is not a character in the story.

·

Focalization – “who sees” or perspective from which the narrator transmits the story to the reader.

Questions to Ask:

Who speaks? (Narrative voice)

· How distant or close is the narrative voice to the character, if there is one?

· If there isn’t one, what can we know about this voice?

· Is the narrative voice reliable or unreliable?

· Is the narrator overt or covert? (with or without a personality, intrusive or invisible)

Who sees? (Focalization)

· Does “who sees” match up with “who speaks”?

· If so, how?

· If not, what doesn’t match? Consider tone, syntax, and diction.

Is there a plot? (Chronology of events)

· What can we answer about who, what, when, and where?

· Is there a sequence of events? If so, what is it?

· Does the plot match the story (real-time occurrence) of events? If so, how?

· If not, how do they not match up?

Who are the characters?

· What function do they play? (major, minor, foil, protagonist, witness, confidant, antagonist, etc.)

· How do we learn about them? (Directly/Explicitly or indirectly/implicitly)

· What is the inner life of the character? How much do we know about it?

· Who tells us about the character and how reliable is the narration?

What do we know? How?

· What do we not know? How?

· What are our expectations?

· How does the text set up, challenge, and/or complicate these expectations?

What is unusual, puzzling or stands out in the narration? Why?

· What is the overall tone of the passage?

· Is there something that departs from or changes the tone, even a little bit?

· Are there any rhetorical devices (metaphors, etc.)? Or particularly interesting phrases?

Interpretations to Make:

For all observations above, remember to ask, “what is the effect of this?”

· The “so what?” question: how does the use of this particular strategy or device contribute to the overall meaning of the line, passage, and/or novel?