TERM PAPER 2010-2011

LITS2306 HISTORY OF CRITICISM

TERM PAPER

SEMESTER I, 2010-2011

The term paper is based on Module One: Ancient Thought: the Quarrel Between Philosophy and Rhetoric.

The Final Exam will be based on Modules Two and Three.

Answer ONE (1) of the following questions:

In your answer, you should refer closely to the primary source(s) by the theorist(s) in question.

1. Referring closely to the work of at least ONE theorist which you have studied in this module and illustrating your answer with reference to ONE literary work of your choice, carefully explain one of the following approaches to criticism:

the mimetic;

the pragmatic;

the objective;

the expressive.

2. "Plato's worldview is coherent: his distrust of literature and his desire to banish poets from his ideal state are derived from his views on the nature of reality, knowledge and the self." Discuss by comparing Plato's literary and non-literary views.

3. Would you agree that "Aristotle's theory of literature in the Poetics stem inevitably from his views on the nature of reality, knowledge and the self"?

4. Referring closely to Aristotle's Poetics, identify the emotional impact of a novel or play of your choice and discuss the precise role played by the plot in particular in the production of this effect.

5. Referring closely to Aristotle's "Rhetoric," discuss the view that it is the "first attempt to place the study of rhetoric on a systematic basis."

6. Discuss the concept of the 'sublime' advanced by 'Longinus' in On the Sublime. How may we recognise it? What are its five sources? Illustrate your answer with reference to a lyric poem of your choice.

7. "At the heart of the cultural life of Fifth Century Athens was a fierce battle between philosophy and rhetoric." Discuss this claim by comparing:

EITHER

the views of the Sophists with those of either Plato or Aristotle

OR

Aristotle's model of literature with Longinus' model.

DEADLINE: 5 pm, Thursday, October 28, 2010 ---> extended to 5 pm, Thursday November 4, 2010

LENGTH: 7 pages maximum (typewritten, double-spaced)

Please click HERE for essential advice on writing the term paper.