Arthurian Legend:
From the Middle Ages to the New Millennium

Response Papers

You are required for this course to write 3 short "response" papers (4-5 pages each) on the literary texts we read in class. These papers do not require extra research on your part or the use of secondary resources, although you may, of course, choose to include such material. What these papers do require is that you respond thoughtfully to the literature. What you select to write about is completely up to you, but feel free to ask me for advice and suggestions. You may choose to analyze one particular episode or character in a text or to discuss a relevant issue, be it cultural, historical, etc., raised by a text; however, your papers must focus on the literary texts and not on any other readings for the course. Since there are 3 response papers, I ask that you write about at least 3 different literary works.

While these papers are intended to be your response to a literary text, please keep in mind that they should still have the rhetorical structure and presentation of an undergraduate English essay. In other words, they should not be a stream-of-consciousness outpouring of your random thoughts on a piece of literature. Instead, each response paper should present

1. a unified, specific, and coherent thesis;
2. textual evidence in the form of direct quotations from the literature (properly documented according to MLA guidelines) that clarify and support your argument/observation about the text; and
3. your mastery of standard American English, including grammar, punctuation, and syntax.

One of the main advantages to writing response papers in a course such as this one is that the process may help you determine a suitable topic that interests you for your research paper. I will often make suggestions in my comments on your response paper as to how you can develop the paper into a suitable research essay. You are always welcome to come and see me for further ideas.

Due dates for each of these papers are listed on the course syllaweb; however, you are more than welcome—and even encouraged—to hand in your response paper before the listed due date.

Need help with punctuation? Check out my online slide presentation for my composition classes on the comma, semi-colon, and colon.

Still confused about the comma? Read over this website for comma usage and try some of the online quizzes at the end.