Choose ONE of the following topics and write a paper addressing it.  Be certain that you have a central point to make and that you support what you have to say by quoting from the relevant texts. You can't say everything in your paper; instead, make certain that you say a few things well.  Papers must be anchored in the materials we have studied in this course and must meet the requirements of the assignment. Papers written on topics or materials not anchored in the materials studied in this class will not receive a passing grade unless you receive prior approval. In addition, papers that do not make a recognizable point, do not use appropriate quotations from the texts, or do not cite the sources used cannot receive a grade higher than a "D." Papers are expected to be at least 8 pages in length and must be typed in a 10-12 point font, double-spaced, with 1 inch margins all around. All quotations and sources must be cited in proper MLA documentation style. You are also expected to use and cite at least three appropriate critical sources in your paper in addition to the primary text and that edition's introductory material. It is a good idea to review the grading criteria for written work at this time.
 

1. The long eighteenth century in England was a period of intense change in the political, social, legal, gender, religious, and economic structures of the nation.  All of these changes are reflected in the literature of the period, when authors and poets were much more engaged in the intense public discussions surrounding such changes than they are today.   Choose ONE of these areas, or a subset of one of these areas, based upon a pattern you have observed in the texts we read in class.  Read more about the backgrounds to the period (see me for suggestions/sources).  Then write a paper in which you attempt account for the pattern you've observed.  Be sure you have a central point to make and that you support what you have to say by quoting from the relevant texts. Note--you may write about a theme you selected as the basis for your reading journal assignment.
2. Read at least two more works in a particular genre we have studied (read more if the works are short, such as in short poetry).  Based upon your reading, write a paper in which you characterize this genre and how it worked in the context of eighteenth-century British culture.  You may need to read more about some aspect of eighteenth-century culture in order to write on this topic effectively (see me for suggestions). Be sure you have a central point to make and that you support what you have to say by quoting from the relevant texts. Note--you may write about a genre you selected as the basis for your reading journal assignment.
3. Read at least two more works by a particular author we have studied; or, if the works are short, read more works by several authors associated with the author we studied.  Based upon your reading, write a paper in which you develop a theory about this author's philosophy regarding his or her work and how it functions within the culture for which the author wrote. You may need to read more about some aspect of eighteenth-century culture in order to write on this topic effectively (see me for suggestions). Be sure you have a central point to make and that you support what you have to say by quoting from the relevant texts.
4. Write about how a particular literary device used across the works we have studied this term (e.g., metaphor, characterization, etc) and write a paper in which you develop a theory about how the conventions you discuss might have worked in terms of the way 18th century readers read texts. For a list of particular terms associated with figurative language and poetic conventions, as well as their definitions, see the Poetry Explication handout at http://www.nku.edu/~rkdrury/poetryexplication.html. Note--you may write about a particular literary device you selected as the basis for your reading journal assignment.
5. Creative Option. For this option, you may elect to write (1) a parody of a work we studied, (2) a missing scene from a play we studied, (3) a missing chapter from a novel we studied, or (4) a work that constitutes a sequel.. Your creative work must effectively imitate the style and language of the original work and must fit integrally with the rest of the work. Your creative work must be at least six pages long and be accompanied by a "commentary" of at least two pages in which you explain, using appropriate literary terms and critical thinking, exactly how your work fits with the original and why it is necessary.