What I would *like* is for that second paper be a modified research paper --- I give them some sources about craft or genre more generally and they make arguments about how well it works (or doesn't) in what we have read. I have some intro to narrative theory stuff we could read about narrative gaps or foreshadowing, but would love to have a larger list of good, accessible essays.
Know of anything? Maybe you can point me towards something in one of those Cambridge Companions or the like?
I guess CA schools have a "critical thinking" component to their comp classes that also requires them to identify and evaluate logical fallacies in critical writing about literature --- and this place says it is not enough for them to identify fallacies in fellow students' writing.
Now, I don't think most college freshmen are experienced and sophisticated enough to read criticism and successfully evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of it, but I think they can learn to read and annotate a critical essay and identify the claims. And it might be a bit of a stretch for them to do what I am suggesting here but it would be good practice for the research paper.
Any creative writing peeps with craft-style articles would be really helpful!
2 comments:
You might look up something by WB Worthen for stuff about dramatic performance, etc. Or you could look at Brecht's stuff on epic theatre and the alienation effect. (Blech!) Thing is, Brecht was really innovative in his time, but the stuff that he did is fairly commonplace now, so we don't think of it as a big deal.
I don't know... I've had a terrible week and am out of good liquor. I'm probably not the best person in the world to ask. :)
Are you looking for short story craft essays? Find the ones written by writers themselves--or in a collection like the AWP published about 10 years ago, as they are "craft" essays meant not for theory but for writers to use. Much more plain language and accessible. If you want to see some, I have that old collection. You can message me on Facebook, and I'll send them along.
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