(1500-2500 words, which is usually about 6-10 typed, double-spaced pages)

Your thesis paper should make a claim in relationship to value. You do not need to answer the big question (How do we know the Good from the Bad?) in a global or eternal sense. But you should frame a position you want to prove.. This could be a judgment about how value has changed, or how value has not changed, or how the ways evaluation has changed is a good thing, etc.

You should address some specific literary / art examples. You may focus on a single important work, or you can look at several across time if that works for your argument. (It would be best not to try to discuss more than three or four works).

You could choose a more thematic or concept-based focus. Does E-lit continue the experimentalism of Cage and Duchamp? Can art still challenge and provoke as it did in 1917? Does computation and AI spell the end to good literature? etc. You should make significant use of at least one critical source (such as Eagleton). This means you will quote and discuss or apply the source, probably in more than one paragraph; the goal is to combine your thinking with that of others and to integrate this into your overall argument.

Some Options

1. Critical Review. (Is it good, why?) Focus on one creative work (e-literature, conceptual text, etc.) and write a persuasive essay that assesses the value of the work in specific terms, relating it to criteria informed by our class readings. The value of literature is obtained from observing the overall effect(s) on ourselves and predicting those thoughts of a group of people found in Barbara Herrnstein Smith. Consider a comparative review of two or three works, from Blind Man or including works from the E-literature Collection.
2. Interpretation Option. Choose one creative work that interests you. Consider what a casual, first-time reader would not be able to understand or appreciate. Develop an explanatory essay that identifies key elements and explores their significance. Draw on the notions from Eagleton and Herrnstein Smith that you need to know things before you can evaluate. (Remember the example of Tiger Woods and Lady Gaga? )
3. Theory. Identify a concept from the critical reading (eg. good literature is distinguished by verbal inventiveness). Explain what this value involves, why it might be important, how it is challenged or questioned, and where things stand in 2022. For example, value changes over time: Many readers, teachers, and critics approach books as if a classic was born that way – has always been valued and will always be valued, timeless and great. However, value changes over time, as a consequence of X, Y, and Z. A perfect example of this would be work _A_. Note that this approach is a bit more philosophical, but you should be wary of taking an extremely abstract approach. You still want to ground your thinking in specific quotes and examples.
4. Genre Option. Identify a piece that seems to raise questions about genre (Is it really a poem? Is it really a work of art? ) Using the Dodd lecture as a model, discuss a chosen work and make the case that it does/doesn't belong in its category. Or explore what difference it makes if we identify a work of born-digital literature as a “game” rather than a “poem.” etc.

1. Write well-argued essays using purposefully selected and organized textual evidence from literary texts

2. Develop higher order reasoning skills by synthesizing ideas from several points of view and from multiple texts – higher order reasoning skills must be derived from the selection and organization of specific examples, particularly through attention to patterns of thought that emerge from extensive and thoughtful quotations from course texts

These papers will go through a peer-editing process and at least one revision before being submitted for my evaluation. During our conference, we will discuss revision strategies. You must revise your draft after our conference, and your revisions should be purposeful and effective. Content, Organization, Mechanics and Revision are equally weighted. You will also compose a “Revision Cover Letter” to be submitted with the final version of the Essay. This one-page, single-spaced document addressed to me will narrate how you addressed your professors’ and classmates' suggestions for improving the final product. You must also include multiple, marked-up drafts showing your revision process for any revision credit (the absence of which would reduce your final essay grade by one quarter).

Style - MLA style header, with title centered, followed by introductory paragraph(s). Sources - quote and paraphrase appropriately from 2 or more course texts. Use MLA style in-text citation and a Works Cited page at the end to credit sources.

1. How many sources should I use?

This is not a research paper. You should draw on two or more class readings. You may quote, paraphrase or summarize other sources if needed. But you should not think of this as a research paper where a certain number of sources are required. Rather (see course objective 1 above) the focus should be on your argument and your use of sources to explore your ideas. It is crucial that you integrate your sources into the flow of your own argument.

3. Is “I” O.K.?

“I” is O.K. (But remember, any writing move loses its effectiveness if it becomes repetitive. In an argumentative, persuasive, or evaluative essay, just about everything you write could be prefaced with “In my opinion, …” or “I believe….” So be judicious. )

4. How do I address the Core B question?

Don't try to resolve the abstract question of the good and bad in a universal sense; rather, frame an argumentative claim in specific terms. For instance, write about the value of one or a few works from the Electronic Literature Collection of Against Expression. That is, use an example or case study, ex.: Shelly Jackson's “My Body” demonstrates how a born-digital text can achieve recognized literary values of expressiveness, audience engagement, and artful use of language by exploiting the unique dimensions of the hypertext format.

Alternatively, you can form a broader claim about a specific mode/genre of E-lit or conceptual writing. But your approach should be persuasive and your purpose should include evaluation. There are many options here. For instance, you don't have to argue that hypertext is a superior literary form to the novel; you could, instead, argue that teaching hyperext writing would be useful for H.S. creative writers. Or you could argue that good interactive fiction has value in encouraging critical thinking – i.e. it's a “good” teaching tool, even if you don't want to argue it's great art, etc.

5. How many sources should I use?

I recommend at least one critical source (Goldsmith, Hernstein Smith, Greenblatt, Cage, etc.) and one creative work. I strongly discourage essays from taking on more than two literary examples or more than two or three critical sources. Depth is more valued than breadth.

6. How are you grading this? It may also help you to consider that I will grade essays on the basis of four broad categories:

C) Content - degree of thoughtfulness, richness of information provided or strength of claims made;

O) Organization - effective presentation, including thesis, detail or support, paragraph form, transitions, and coherence;

M) Mechanics - essay format and such sentence-level elements as punctuation, spelling, and word choice; and

R) Revision - evidence of effort and quality of changes made to preliminary drafts, especially in response to peer-critique.

Generally, an “A” paper should be strong in all four areas; a “B” paper is strong in at least three areas and not poor in any; a “C” paper should be adequate in at least three areas; a “D” paper is inadequate in two areas; and “F” paper is inadequate in three or more areas.