Cplt 110 Literary Criticism And Analysis Winter 2019 Midterm ✓ Solved

Cplt 110 Literary Criticism And Analysis Winter 2019mid Term Paper A

Write a four-to-five-page paper (1000 to 1250 words, double-spaced) on one of two topics provided. The paper should present a strong, original thesis based on your reading of the texts or film, supported by direct evidence from the works, including quotations with proper citations. The analysis must engage with scholarly ideas, referencing at least two to three relevant passages from the selected stories or texts. All sources, including secondary references, should be cited following MLA guidelines, and a works cited page must be included. The paper must critically analyze and interpret the chosen material, demonstrating understanding of the theoretical frameworks involved and their relevance to the works discussed. Responses should go beyond summarizing prompts, incorporating your own questions and critical insights to develop a cohesive argument.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Topic 1: The Problematization of the Authorship in Hawthorne’s “Rappaccini’s Daughter” and Hoffmann’s “The Sandman” through the Lens of Barthes and Foucault

The figure of the author as a central authority and creator has long been a subject of critical debate in literary theory. Roland Barthes’s “The Death of the Author” and Michel Foucault’s “What is an Author?” challenge traditional notions by questioning the authority and singularity of the authorial voice. Applying these theories to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Rappaccini’s Daughter” and E.T.A. Hoffmann’s “The Sandman” reveals how these stories problematize the concept of the author and suggest a decentered view of textual meaning.

Barthes argues that the author is a myth constructed to impose unity and authorial intent on a text, which in turn limits the interpretative possibilities of the reader. He advocates for the “death of the author,” emphasizing that a text’s meaning should exist independently of its creator (Barthes, 1967). Conversely, Foucault introduces the idea of the author as a function of discursive practices, focusing on how authorship creates a zone of authority that influences interpretation (Foucault, 1969). His concept of the “author-function” indicates that the author’s identity is intertwined with social and cultural power structures.

In “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” Hawthorne explores the complex interplay between the creator’s intent and the reader’s interpretation. The character Dr. Rappaccini, as the scientist who “creates” Beatrice, embodies a kind of literary authorship that blurs the boundaries between creator and created. The story problematizes the authority of the scientist/author, especially in the context of moral and ethical concerns about playing God. For instance, Beatrice’s poisonous nature, which arises from her environment, mirrors the ambiguity surrounding her creation, challenging the reader to question who bears responsibility – the creator or the created (Hawthorne, 1844, p. 45).

In “The Sandman,” Hoffmann’s narrative destabilizes the figure of the author through its exploration of dreams, illusion, and the subconscious. The character of the narrator and the elusive, mythic figure of Coppola serve as stand-ins for the author, yet their unreliability complicates the notion of a singular, authoritative voice. Hoffmann’s portrayal of automata and hypnotic suggestion suggests that identity and authorship are fragmented and multivalent. The story emphasizes the multiplicity of interpretations, aligning with Barthes’s view that texts are open-ended and reader-driven (Hoffmann, 1816, p. 79).

Analyzing these stories through the distinction between the subject of the enunciated and the subject of enunciation reveals key insights. For instance, Hawthorne’s narrative implicates both the creator (the scientist) and the reader as participants in the ongoing construct of meaning. Similarly, Hoffmann’s narrative shifts focus between the narrated subject (the automaton or The sandman) and the narrator’s voice, illustrating the fluidity of identity and authorship (Foucault, 1969).

Overall, both stories demonstrate how literary works challenge classical notions of the author as sole authority, aligning with Barthes and Foucault’s perspectives. They underscore that meaning arises from complex, discursive networks rather than individual genius, prompting readers to reconsider the role of the author and the interpretative authority they wield.

References

• Barthes, Roland. “The Death of the Author.” Image, Music, Text, translated by Stephen Heath, Hill and Wang, 1967.
• Foucault, Michel. “What is an Author?” Language, Counter-Memory, Practice, edited by D. F. Bouchard, Oxford University Press, 1969.
• Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” Mosses from an Old Manse, 1844.
• Hoffmann, E. T. A. “The Sandman.” 1816.
• Additional scholarly sources to support analysis.