English 254
Ethnic Literature of the American West
Dr. Susanne Bloomfield
BOOK ANALYSIS REQUIREMENTS
I. Plot Synopsis
Give title, author, original date of publication, publisher, and number of pages. In your own words, briefly summarize the work. (250 words)
II. Sense of Place
Discuss the importance of western myths, legends, and or stereotypes in this work (500 words). Use quotations from the work to support your interpretation. Some possible subjects that you might address could include*:
A. Discuss aspects of the Western Myth inform the narrative? Manifest Destiny? Conflict between savagery and civilization? Bootstrap Myth? Rugged Individualism? The American Dream? Others?
B. Do any of the characters undergo an initiation or Rite of Passage? Explain.
C. Does ethnicity or gender affect the story? Do the characters have any preconceived attitudes toward other races, religions, gender, or the land? Do these attitudes change by the conclusion the narrative?
E. Discuss the importance of "Place' and/or "Displacement."
(* Be selective; consider only questions appropriate to your book.)
III. Comparative Analysis
Compare and/or contrast this work to another work we have studied in class. Possible areas for analysis might include the authors' acceptance of or alienation from American myths such as Manifest Destiny or the American Dream; their use of theme, symbolism, conflict, and character development; their emphasis on historical or cultural aspects of the period; their acceptance of or deviation from popularly accepted myths or stereotypes; their sense of place or displacement. Again, choose only one or two areas of comparison and go into depth. Use quotations from both works to support your comparison. (500 words)
IV. Reader-Response
What is your personal response to the book? What is the major theme of this book? Does it have any redeeming social, political, or personal values? Does it exemplify any universal truths? Is the book factual and realistic? Is there a movie version and is it faithful to the story? Did you enjoy reading the book? (250 words)
**Follow the above format. Label Parts I, II, III, and IV. In addition to the critical thinking in the analysis, grammar, punctuation, correct form, and the degree of difficulty of the book will also be considered. Parts II and III are the most important and will weigh more heavily in determining the overall grade for the Book Analysis.
**Author not on suggested list must be approved by professor.
A FEW SUGGESTED WESTERN WRITERS AND THEIR BOOKS*
Alexie, Sherman. Reservation Blues, Indian Killer, The Toughest Indian in the World
Alvarez, Julia. Yo!, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
Berger, Thomas. Little Big Man
Blake, Robert. Dances with Wolves
Cantu, Norma Elia. Canicula: Snapshots of a Girlhood en las Frontera
Chavez, Denise. The Face of an Angel, The Last of the Menu Girls
Cooper, James Fenimore. The Prairie, The Pioneers
Deloria, Jr., Vine. Custer Died for Your Sins
Eastman, Charles. An Indian Boyhood, From Deep Woods to Civilization
Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine, Beet Queen, Tracks, The Bingo Palace
Hillerman, Tony. The Blessing Way, etc.
Horsley, Kate. A Killing in New Town.
Johnson, Dorothy. Buffalo Woman, All the Buffalo Returning
Jackson, Helen Hunt. Ramona
King, Thomas. Medicine River
LaFarge, Oliver, Laughing Boy
Micheaux, Oscar. The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer, The Homesteader, A Novel.
Momaday, N. Scott. The Way to Rainy Mountain, The Names
Mourning Dove. Co-ge-we-a
Neihardt, John. Black Elk Speaks
Owens, Louis. The Sharpest Sight, Bone Game, Wolfsong, Dark River, Nightland, I Hear the Train: Reflections, Inventions, Refractions.
Sandoz, Mari. The Cattlemen, Cheyenne Autumn, Crazy Horse
Silko, Leslie,Marmon. Ceremony, Storyteller, Garden in the Dunes
Welch, James. Winter in the Blood, The Heartsong of Charging Elk, Indian Lawyer.