English 254 CD & WI
The Literature of
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? The American Dream? Garden of the West vs.
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 one
or two 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. 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
Aldrich, Bess Streeter. A White
Bird Flying, The Rim of the Prairie, The
Lieutenant’s Lady
Block, Ron. The Dirty Shame Hotel
Cather, Willa. O Pioneers!, Song
of the Lark, A Lost Lady, One of Ours,
Cleary, Kate. Kate M. Cleary: A Literary Life
with Selected Works by Susanne George [
Cody, William (Buffalo Bill).The
Adventures of
Eastman, Charles. An Indian Boyhood, The
Soul of the Indian
Eiseley, Loren. The Immense Journey
Hansen, Ron.
Fisher, Dorothy Canfield. The Home-Maker, The Bent Twig, The Brimming Cup
Janovy, John.
Johnsgard, Paul. Crane Music, This
Fragile Land, Earth, Water, and Sky
La Flesche, Francis. The Middle Five: Indian Schoolboys of the
Lawhead, Stephen. The Dragon King
Trilogy, The Pendragon
Cycle,
Kloefkorn, William. This Death by Drowning,
Restoring the Burnt Child, Time To Sink Her Pretty Little Ship
Kooser, Ted. Local Wonders:
Seasons in the Bohemian
McNeal, Tom. Goodnight
Micheaux, Oscar. The Conquest: The Story
of a Negro Pioneer, The Homesteader, A
Novel.
Morris, Wright. Plains Song, Ceremony
in Lone Tree, Will’s Boy, The Inhabitants (photo-text)
Neihardt, John. Black Elk Speaks
Olsen, Tillie. Tell Me A Riddle
Sandoz, Mari. Old Jules,
Standing Bear, Luther. My People the Sioux, Land
of the Spotted Eagle
Tibbles, Thomas Henry. Buckskin and
Blanket Days, The Ponca Chiefs: An
Account of the Trial of Standing Bear
Welsch, Roger. It’s Not the End of the
Earth But You Can See It from Here, The Summer It Rained: Water and
Plains Pioneer Humor, Shingling the Fog and Other Plains Lies
Winther, Sophus. Take
All to
Yost, Nellie Snyder. Evil Obession: The Annie Cook Story
· For plot synopses, see A Literary History of the American West in the library, or go the Amazon.com or BN.com on the Web.
· If you cannot find one of these books in the library, see me for a personal copy.