Lens Paper
A lens paper is a way of closely looking at or analyzing an aspect of art, literature, or film in writing. It is basically a literary analysis but can be applied to tv, film and art.
Here are some common lenses used to analyze works in formal essays:
Feminist
This lens looks at the way women are portrayed. It can also analyze how women are portrayed in relation to their male counterparts.
(For example: Louise Mallard in “The Story of An Hour”; Offred in “The Handmaid’s Tale” tv series; Brienne of Tarth in “Game of Thrones” book or series; The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series of novels, the housewives in the play Trifles by Glaspell)
Marxist
This lens looks at social class.
(Films: A Bug’s Life, A Clockwork Orange, TV series on Netflix “The Crown”; short stories https://www.shortstoryguide.com/short-stories-about-class/)
Psychoanalytical
This lens looks at the mental state of a character or characters. Usually, the DSM-5 is used to diagnose a commonly accepted mental illness.
(Documentary I’ll Be Gone In The Dark on HBO; “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Cask of Amontillado”; Girl, Interrupted, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series)
Autobiographical
This looks at how the author inserts his or her own life experience into the work.
(Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”; The Vow HBO)
Historical
This looks at the time period of the work and how that impacts it.
(“A Rose For Emily”; Macbeth; tv series Vikings, the Tudors, etc)
Other lenses include: color theory, language acquisition, political theories, etc.
Directions:
Please analyze the “Story of An Hour “ or another work using one of the lenses above. Here are some links to better understand this type of essay:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/literary_theory_and_schools_of_criticism/index.html
For this paper please use at least four sources. I recommend the Middlesex Databases; however, with permission you may use the internet. As always, a book (such as the DSM-5) or movie/ video clip (John Green’s youtube videos) can be used as a source. You should always cite the primary work itself (such as the short story, documentary, etc.).
This paper should be five to six pages of essay using APA format. (I am not including the title page or reference page in the length.)
