THE CLASSICAL PERIOD OF MEDEA.
Your essay should address the following topic:
Apply ONE of the following forms of criticism to your selected reading:
Historical Criticism: Analyze how historical events during the author’s lifetime might have impacted and influenced the work
Biographical Criticism: Analyze how events specific to the author’s life might have impacted and influenced the work
Mythological/Spiritual Criticism: Analyze how the author’s views on religion/spirituality might have impacted and influenced the work
Sociological/Cultural Criticism: Analyze how the author’s or story’s society or culture might have impacted and influenced the work
Gender Criticism: Analyze how the author’s views or attitudes towards gender or LGBT+ related issues may have impacted or influenced the work
EXAMPLES:
A gender criticism analyzing portrayals of women versus men in Medea
YOU SHOULD:
Identify the reading you will be writing about (must come from our class and align with the group presentation you completed)
Identify the form of criticism you want to focus on (see list above).
Develop a relevant research question, such as:
How did this author’s personal life and background influence this story/poem? (Biographical Criticism)
How did historical events from this story/poem’s time period influence the story/poem? (Historical Criticism)
How do religious beliefs or views influence this story/poem? Or: Does this story’s depiction of religion match or differ from other depictions of the religion? (Mythological/Spiritual Criticism)
How does the author’s culture or ethnicity impact the story/poem? If I apply the views of a certain culture to this story, does the message of the story change? (Sociological/Cultural Criticism)
How are the genders portrayed in this story and what does that tell the readers how about the author/story views gender? (Gender Criticism)
Are there LGBT+ issues, experiences, or perspectives present in this story/poem? Is it possible that one or more characters in this story/poem may be LGBT+? (Gender Criticism)
Develop your research, evidence, and examples from the story/poem into an analysis essay.
Your essay should meet the following guidelines:
850-950 words long, not counting the Works Cited page
Be in proper MLA format, including headers, correct margins, accurate in-text citations and a complete Works Cited page
Include a minimum of four scholarly sources
The assigned reading that your essay is focused on will be one source; therefore, you will only need to find three outside scholarly sources.
Sources should come from the library database, Google Scholar, or other scholarly journal sources
Please do not use a website (non-library database) source unless you receive permission from the instructor
You cannot use the class PowerPoints/recorded lectures as a source for your essay.
Include a good balance of direct quotations from the actual story/poem you are analyzing to really prove your point
Remember that, in a literary analysis essay, the best source of evidence is always the literature itself!
Feature all expected elements of academic essays, including:
A strong introduction paragraph with thesis statement
Clear topic sentences and body paragraphs supported by evidence
A well-developed conclusion to sum up your argument
