Project 2: Comparison of Two Interpretations of a Creative Work
Draft Due: Wednesday, Feb. 17
Final Paper Due: Wednesday, Feb. 24
Length: 5-6 pages.
Audience: Other novice humanities scholars.
Documentation: Because you are writing in the humanities, use MLA style.
Purpose
For this project, you will do a close “reading” of one of the creative works listed below and then
summarize and compare two writers’ critical interpretations of it. The purposes of this
assignment are to help you notice differences and similarities in two theoretical perspectives and
to recognize that there is an ongoing conversation in the humanities regarding interpretations of
creative works. Your goal is to analyze the perspectives of your sources and explore the issue of
interpretation, rather than to describe your own reaction to the work.
Research and Analysis
After reading the creative text or watching the film, you should conduct research to discover
critical academic approaches to that work. Read several academic sources about the work. As
you read, look for the author’s theoretical perspective (his/her focus, personal point of view,
bias) and main points. Then, select two sources to compare and contrast. Ideally, you will find
sources that use different theoretical perspectives or a source that responds, in some way, to an
earlier interpretation.
Your paper should include a brief summary of the creative work, followed by a detailed
comparison and contrast of the critics’ approaches and interpretations. To compare and contrast
two interpretations, you will need to accurately summarize and analyze each critic’s evidence
and logic. In order to be successful in this assignment, you will have to do a close reading of the
two critical perspectives and take careful notes as you consider the creative work.
You will need three sources: the creative work and two scholarly interpretations of it. Choose
one of the creative works below:
Citizen Kane (1941 – film)
Rear Window (1954 – film)
The Simpsons (1989-present – television show; you may not use the two articles
discussed in class)
The Wizard of Oz (1939 – film)
The Matrix (1999 – film)
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” (1955 - short story by Flannery O’Connor)
“The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839 - short story by Edgar Allan Poe)
(Copies on DVD and/or videocassette of most of the films are available at the D.H. Hill library.
The short stories are available in anthologies in the library and can be found online in full text.)
Process/Organization
In your paper, you should explain the terms, assumptions, and premises that each critic relies on
for his/her argument. In addition, you should think about the interpretive strategies each critic
uses. How does each source approach the issue? What conclusions does each critic reach? How
do the critics reach those conclusions? How do the critics’ personal background and biases
inform their conclusions? How is this perspective reflected in the kinds of textual evidence each
critic uses and discusses? Once you have thought about each interpretation separately, you need
to determine the similarities and differences between them.
Introduction
In your introduction, introduce the creative work and the scholarly interpretations, but do as little
summarizing as possible. Make sure you state the author and title of each of your sources.
Your thesis statement should include a brief overview of how the two sources relate to each other
and what they say about the creative text.
Body
A natural organizational pattern would be to summarize the creative work itself, and then
compare and contrast the two arguments point-by-point, but other arrangements may be
discussed in class. What issue does each author focus on, and what conclusions does he or she
reach? How does he or she reach those conclusions? That is, how do the authors’ theoretical
perspectives inform their conclusions? Include textual evidence to back up your claims about the
authors’ arguments. Point out where and how the interpretations are similar or different, and
explain how the authors state their claims. Do the critics share any assumptions about the work?
Where do they agree? Where do they disagree, or how do their interests and focus differ?
Conclusion
In your conclusion, reflect on how the authors’ scholarly perspectives influence their
interpretation of the creative work. This would also be a logical place to comment on how these
perspectives may have influenced your own interpretation of the creative text.
Evaluative Criteria
I will evaluate your paper based on how well it summarizes and analyzes each critical
interpretation, and how thoroughly you compare and contrast the two interpretations with each
other. Remember that it is important to include textual evidence and examples from the creative
text throughout your analysis to support your claims and conclusions.
Your project will also need to meet the standard expectations of good academic writing. Your
purpose and focus will need to be clear and well explained, as well as logically organized.
Finally, your prose will need to be well written both stylistically and grammatically.
In addition to the above, specific evaluation criteria will be discussed in class.