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WORLD LITER ATURE
Our Twisted Hero
FINAL PAPER
Table of Contents
FAQ about the assignment
The Modern Allegory
Some Ways to Read a Novel
Bildungsroman
Literary Theory Overview
Checklist
1
p. 2
p. 3
p. 4
p. 5
p. 6
p. 9
FAQ
WHAT’S THE PURPOSE?
 To show me, and yourself, how much you know about approaching and analyzing and writing
about a work of modern literary art.
 I am assessing your skill level (and the efficacy of my teaching, to some degree).
HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH?
 200 points (twice as much as your last paper because you are doing this mostly on your
own)
WHEN IS IT DUE?
 by 9:30 a.m. Friday, December 22 (end of our class time) (so plan for 9:00!)
WHAT IF IT’S LATE?
 If your paper is turned in Friday after 9:30 a.m., it receives an automatic C-.
 No papers accepted after Friday.
HOW LONG DOES IT HAVE TO BE?
 3 pages minimum
FORMAT?
 MLA, of course
DO I NEED A WORKS CITED?
 Yes, for the novel
WHAT SHOULD I WRITE ABOUT?
 One or more aspects of the novel – literary techniques, themes, etc.
 The thesis is up to you. Make sure you have a good one.
WHERE CAN I GO FOR HELP?
 For thesis/composition support and resources (which should all be review), go to
http://.sunyungshin.wikispaces.com and click on Assignments, then Research, Composition,
MLA format.
IS THERE EXTRA CREDIT?
 You betcha!
o Turn paper in early (20 points)
o Write a peer review for someone else (go to my wikispace, Research…, Peer
Editing.doc) (20 points)
o Get a peer review written for your paper (20 points)
o Write an additional 2-page paper comparing and contrasting Our Twisted Hero
with another text from this class (75 points)
2
THE MODERN ALLEGORY
Modern allegories in fiction tend to operate under constraints of modern requirements for
verisimilitude within conventional expectations of realism.
Works of fiction with strong allegorical overtones include:
 William Golding – Lord of the Flies
 George Orwell – Animal Farm
 John Irving – A Prayer for Owen Meany
 Arthur Miller – The Crucible
 Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials
 Hualing Nieh – Mulberry and Peach
 David Lindsay – A Voyage to Arcturus
 Rex Warner – The Aerodrome
Where some requirements of "realism", in its flexible meanings, are set aside, allegory
can come more strongly to the surface, as in the work of Bertold Brecht or Franz Kafka
on one hand, or on the other in science fiction and fantasy, where an element of universal
application and allegorical overtones are common, from Dune to The Chronicles of
Narnia.
Allegorical films include:
 Fritz Lang's Metropolis
 Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal
 Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
 El Topo
 Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country
 The Matrix etc.
Allegorical artworks include:
 Sandro Botticelli – La Primavera (Allegory of Spring)
 Albrecht Dürer – Melancholia I
 Artemisia Gentileschi – Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting; Allegory of Inclination
 Jan Vermeer – The Allegory of Painting
 Ambrogio Lorenzetti; "Good Government in the City" and "Bad Government in the
City"
3
SOME WAYS TO READ A NOVEL

Entertaining almost by definition, popular novels require no special preparation,
aside from an ability to read and some patience.

Literature, on the other hand, often challenges readers to follow relatively slowpaced plots, to study subtle psychological traits, and to find or to make meaning out
of complex symbols, explicit or implicit allusions, and intricate patterns.

One might be able to read and even to enjoy some of the more entertaining literary
novels, such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, without doing a lot of this extra work,
but truly appreciating literary novels—that is, experiencing some of the richness that
their authors have invested in them—requires work.

Some strategies can help you get the most out of the novels you read in this class
and, indeed, out of the literature you read in other courses and in your life.

First, when reading a literary novel, make sure that you understand its surface
meaning; that is, know who the characters are, how they relate to one another,
where they are living, and what they are doing.

Use marginal notes to mark the introductions of characters, descriptions of the
setting, and key incidents in the plot.

Second, explore the significance beneath these surface features, as well as any
allusions, striking metaphors, or enigmatic or suggestive objects.

Continually ask yourself questions such as these: Why did she say that? How would
this story be different if it took place somewhere else? What associations does this
watch—or door or bird or other possible symbol—conjure up? The answers to these
questions almost always will give you insights into the “deeper meaning” of a literary
novel.

Third, look for lines, shapes, and patterns.

If the characters are traveling somewhere, where do they wind up?

Who and what changes in the novel, and what might the changes mean?

What words, phrases, or images reappear in the novel, and what do they suggest?

Finally, take the time to reflect on all of this material, not only making marginal
comments as you read, but also synthesizing these comments—along with your
unwritten thoughts—and writing more detailed notes and even brief essays
elsewhere, in a notebook or a Word document.
ENG 343: The American Novel
Lesson 1: An Introduction to the Novel Aug. 19-23, 2002, Mark Canada, 2002
4
BILDUNGSROMAN (does it apply to Our Twisted Hero or not?)
The term Bildungsroman denotes a novel of all-around self-development. Used
generally, it encompasses a few similar genres: the Entwicklungsroman, a story of
general growth rather than self-culture; the Erziehungsroman, which focuses on
training and formal education; and the Kunstlerroman, about the development of an
artist.
Marianne Hirsch in "The Novel of Formation as Genre":
1. A Bildungsroman is, most generally, the story of a single individual's growth and
development within the context of a defined social order. The growth process, at its
roots a quest story, has been described as both "an apprenticeship to life" and a
"search for meaningful existence within society."
2. To spur the hero or heroine on to their journey, some form of loss or discontent
must jar them at an early stage away from the home or family setting.
3. The process of maturity is long, arduous, and gradual, consisting of repeated
clashes between the protagonist's needs and desires and the views and judgments
enforced by an unbending social order.
4. Eventually, the spirit and values of the social order become manifest in the
protagonist, who is then accommodated into society. The novel ends with an
assessment by the protagonist of himself and his new place in that society.
5
LITERARY THEORY OVERVIEW
Formalist Theory (also called New Criticism)
Analysis based on the idea that the form of a piece of literature will echo or somehow illuminate
its content. Formalist literary theory argues that "form" is what determines the literary object’s way
of being. Only works that have the defining qualities or attributes of literature get classified as
literary works. The formalist strives to know what these defining qualities are, and to classify
literary works into various subgroups according to the forms they have (see genre theory). Some
of these defining qualities might be fictionality, figurative language, universality, appropriate
subject matter, excellence in technique, authorial intention to create an art work, aesthetic value,
originality, verisimilitude, narrative structure, et al.
Formalist literary theory thus tends toward a methodology of literary analysis dubbed "close
reading." In close reading, the method of the analyst is to begin by describing the form the work
takes, and to decide which conventional forms or genres of literary objects it belongs with
(tragedy, the sonnet, the detective novel, etc.). This method continues by examining the literary
qualities or elements predominant in the form of the work (use of figurative language, imagery,
meter, dramatic monologue, description, allusions, point of view, etc.). It is the combination of
such formal elements in a recognizable structure that constitutes a literary type or genre.
Structuralist Theory
Structure, on the other hand, tends to have the connotation of artificiality or constructedness. The
relation between the parts is what makes a structure a structure, rather than some organic unity
of being. A structural analysis concentrates not only on identifying the elements of the literary
work, but on how they are combined to form a structure that produces aesthetic or emotional or
intellectual effects. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts, so to speak. Or, the parts only
get their significance from their place in the structure.
Biographical Theory
Analysis based on the idea that a person's life influences his or her work. When considering
biographical theory, look at the following aspects of an author's identity: class, race, ethnicity,
sex and/or gender, sexual orientation, family history, religious and/or political beliefs, education,
nationality (this just for starters!)
Historical Theory
Analysis based on the idea that historical circumstances influence writers and artists. Writers will
react to cultural, historical and intellectual trends, and work to either uphold or subvert those
trends. A historical critic will often concern himself with the way a work or writer would have
affected his or her original audience.
Psychoanalytic Theory
Analysis based on the idea that modern psychology has influenced how we interpret art and
literature. In this sense, literature becomes a kind of dream, expressive of psychological
concerns or development of either the author or the intended audience. As such, literature not
only reflects the human psyche, it also provides clues for breaking the code enacted by the
subconscious, thereby providing us greater insight into ourselves as humans.
Mythological Theory
Analysis based on the idea that art and literature evoke deep and universal responses in readers,
no matter what age or culture they are from. Human beings use mythology as a way of
representing themselves and their experiences symbolically. The mythological critic considers
literature to reveal human desires, fears and expectations, and will use a text as a lens through
which to interpret how particular cultures, or human beings in general, view themselves and their
place in the world.
6
Sociological or Cultural Theory
Analysis based on the idea that art is a way of making a political statement, and that examination
of a text will reveal some of the social, economic and political structures of a particular culture.
Feminist theory - concerns itself with the representation in literature of "masculine" and
"feminine", and with the social and cultural implications of these representations. A feminist critic
examines a text for themes about gender and sex, including gender and sex roles, ideals of
masculinity and femininity, and rebellion against or acceptance of these ideals and roles.
Marxist theory - argues that language can be a tool by which members of one class can hold
power over others. A Marxist critic examines texts for themes of social justice, class structure,
and the unequal distribution of resources and social status, among others.
Critical Race Theory - examines representations of race and/or ethnicity in a text, and with the
social and cultural implications of these representations. A race theorist will examine texts for
racial stereotypes, themes of inequalities based on race or ethnicity, and racial identity and
affiliation.
Queer Theory - examines the representation of sexual orientation in a text, and with the social
and cultural implications of these representations. A queer theorist will examine a text for themes
of heterosexual privilege, sexual identity and affiliation, homoerotic imagery (either latent or
articulated) and power imbalances based on sexual orientation.
Colonial Theory - concerns itself with power imbalances caused by one culture subverting or
dominating another. Examines a text to reveal themes of culture clash, political power and
cultural stereotypes, among others.
Post-colonial Theory - deals with the reading and writing of literature written in previously or
currently colonized countries, or literature written in colonizing countries which deals with
colonization or colonized peoples. It focuses particularly on
1.
the way in which literature by the colonizing culture distorts the experience and
realities, and inscribes the inferiority, of the colonized people
2.
on literature by colonized peoples which attempts to articulate their identity and
reclaim their past in the face of that past's inevitable otherness.
It can also deal with the way in which literature in colonizing countries
appropriates the language, images, scenes, traditions and so forth of colonized
countries.
Deconstruction
The term deconstruction was coined by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in the 1960s and is
used in contemporary humanities and social sciences to denote a philosophy of meaning that
deals with the ways that meaning is constructed and understood by writers, texts, and readers.
One way of understanding the term is that it involves discovering, recognizing, and understanding
the underlying — and unspoken and implicit — assumptions, ideas, and frameworks that form the
basis for thought and belief. It has various shades of meaning in different areas of study and
discussion, and is, by its very nature, difficult to define without depending on "un-deconstructed"
concepts.
Deconstruction's central concern is a radical critique of the Enlightenment project and of
metaphysics, including in particular the founding texts by such philosophers as Plato, Rousseau,
and Husserl, but also other sorts of texts, including literature. Deconstruction identifies in the
Western philosophical tradition a "logocentrism" or "metaphysics of presence" (also known as
phallogocentrism) which holds that speech-thought (the logos) is a privileged, ideal, and selfpresent entity, through which all discourse and meaning are derived. This logocentrism is the
primary target of deconstruction.
7
One typical form of deconstructive reading is the critique of binary oppositions, or the criticism of
dichotomous thought. A central deconstructive argument holds that, in all the classic dualities of
Western thought, one term is privileged or "central" over the other. The privileged, central term is
the one most associated with the phallus and the logos. Examples include:
•
speech over writing
•
presence over absence
•
identity over difference
•
fullness over emptiness
•
meaning over meaninglessness
•
mastery over submission
•
life over death
Derrida argues in Of Grammatology (translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
and published in English in 1976) that, in each such case, the first term is
classically conceived as original, authentic, and superior, while the second is
thought of as secondary, derivative, or even "parasitic." These binary
oppositions, or "violent hierarchies", and others of their form, he argues, must be
deconstructed.
8
CHECKLIST
 MLA format
 Works Cited page
 Descriptive and original (but not goofy) title
 Name of the novel is consistently underlined OR italicized
 Yi Munyol is referred to as Yi throughout the paper
 Great thesis statement (an assertion that I prove, not mere
summary)
 Introduction
 Each paragraph begins with a topic sentence (a mini thesis,
what you’re going to prove in that paragraph)
 Body paragraphs (indented, not too long, not too short)
 Several direct quotes in the paper, introduced, analyzed, and
properly cited
 Conclusion
 3 pages minimum (typed)
 Spell-checked and grammar-checked for run-ons and
fragments
 Stapled
 Brought to Shin’s room before 9:30 am on Friday
9