Formalist Critical Method Paper – Oates, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” p. 114

Formalist Critical Method Paper
Due: 8 Feb. 2022 (Tuesday) by 11.59pm
“the text is the text is the text”
Readers must avoid bringing personal material to the reading.
Objective:
The goal is to identify “tension(s)” in the literary work and to explore how it (they) are resolved, which will reveal the “meaning.”
Text under consideration:
Oates, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” p. 114

Note:
You need to rely on the story, not the contextual information following it or any other material. This is pure textual analysis. I CANNOT stress this enough. DO NOT go on a Google search for information about serial killers the author might have read about while writing the story. If you mention the name “Charles Schmid” or anything connected to him, I will fail the paper and move onto the next. This paper is a formalist analysis. You’re looking for and at themes in the text. Don’t go looking for material. You have been warned.
What to examine?
The form of the text.
Parts of the text:
Characters
Setting
Point of view (3rd Person & 1st Person)
Narrative form/Structure
Plot
Symbol
Figurative Language
Foreshadowing
Theme
Tone
It’s easiest to base your analysis on the standard textual motif:
Introduction->Complication->Resolution
+——-~~///////////*—–~~////////*———-+
Beginning (+) followed by buildup (–) to tension (~~) to tension (///) to release (*), etc.
Assignment:
Your paper is meant to be a textual analysis of the tension(s) using the formalist’s approach.
Your thesis will address the tension(s) you find at work. You should specifically mention the tension and what you are led to believe the author hopes to accomplish. Discuss what he does and how he does it plus why he would choose to do so.
The body of your paper will deal with the “form” of the text (characters, setting, POV, narrative form, plot, etc.).
Rules
*You MUST have a clearly stated thesis. Papers lacking a thesis are unacceptable and will receive a grade of “F.”
*Follow the paper format information provided in the Little Seagull Handbook. This essay MUST be in standard, MLA format. Essays not meeting proper format will be lowered by one grade.
*This paper MAY be a 5 paragraph essay (Intro., 3 Body Paragraphs, Conc.)
*There is no page length. A paper is only a paper if it has five or more paragraphs (a paragraph consisting of three or more sentences).
*You must attach a Works Cited page. You will only have one citation. Check the handbook. Here’s a hint. Look for “Work from an anthology.”
*If you choose to quote directly from our reading, you should cite the quotations by using the author’s last name and page number (either in the sentence or in parenthetical citation).
*There is no need for external research when performing a basic formalist analysis (so NO external research is allowed).

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