Choose one of the following topics on which to write a two- to three-page essay. Please refer to the grading rubric for the essay requirements. Make sure to include at least three sentence-length direct quotes to support your points. You will need to use MLA format and provide a bibliography at the end of your essay. The following sources are the only ones acceptable:
o From class: class readings, journal articles, and books
o From outside of class:
▪ Journal articles from an academic journal (either online or a hard copy)
▪ Books of a scholarly nature
▪ No dictionaries, encyclopedias, web pages, newspapers, or magazine articles
75% of your references must be from class readings and lecture material.
There is a penalty of one letter grade for each day an essay is late.
• Discuss the story “The Family of the Vourdlak.”
o How does this story resemble a folktale according to Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale? (list 2 plot functions)
o Who is the hero in the tale and what type is he?
o Who is the donor of this tale and how is the hero tested?
o What is the moral or lesson of the tale?
o How do the beginning and the end of this tale resemble a folktale?
• Discuss the image of the vampire in the novel Night Watch.
o What elements of the folkloric and literary vampire do you see in this novel (list two for each)?
o How does the author honor Bram Stoker in his novel? (list two)
o What changes has the author made to update this vampire (list two)?
o How do the vampires interact with the rest of the supernatural beings (Others) in the novel?
o How do the vampires interact with the humans?
• Discuss the Slavic folkloric elements in the short story “Viy.”
o What aspects of this tale are folkloric in structure (plot functions from Propp)?
o What characteristics of the female character resemble a vampire (list three)?
o What characteristics of the female character are similar to a witch (list three)?
o What other folkloric elements such as spirits, funeral rites or other religious elements do you see in this tale? (list two)
o What do you think the lesson or moral of this tale is?
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