Analysis and critical understanding of selected English and American poems. Exams and essays based on readings. Students seek to understand poems as creative expressions of human experience, in their biographical, cultural and historical context, through discussion, analysis and research across a variety of sources and from a variety of points of view.
In this ENG 2001 assignment, students were asked to create a Powerpoint presentation guiding viewers through a narrative of their choice (story, novel, film, or TV episode). The presentations integrated the terms of analysis we have used in class so far (setting, characterization, symbolism, etc) and secondary sources that shed light on the text’s cultural context. This gave students a fun way to practice applying the elements of fiction to narratives with which they were already familiar. A detailed assignment description is available here.
To help students conceptualize their own presentations, I created a sample narrative analysis presentation based on the 2019 film Us.
For this project, each group will decide on a video game, piece of architecture, or film whose spatial structure(s) could be considered Gothic, exhibiting some of the Gothic elements we have discussed in class. Then you will create a Google Slides presentation of that place that describes the Gothic elements, analyzes the space in terms of one of the theoretical concepts discussed in class, and connects the space to one of the literary texts we have read. These presentation will be posted on OpenLab along with images and videos.
While you can/should summarize plot (if applicable), you should prioritize attending to the space in which that plot unfolds. Think about atmosphere, environment, physical/temporal location and its meaning, aesthetic choices.
Selected Terms and Concepts:
Theoretical Concepts: Uncanny, Sublime, Abjection, The Fantastic, Terror
Decide on a video game, architectural space, or film that you think has enough of the atmospheric and/or architectural elements to be considered Gothic. Explore the virtual space, physical location, or cinematic setting. Take detailed observation notes (each group member should take at least one page of hand-written notes).
Create a Google Slide presentation (linked on Openlab) that includes the following:
Name and location of the space (is it in a game? Building? Film?)
Images and/or video
Description of its Gothic atmospheric and architectural characteristics
Two well-developed paragraphs that analyze the space in relation to one of the theoretical concepts and that make a connection between the space and at least one of the literary texts we have read. You must clearly describe the theoretical concept and provide quotes from at least 2 of the literary texts to support your analysis.
Present your profile to the class in a 5-minute oral presentation (using note cards). Give us a tour of your profile: explain the various elements of the space, summarize your analysis, read us some quotes, etc.
In this video for ENG 3407 (Gothic Literature and Visual Culture), I recap class discussion of the H.P. Lovecraft story “At The Mountains of Madness” and guide students through how to construct a sample analysis paragraph. The video includes discussion of how to integrate paraphrase + direct quoting with analysis and connection to the main thesis. The video also concludes with a visual framework for moving from close reading, to identifying genre conventions, to commenting on broader cultural and social themes.
This video can be adapted for specific discussion of “At The Mountains of Madness,” or used as the basis for an in-class discussion of how to structure literary analysis in a single paragraph.
