This assignment has two parts. For part 1, choose a short passage from one of the texts assigned for this course. You may choose a short poem (for example, one of Shakespeare’s or Sidney’s sonnets) or a short prose passage (ten to twenty lines). Then, present a New Critical or deconstructive reading of the passage, three to four pages in length. Though your essay should draw on your understanding of the New Criticism and/or poststructuralism, you need not cite critical texts in this essay. Instead, immerse yourself in New Critical and/or poststructuralist methods, and experiment with them. Remember, though, that even a New Critical explication must have a thesis. In other words, the basic rules of essay writing still apply; you must have a clearly articulated and well-supported thesis, and you must present your argument in graceful and polished prose that fulfils the requirements of MLA format.

Having written part 1 of your essay, stand back from it and reread it carefully. For part 2, consider  the strengths and limitations of the method that you’ve tried. What have you gained from approaching the text in this way? What questions does this approach address particularly well? Conversely, do you feel that anything is missing from this account of the text? What issues or questions does this approach leave unanswered? Write one or two well-crafted paragraphs in which you address these issues. Please indicate the break between part 1 and part 2 clearly.

Due: Wednesday November 9 at 4 pm in my box in Barnard 417.