A "formal" paper of four typed, double-spaced pages (no penalty for going longer) will be due the Wednesday of finals week (3 May). You should choose ONE topic from the three listed below.

What is the purpose of this assignment?

The purpose of this exercise is to integrate the various forms of literature you have been studying during the semester through the application of some general ideas and theories. In addition, in order to test your ability to discern and evaluate literary forms, part of each answer will involve looking through the Norton Anthology and selecting "unknown" texts to write about. It thus combines aspects of a take-home final with those of a "term paper." No research is necessary for this paper, but you will wish to quote liberally from the textbook and use ideas from the lectures, discussions, your team projects and debates, etc. 

May I collaborate with other students on this project?

Certainly! And your grade will probably benefit from doing so. You are welcome to use either your assigned team or whatever other alliances you have formed before or during the semester as a forum for interpreting the questions, brainstorming ideas, finding appropriate texts, etc. HOWEVER, the actual writing down of the paper should be entirely your own. Basic ideas, choices, and texts can be shared, but each paper should be written in the individual's own prose.

How much is the assignment worth, and how will it be graded?

The assignment is worth 32 points, distributed over four components:

• Comprehensiveness (8 points) 

• Detail (9 points) 

• Insight (9 points) 

• Structure and Style (6 points) 

How and where do I hand this in?

You are welcome to submit via e-mail. Send to both Dr. Beebee (tob@psu.edu) AND to your discussion section leader (ixs120@psu.edu).   You should also put your own e-mail address in the cc: line;  that way you will receive a copy and have proof that you sent it.

If submitting a paper copy, place in Dr. Beebee's box in 311 Burrowes Building during business hours. If you finish early (by the last day of class), you may of course submit the paper in person.

Topic 1: Comparing the Literature

The term "comparative literature" is a bit of a misnomer, but sometimes we do in fact compare literary works with each other. One main goal of comparison can be the formulation of a set of features shared across cultures, which then determine literary form as "universal." Conversely, despite basic similarities, we may find the differences too great to posit universality of form. This essay asks you to draw such conclusions from a series of comparisons.

Write an essay in which you compare texts in at least FOUR different forms. You are not required to analyze all texts listed under that form on the syllabus. In fact, at least TWO of the texts you discuss should be from the Norton Anthology, but NOT be on the syllabus for the course (that's two texts overall, not for each form).

For each form, your essay should:

• Compare the texts on the structure and details relevant to form, identifying similarities and differences. (E.g., it is not particularly relevant that the Genji is set in Japan and the Quixote in Spain. But what kind of Japan and Spain these texts depict is relevant to their shared(?) form.) Remember that differences are as important as similarities!
• On the basis of your first step, discuss whether you think these texts "belong" to the same form or not. Independent, critical thinking based on evidence will garner you more points than assumptions that the labeling on the syllabus (or in the Norton) must be correct.
• On the basis of your first step, discuss the relative "universality" of the given form in world literature, and the types of cultures it might be found in.

Topic 2: Chemistry of Forms

The year 2000 is here...and there are problems! Not the 2000 year bug,
not the emergence of cults, not hundreds of Elvis sightings. As the year 2000 approaches, the media has distorted different forms and created hybrid forms, and there are no devices in place to differentiate between forms. As an eminent chemist, you have been called to solve the problem of mixed forms and try to devise an experiment where you can take a mystery-hybrid form and distill its parts.

Your mission? As a chemist, you are well aware that a mystery substance can be taken apart and each part can be identified and classified. To identify each substance, you know that you have to devise a series of experiments that excludes certain elements and directs you to the right outcome. You are well acquainted with experiments like, "if substance X turns a certain color in the Bunsen burner, then it must be Y element,' or "if the titration leads to X color, it must mean it is an acid." You are a firm believer in the use of creating a hypothesis and testing it, or in other words, you believe in the scientific model of experimentation.

Your experiment? You will need to devise a set of experiments to test a hybrid literary form and "distill" its parts.

Your paper? You will need to present a paper with the following:
 

	Hypothesis and explanation of the series of experiments you will use to distill the hybrid form.
	Explanation of the experiment via a series of schemata (think of this as a slide show you'll present to the public on the steps of your experiment).  Hint: one schema could appear like, "if it is a sonnet, then it will have "x" lines."
	Test of your experiment by creating a hybrid form and running it through your experiment.  Your hybrid must have at least THREE different forms, and consist of texts taken from the Norton Anthology, but NOT on the class syllabus.  Hint: if another student is doing this same project, you can have that student create a hybrid text for you, and in return, you create a hybrid text for him/her.  If you're working alone, you may want to write random pages from your Norton reader and write pieces of text from those pages - checking first to see that they are not familiar texts.
	Conclusion in which you explain how successful (or unsuccessful) your experiment was.  Pinpoint the problems you had and indicate if they can be fixed by further testing.  Consider how your experiment could detect and analyze a form we have never before analyzed.  The new millennium may bring new forms that involve text and media:  will your experiment help study new forms?