Forms of World Literature
(CMLIT010)

Due:  Monday, February 7 (in-class assignment)

A short narrative text was found by some archeologists during a recent dig and was brought to the British Museum in London. The curator there has come to you and your team for help in finding out more about the history and composition of the text. In particular, we wish to know what the form of this text is. Is it a tale? A legend? A prose poem? etc.

You can find your team's mystery text by following the link in the table below:

You will need to analyze the text and create a report in class on February 7. You will share some of your findings with and hear the opinions of your classmates. This sharing can help a great deal, since each team has received one of the seven forms listed in the table.

This is an in-class assignment. Everyone on your team should read the mystery text and the Table of Short Narrative Forms before coming to class. You should have at least one printed copy of each text. You can profitably divide responsibility for gathering other information:

• one or two team members can read the other mystery texts posted on the web; if you can identify the forms of these, then you will know what your own text can't be
• one or two team members can read the examples given at the bottom of the Table of Short Narrative Forms.
• one team members can look up other definitions of these forms, for additonal clarity.

In a sense, this task is a more sophisticated version of the sorting exercise. You must see what qualities inhere in your particular text, and compare them against those of a number of neighboring genres. Your job is to identify the particular genre of the text and to prepare a report on how it compares to the Table of Short Narrative Forms.

The report you hand in at the end of class should address the following two issues:

• A record of how and why you came to your decision, and the main reasons for your choice, including your rejecting the other genres. (Your decision should be based upon a preponderance of the evidence. It is possible that one or more features of the table is not present in your particular text. You may also find it helpful to consult literary dictionaries and encyclopediae for definitions of these genres.)
• A point-by-point accounting of how each of the generic features listed in the Table is found (or not found) in the text. Be as specific as you can in demonstrating where and how the feature is found in the text.

Additionally, you will earn extra credit for using cultural information contained in the text to guess the text's original language/culture, historical period, and/or author.

Submission

You will submit a hand-written report to Dr. Beebee at the end of class. Legibility and neatness will be appreciated, but your grade will be based on content.

What is the Purpose of this Project?

• To explore the variety of short prose narrative, from both oral and literate traditions
• To reinforce the equation: form=function=meaning, and to extend it into additonal features of the text such as narrator and scene.

What if I am Absent that Day?

This project is the equivalent of a quiz or exam, and as in most such cases, not being there to do it means a grade of zero. You may make up this grade by doing the assignment all by yourself, on a different mystery text.

Communicating Within Your Teams

Use email, the chatroom, your coursetalk team area, or schedule times to meet together with your team (once a week) to review and discuss the text, assign responsibilities, and generate your report.

Problems

If you are having difficulties or specific problems during this project, please email Dr. Beebee. Be sure you clearly state your problem and are able to propose a few solutions before you contact him.

Good luck!