Topics for Paper One

due 2/5

For this assignment, I will grade primarily on what I consider the basics of literary argument:

Secondary sources are neither required nor forbidden (I don't especially recommend them for this paper). Do cite all sources, including the poem you are writing about, in correct MLA parenthetical style (see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers for detailed instructions in using this style; start with "poetry" in the index).

Length is less important than quality of thought, but you should aim at a length of 4-5 pages.

Choose ONE of the following:

  1. "The soul of wit is knowing one's place," says that Countess de Blayac in Ridicule. Show how this maxim does or does not apply to one of the following: "A Description of a City Shower," "Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift," "An Essay on Criticism," or "Rape of the Lock."
  2. Compare the use of mock forms in "Description of a City Shower" and "The Rape of the Lock."
  3. We have discussed the complexities of the irony in "Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift." Is any certitude possible in determining the meanings and/or values of the poem? If so, how? If not, how can the poem mean anything at all?
  4. Is Swift's view of pride in "Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift" the same as those of Pope in "An Essay on Criticism"?
  5. Discuss Pope's attitudes towards following rules and breaking them in "An Essay on Criticism."
  6. As we have seen in class, Pope uses the term "wit" in several senses in "An Essay on Criticism." What are the range of meanings of the word "nature" in the same poem? Do they add up to a coherent world view?
  7. Discuss light imagery in "An Essay on Criticism."
  8. Pick a relatively self-contained section of "The Rape of the Lock" (e.g. Umbriel's descent to the Cave of Spleen) and discuss the function of the scene within the poem as a whole.
  9. Discuss the role of the Sylphs in "The Rape of the Lock."
  10. Analyze a specific disagreement between two of the poets in the "Debating Women" collection. (For obvious reasons, you should pick a disagreement that leads you to important issues rather than to mere personal invective.)
  11. By prior arrangement only (no exceptions), you may devise an approach of your own to one of the poems we have read by in this section of the class.