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English 2322: British Literature Assignments

This guide was created for Dr. Brinkman's English 2322 British Literature class. Descriptions of assignments, related texts, and the best databases and resources are included. Survey of British Literature - Anglo-Saxon through the 18th Century. Fall 202

Assignment

The task:

Allusions are one of the most important, and common, literary devices available to authors. In short, allusions are when an author references a previously written work in order to make a point.

In this assignment you will be picking something we’ve read as a class between Weeks 2 and 9 and exploring the role of allusion in it.

The steps:

  1. Please read the encyclopedia entry in D2L and watch the video in D2L so that you understand fully what allusion is. Please watch the introductory video to this assignment in D2L.
  2. Pick a text and find an allusion: some ideas are provided below, or you can come up with your own topic.
  3. Research the allusion. What is it? Where does it come from?
  4. Think through how the early English author uses the allusion. What changes does he/she/they make to the original?
  5. Reflect on the point of the device. Why did the author use this allusion?
  1. MLA formatting
  2. Length of 800 words or more
  3. Properly cited use of sources
  4. 3 paragraphs: 1 summarizing the allusion, 1 explaining how the author uses the allusion/changes made etc, 1 paragraph reflecting on why the author used the allusion

Category

Point Value

Notes

Formatting

10
  • Heading, header, title
  • Indented paragraphs, double-spaced with no extra spacing
  • Works Cited page
  • In-text citations

Paragraph 1

30
  • Introduces the allusion: summarizes and provides historical/literary context
  • Well-developed
  • Cites sources properly
  • Transitions between ideas
  • Has a ratio of 3 sentences of student commentary for each quote.
  • Minimum of 200 words

Paragraph 2

30
  • Explains HOW the allusion is used. Is it developed at length? Does the author make changes to the source text? Is it a short reference? Where does it appear? This is a very basic informational paragraph.
  • Well-developed
  • Cites sources properly
  • Transitions between ideas
  • Has a ratio of 3 sentences of student commentary for each quote.
  • Minimum of 200 words

Paragraph 3

30
  • Reflects on WHY the author uses the allusion. What is the point?
  • Well-developed
  • Cites sources properly
  • Transitions between ideas
  • Has a ratio of 3 sentences of student commentary for each quote.
  • Minimum of 300 words.

Database Tutorials

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