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EL4222

Stylistics and Drama

Presentation

The group arrangements may be adjusted depending on group size.  The number of groups and the group size will be dependent on the enrolment in the module.

 

The aim is to provide an interpretation of the text based on textual and other evidence. After introducing the text, each member should present the evidence based on a short excerpt (if textual evidence is used). If non-textual evidence is used (evidence based on author’s biography, the genesis of the play, on audience/reader response), this should be discussed clearly. For textual analyses, it is possible to employ frameworks not introduced in the class (say, Halliday’s transitivity analysis); please ensure that your point can be grasped by someone unfamiliar with this.

The oral presentation will feed into the participation component of the module’s continuous assessment (10%).

Group Essay
All sub-groups should submit a jointly composed essay. This should reflect what has been presented orally, and should be up to 2,500 words in length. The topic is open in the sense that you will have to choose a passage from a Shaw’s Pygmalion or Shaffer’s Equus or Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet or Wilde’s Earnest or Williams’s Menagerie to perform a stylistic analysis on. The passage itself should not exceed 500 words in length and should normally be one continuous passage. If you choose a contrastive approach, you may select two excerpts (from the same play or from different plays, including non-set texts) but each excerpt should not exceed 300 words. There should be close analysis of the chosen passage, but it also needs to be considered in the context of the overall play. The meaning and interpretation of the individual passage should, in other words, be considered in the light of the meaning of the whole play.

You will be expected to introduce your passage quickly (give the context, and possibly the reason for choosing it), and explain the reason you have chosen a particular framework for your analysis.

It is extremely important that you structure your essay so that it flows naturally. You should have some point(s) to bring across; this point can be literary and/or linguistic in nature. Your analysis should be as detailed as necessary, and they should provide the evidence for your point(s).

All essays must be typed or printed on A4 paper (8¼ by 11¾ inches or 210 by 297 mm); 1½-spacing and double-sided printing are preferred. Margins of at least one inch/2½ centimetres all round are expected. I prefer you not to justify your right margin.

Spelling should be consistent and conform to that in the (Shorter/Concise) Oxford Dictionary. (If you word-process, please use the Spell Check facility — in WinWord, click Tools then choose Language, then choose English (Singapore) or English (UK)) Your language should be precise and explicit. You may adopt a ‘literary’ style if you are comfortable with that; if not, a semi-formal style will be acceptable. There is no general injunction to avoid personal references (‘I selected this passage because it struck me as being …’), but avoid ‘I feel’, or ‘I think’ because we assume that your essay will evidently contain what you feel or think. Check your language for grammaticality, etc. because all infelicities in language will be penalised.

You may adopt any consistent system of citation (footnoting, the Harvard system, etc.), but all sources (of ideas, words, phrases, passages) must be acknowledged. Include a bibliography or reference list at the end of your essay.

You may divide your essay into sections and sub-sections if you think that help you organise your material more clearly. Take care that each section leads on to the next. It is unacceptable to have sections that do not relate to each other.

Please indicate each member’s contribution to the report and presentation. If it is brought the attention of the module chair that the work has not been spread evenly, the module chair may investigate the situation and award different marks to different members of the same group.

The deadline for all essays is Friday, 14th April 2023. If there is a problem in relation to the deadline, please consult me early on. Otherwise, all essays which are late will not be marked.