Close Reading II

Assignment 2

Close Reading Essay  – Thousand and One Nights or Sakuntala

Due Tuesday April 4 (hardcopy in class and as email attachment)

Goals

  • To hone your close reading skills, paying attention to detail, form, vocabulary, and tone.
  • To practice writing an essay that is grounded in your reading of a primary text, develops an overarching argument, and follows through on this argument using a clear paragraph structure.
  • To practice reading a text through a theoretical lens, exploring the concepts or either Orientalism or rasa, kama, or dharma in relation to a primary text.

Description

Write a short essay (500-700 words) that is a close reading of either The Thousand and one Nights or Kalidasa’s Sakuntala.

Building on the first close reading assignment, you will now close read a selection of your primary text through a theoretical lens. You can choose from the following two texts:

Thousand and One Nights

You will analyze one or two stories from 1001 Nights in relation to Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism. One strategy would be to look at various translations of a story (including the frame story of Shahrayar and Shahrazad) and the translators’ cultural contexts and audiences. You can also look at more modern adaptations of 1001 Nights (such as movies) and compare them to the text. If you choose this topic, you will do further research on the concept of Orientalism to nuance your understanding of it. I will share Said’s article “Orientalism Revisited,” which he wrote in response to criticism of his work but still lays out his arguments in much detail. You can also read (parts of) the 1979 original book Orientalism, or find academic articles on the topic.  

Kalidasa, Sakuntala

You will analyze (a part of) Kalidasa’s play Sakuntala paying particular attention to the concept of rasa or kama and dharma. When you want to find out how rasa plays a role in this play, I encourage you to look at the treatise of Sanskrit drama, “The Drama Manual” (Natyasastra) and do more research on Sanskrit theatrical practices. When you focus on how kama and dharma feature in the play, I encourage you to find out more about Hindu mythology, especially the four human “pursuits” or purusatha. Read the Introduction to the play in your Oxford World Classics edition as a starting point for your research. Keep in mind that you don’t have to know everything about Hindu mythology or Sanskrit drama, so focus on these concepts and how they feature in Sakuntala.

Work Plan

You will work in groups of 3/4 for peer review online. We will form groups in class.

Thursday 23 Email proposal Write one/two paragraph explaining which topic you choose, what you exactly plan to analyze and what your research question is. Also tell me which secondary sources you’ll be using for the theoretical framework.
Thursday 30 Peer Review 1st Drafts using Hypothes.is Write a complete first draft of your essay and post it on the blog. Your group members will then use Hypothes.is to give constructive peer feedback on your work. They might ask you to clarify certain parts tighten other parts, add more depth to a part of your analysis, or attend to language issues.
Tuesday 4 Deadline Essay Your essay is due in hardcopy at the start of class and as email attachment on the same day.

Assessment

When assessing this essay, I will particularly look at the following:

  • Attention to detail and citation from the texts.
  • Ability to make inferences and draw conclusions based on close reading of the text.
  • Use of theoretical framework to support your reading of the text
  • Clarity of writing
  • Syntax, vocabulary, spelling, and grammar.

Tips

It might seem really daunting to read a text through a theoretical lens for the first time. I would suggest that you first try to find out more about your theoretical concept. Here, my advice is to stay focused. Don’t try to find out everything there is to know about Orientalism or Rasa or kama and dharma.

When you go back to your primary text after having done your “theoretical research” you will find that your understanding of these stories has been enhanced. You will most likely see or recognize certain things in the text that you previously hadn’t seen or thought about–go with these insights and try to build on them! You can make a mindmap or freewrite and see where your thoughts take you. Then, try to formulate the main observation about your primary text. From here, try to outline your essay with one main idea/ sub-argument per paragraph and enough citations from the text for each sub-argument to support your point.

Remember, often the “smallest” and most nuanced arguments are the best because they really allow you to delve into the details and write an in-depth analysis. Broad, sweeping claims often lead to essays that only skim the surface. With these essays, less (in scope) is more!

Good luck and don’t be shy to reach out if you need help!