Section 1: Historical and cultural background of the period.
■ Briefly describe the causes or origins of the chosen literary period,including significant historical and cultural events that led to the period.Essentially, what brought about or sparked the period? How did historical or cultural events at the time influence writers? (SLO 1, SLO 3)
2) Section 2: Summary of period values and characteristics.
■ Briefly describe the chosen period overall, including its key ideas,* core values* (social, moral, political, spiritual, etc.), and aesthetic principles*(including but not limited to: the period’s common themes, subject matter,new writing techniques, and preferred forms or styles). Essentially, what is
this period “all about”? What are the defining characteristics of this period’s writing? How did these defining characteristics develop? Students should connect their description of the period’s characteristics to the historical background above. (SLO 1, 3, 4)
3) Section 3: Argue that two works of literature are valid examples of the period.
■ Select two works from the chosen literary period, ensuring that each work is written by a different author.+ Then provide a clear, well-developed argument demonstrating how both works are representative of the period by analyzing how the literatures’ specific forms or styles match the
values and principles of the chosen period.* This should be the longest section of the paper. (SLO 2) Where possible, the two chosen authors should come from different geographical regions.
■ Example: A student writing about Regionalism might argue that William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is representative of the Regionalist Movement because it uses dialect to convey an authentic Southern voice; depicting regional cultures as realistically as possible was a primary principle of Regionalism.
■ The student should provide and analyze specific examples (direct quotes or paraphrasing) from their chosen works of literature to support their argument.
The goal of the assignment is to demonstrate understanding of the ways literary periods shape literature and act as vehicles for expressing artistic, political, social, or religious values.