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Overview
Responding to Karen Joy Fowler’s
novel
We
Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
, write
a thesis
paragraph of
150-200 words
in which you formulate
an argument
about
the text, imagining that you
will
proceed to write a 750-word essay (but, to be clear,
you won’t
write the full essay). The
paragraph
must
include a clear thesis
(an argument) and identify evidence from the
novel to support that thesis.
In
this
assignment, you will
demonstrate
your ability to write
clearly and persuasively about a defined
topic
in response to a literary text.
Following the
thesis
paragraph, describe
in 100-150 words
the
points, evidence, and examples
you
would use
to develop this
thesis into a
full essay. This
description of
evidence
should be
written in full
sentences, but you may use
headings, bullet points, or a numbered list to help you
organize your ideas.
Th
is
assignment must
include a list of
Works
Cited, prepared in MLA
style.
Choose
one
of
the
following
four topics
on
Karen Joy Fowler’s
novel
We
Are All Completely Beside
Ourselves
:
Topics
1.
Examine Madame Defarge as a metaphor
or a symbol
. What does she represent in Fowler’s
novel? To help you answer this question, consider
when
she appears in the plot and
how
she
influences the interrelationships and actions of characters. More broadly, how
does Madame
Defarge incarnate broader themes and ideas explored in the novel?
2.
Rosemary withholds information as a narrator, something she acknowledges in her asides and
addresses to the reader. Consider Rosemary’s role as the narrator of Fowler’s novel,
focusing on
her self
-
awareness as an unreliable storyteller. Why is Rosemary open about her omissions and
3
1.
What
is the cen
tral conflict of Fowler’s novel
?
2.
Which side
–
if any
–
does the text seem to favour? Which side does Rosemary favour as the
narrator?
3.
What’s your evidence? How might others interpret the evidence differently?
4.
How do you react to the text
as a reader
? What
aspects trouble you? Entertain you? Make you
laugh? Consider how your reaction or opinion as
a reader
can
influence your argument.
Submission
procedure
The assignment should be
formatted according to MLA
Style
(and double spaced in an easily readable
12-point
font) with a list of
Works
Cited
.