Assignment: Your assignment for this project will be to examine one aspect of a monstrous text within a larger context. You will choose one text that we have read and discussed for class this semester and focus on one particular aspect that you find interesting. Some examples of this may be lesbianism in Carmilla, anti-semitism in Dracula, or metaphorical language used in Frankenstein. You will then apply that aspect to a larger context: historical, cultural, political, or religious. In other words, how does the use of one (smaller) aspect in a text apply to, or shed light on, a (larger) contextual meaning? Possible Contexts:
I. Historical A. How does the use of something in a text represent a particular historical moment?
II. Political A. How is the author making a political statement in this text?
III. Cultural A. How does one aspect of the text change from one cultural moment to another? Why? (e.g. In Dracula, we see a foreigner in a far away place as the determined “monster.” Why then, are the vampires in Twilight made to seem like one of us? What’s the cultural significance of this change?) IV. Religious A. How does religion affect the way monsters are portrayed? (e.g. Dracula and other vampires are deterred by religious items like crucifixes and holy water, why?)
Requirements: 1. 10-12 Pages (Not including Works Cited) 2. 1 or 2 Primary Sources; 6-8 Secondary Sources (you must use all sources in your paper) 3. MLA Works Cited page 4. Format: MLA 8th Edition (double-spaced, 1” margins, 12 pt Times New Roman Font, indent the first line of paragraphs, etc.)
