Framing Statement:
Thinking about the work I have done for my major in English and Political Science and then reflecting on this semester’s coursework in literary criticism, for one, I noticed an incredible overlap between the topics and theorists we covered and those within my political science courses. I knew that my two majors complimented each other well just based on bolstering my writing and reading skills, but I hadn’t thought about the possibilities of topics of literary criticism and theory such as Marxism, post-colonial studies, Freudian psychoanalysis, and feminist theory to appear even within my intro-level political science courses. In past English courses, especially ENG 229, which looked at the origins of the novel, I found many connections within our course surrounding narratology and the structures of literature, as well as where the role of authors comes in when analyzing their work. Taking this into account, I feel that the cultural and intellectual relevancies from my two majors extend our work across disciples by utilizing well-known theorists, concepts, and cultural markers to engage with specific areas of each major that left me with a feeling of cohesion, knowing what I am studying has broader implications and significance.
Within the learning outcomes for my English major, I found the point of being able to “Read texts closely and critically through the conscious application of methods and insights drawn from a range of critical theories” went well with this project as I had to analyze two primary works, one being outside of this class and find and explain their relevance within two theories. Another category was “Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of literature in English with special attention to theory and criticism as a field,” which I felt was the very claim I tried to make within the project. Looking to theory and criticism as a way to enhance and deepen our understanding of literature is vital.
I thought of this project as an in-depth and reflective scavenger hunt, and looking back through all of the work I did this semester showed me how many directions, and interesting perspectives can arise from theory. Through the modality of an essay, I feel that I have interpreted primary pieces of literature and connected them to various theories while gaining an understanding of those far-reaching historical and cultural moments that created them.
Final Project Essay:
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