Fiction Essay

Length: 4 pp
Due Date: You need a complete draft to discuss with me during conferences on . The final draft is due accompanied with the draft discussed. Late submission of either draft will result in a lowered grade.

This paper will be on some aspect of the short stories we hav read and especially how these short stories tell us somehting about what fiction is and how it works. Choose one of the following topics for your essay. Be sure to form a well-thought out thesis, narrower in focus than the topic given. Some of the topics are expressed as questions (rather, I've given you some specific tasks to perform), but keep in mind that good essays always seek to solve some problem or answer some question about the text. Note: you must devise a thesis by limiting the topic.

1. Although Singer and Roth both grew up in Jewish homes, there is a clear distinction in the way they treat Jewish themes. Much of the difference comes out in the tone of the stories they write, in the characters they draw, and in the ironic humor they use. Using "The Defender of the Faith" as your example, and "The Son from America" for contrast, agree or disagree with critic Peter Shaw when he states, "Roth's insistence that he is a friend to the Jews can only theoretically be squared with the
loathing that he displays in his work. . ."

2. G.K. Chesterton wrote: "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried." The New Testament claims of Christ's followers: "By their fruits you shall know them." Consider the two women, Mrs. May and Mrs. Greenleaf in Flannery O'Connor's short story "Greenleaf." Contrast the two women in terms of what you believe is their religiosity. In terms of the Gospel definition, which woman is more "Christian?"

3. Analyze either "The Destructors" or "A Jury of Her Peers" to see how the point of view supports the author's purpose (for which you must also make an argument) and makes the narrative effective (a special case of what the author wants to accomplish.