eng1120 literary theory and secondary material

by

. CHOOSE ONLY ONE OF THE TWO ARTICLES FOR DISCUSSION.

One article, by Sigmund Freud, does not mention Doyle’s work, but his theory on the uncanny is helpful to understanding the novella. Freud’s article is a little longer than the other essay (authored by John and James Kissane), but Freud’s work may

be of more interest to you who want to explore the original work of an influential psychoanalytic theorist. Reflect on and respond to ONE of the two sets of questions, either Option A or Option B (below). This assignment requires you to analyze the work independently.

In your academic career you will need to use secondary sources in order to inform your arguments. In the field of literature, literary criticism challenges existing or normative views of culture and human nature.

I have chosen two critical articles and have uploaded them to Brightspace. Choose and read oneof the two articles. You will find the questions that accompany each article at the bottom of this document.

The goal of the assignment is to have you read an argument and to isolate and describe the key, central insights of that argument. You will further need to apply that argument to your own reading of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Your response should be formatted as follows: Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced. Use the MLA style for the first page and pagination.

You do not need to include a bibliography.You do need to include any in-text citations (the page numbers of the novel and any citations from the secondary source). Use formal English and an academic tone.

The total word count of this assignment should be approximately 600-750 words. Each question is out of five (about 300-400 words each, but if you need to write more, feel free to extend the word count a little). Choose only ONE reading.

OPTION A: READING #1 If you choose this option, answer questions #1 and #2 below

In the Introduction to the Penguin Edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles, Christopher Frayling identifies the article by James and John Kissane as a useful secondary source.

1) In your own words and in formal English, provide a summary of the main arguments in “Sherlock Holmes and the Ritual of Reason” (two or three paragraphs). (/5)

2) Using the novel as well as this secondary source, provide further textual illustrations supporting the article’s argument. Alternatively, counter or modify the argument by examining aspects of the novel that test Holmes’s limits as the master-rationalist (two or three paragraphs). (/5)

OPTION B: READING #2 If you choose this option, answer questions #1 and #2 below.

Sigmund Freud, excerpt from “The Uncanny” (1919): Freud’s work provides the foundation for psychoanalytic theory, which has been used as a framework for the interpretation of literature since the beginning of the twentieth century. In this essay, Freud puts forth the concept of the uncanny.

  • What, according to Freud, is the uncanny? According to this definition is Hound of the Baskervilles an uncanny text? Why or why not? (two or three paragraphs) (/5)
  • What does Freud’s discussion of death and the return of the dead illuminate about the Hound’s and/or Sir Hugo’s legendary role in the story? (two or three paragrpahs) (/5)

OR

How does the novel contrast settings, the homely with the unfamiliar, to create the sense of an uncanny environment on the moor? (/5)