Part A: Read a book of your choice following the parameters below. Pay close attention to the merits of the books style and content. For this assignment, an authors style will be defined as the way an author uses building blocks of language to create literary traits (conventions), such as characterization or tone. (Think about the way style builds ethos, pathos, and logos; its the same idea.) The aspects of style are: diction, imagery, syntax, figurative language, and detail.
To choose your book, consider the paragraph below and use the link provided to help you in your search.
What interests you? Whose voices do you want to hear that you havent heard in your high school English classes thus far? What type, or genres, of stories do you like? Go to the link above and search for a novel that piques your interest and that has won The National Book Award or that has been a finalist for that award. Please do not choose a young adult novel as this is a college-level course. These books are popular and should be available at the library, or if you prefer, can be bought used and for little money on sites like thriftbooks.com. (The books on thriftbooks.com are usually less expensive than shipping fees.)
National Book Foundation, Presenter of the National Book Awards
Part B: Choose a passage from your novel, from a lengthy paragraph to a page. Copy it at the top of a Google doc. Analyze and evaluate the way the primary way style gets across the passages main idea. As part of your evaluation, sum up in your conclusion whether or not this passage proves this book should be included in the evolving literary canon.
(2 pages MLA format).
