QUOTATIONS: quotes are very important in a paper: including and discussing specific quotations from the primary text(s) helps you support your views. Use quotes only in support of your views, and not as summaries of the narration.
Please remember this is a Comparative Literature course; that means when you write your papers, you should attempt to compare themes, styles, or characters from different texts discussed in this course.
PLAGIARISM: plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas, published (in the form of a book, magazine or Internet), or unpublished, as your own without giving him or her proper credit. If you do not know how to cite a particular source consult The MLA Handbook For Writers of Research Papers (LB 2369 .G53 1999) in your library. Anyone found to have committed plagiarism or anyone who buys a paper from Internet will automatically fail the course. For further information on Plagiarism please refer to Queens College’s Academic Integrity Policy.
FORMAT: papers should be double space only, typed with Times New Roman font, 12 point (not 14-18 point font), and, one-inch margin all around (not two or three inch-margins). A double-spaced page contains roughly 22 lines. ADD NO EXTRA LINES BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS. The Title page (containing your paper’s Title, your name, Prof.’s name, topic #, as well as time of class meeting) should be a separate page. Number all pages, except the title page. You should also have a Bibliography or Works Cited page in which you list, in alphabetical order, all books and articles (or internet sources) you have consulted in order to write your paper. The Bibliography page should be in addition to the five pages of text. In all you should have at least seven pages.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS PAPER
1. Be sure to include the title of the book you’re analyzing, in the title of your paper.
2. EXAMPLE: “The nature of desire in Apuleius’ The Golden Ass”
3. Do not double space between paragraphs.
4. Cite your sources, both primary and secondary, in parentheses throughout your paper. Include a Bibliography page at the end of your paper.
5. Integrate textual evidence into the body of your essay
6. Quotes: up to three lines long. (If they’re longer, they need to be single space. Absolutely avoid long block quotes.)
7. Make sure each paragraph has a topic sentence and that there are effective transitions between paragraphs.
8. Avoid comma splices or putting a period between sentences that are not complete.
Use semi-colons or rewrite sentences with conjunctions.
Example of comma splice: Desdemona can be seen as a feminist heroine, she defies patriarchal norms by eloping with a Moor.
Rewritten: Desdemona can be seen as a feminist heroine because she defies patriarchal norms by eloping with a Moor.
9. Number each page at the top right-hand margin.
10. Italicize book titles. Use quotation marks “…” for chapters or articles in books. Example, “Comedy and War.”
11. Be sure to use the present tense when you discuss literary works (details of plot, character, etc).
12. A paper needs to have an Introduction with Thesis, several pages of development and a Conclusion. See my posts on Blackboard on how to write an Introduction/Thesis, a Conclusion, etc.
13. NO PLOT SUMMARIES; see my posts on BB on the difference between a Plot summary and a textual analysis.
TOPICS
Topic 1
Salvific friendship refers to the kind of friendship that saves friends from unhealthy, and immoral situations, or from suffering. Considering this definition of friendship, in what way is friendship “salvific” in Dante’s Inferno (Cantos 1 & 2), and Boccaccio’s Decameron? Analyze two cantos/episodes of your choice from Dante’s Inferno, and two tales/episodes of your choice from the Decameron. If necessary, feel free to refer to other works discussed in this class. Make sure to discuss and to include a few pieces of evidence from the text(s) of your analysis.
Topic 2
Both Boccaccio’s Decameron and Dante’s Inferno suggest that pity (ie, compassion, empathy, etc.) is central for a healthy friendship and for the community. How is this so in their works. Make sure to include a few pieces of evidence, with discussion, from the text(s) of your analysis.
