The quiz is an open book exam testing your understanding of certain key analytical concepts required to properly understand the literary short story. All the information you need to answer the questions correctly can be found in the unit resources for Weeks 1-3. The quiz does not need to be completed in one sitting but is only open during Week 4 (the exact hours are specified on Moodle).

1. The ability to correctly answer the questions;
2. A clear understanding of key literary terms for analysing short stories;
3. The ability to use the Moodle interface to complete the quiz; 

Answer six of the questions listed below

Students are expected to keep a journal of their short answer responses, which requires answering 6 (six) of the weekly discussion questions listed below. Each answer should be 150-200 words long and take the form of a "thesis statement". The journal should be submitted on the due date as a Word doc through the Moodle online submission system. Students are encouraged to post their answers to the discussion board on a weekly basis in order to generate constructive dialogue. Further guidelines for the assessment item are available on the Moodle website.

Length: 900-1200 words.

NB. Stories used for this assessment may not be used for Assessment Item 3.

Week 3

1. 'The oval portrait' by Edgar Allen Poe has all the elements of a gothic folk-tale but as an example of "ekprhasis" it also makes a comment on romantic artistic practice. Discuss these ideas with particular emphasis on the symmetrical relation of content and form.

2. In Bierce’s ‘An occurrence at Owl Creek bridge’, Peyton Farquhar resists his death with an elaborate fantasy. What is the broader significance of this fantasy in relation to traditional beliefs about the “afterlife” and how does the style of language throughout the story reflect his evolving mental state?

Week 4

1. Assuming ‘The overcoat’ by Gogol is an allegorical social comment on life in Czarist Russia what is the significance of the modal shift from realism into fantasy in the resolution of the story? 

2. How does desire function in de Maupassant's ‘A country outing’? Analyse symbols, metaphors, and motifs associated with the story's setting and characters in your response. Is the reader positioned to endorse or condemn the actions of Henri and Henriette?

Week 5

1. According to Rosemary Jackson (1981, p. 2), ‘fantasy characteristically attempts to compensate for a lack resulting from cultural constraints: it is a literature of desire, which seeks that which is experienced as absence and loss’. Test this theory by applying it to ‘The signalman’ by Charles Dickens.

2. Is Kipling’s ‘At the end of the passage’ just a "ripping yarn" ghost story or is something more subtle and critical evident? How do the story's fantastic elements challenge notions of literary realism and the ideologies of scientific rationalism and western imperialism?

Week 6.

1. In 'A painful case' Joyce writes naturalistically, with ‘scrupulous meanness’ (Stone 1983, p. 299) insofar as ‘language mirrors subject matter’. Yet he also developed modernist techniques such as the epiphany and intertextuality. Consider the combination of conventional naturalism and experimentation in relation to how Mr Duffy personifies social changes in Ireland at the time.

2. Mansfield’s ‘The garden party’ is clearly a “coming of age” story. Develop an argument on the significance of the story by analysing the motif of the hat and the use of ellipsis. Given the story's title, what is conspicuous by its absence from the story and what theme can be thereby discerned?

Week 7

1. Some critics read ‘The hunger artist’ as a religious allegory; others see it as a comment on the role of the artist in modern society. Research modernism in the arts and develop an interpretation that considers the story's potentially contradictory multiple meanings.

2. ‘Mario and the magician’ is viewed as an allegory of the rise of fascism in Italy before WW2 but in what ways can it also be read as a critique of humanism? Consider this question by focusing on the length of this "short story", the narrator’s discursive style and 'high-brow' tone of voice. 

Week 8

1. The striking formal elements in Hemingway’s ‘Hills like white elephants’ are the direct observer point of view, symbolic description of the setting, and dialogical style of the narrative. How do these devices affect our understanding of the story’s themes and issues? 

2. According to Stone (1983, p. 5) a short story is ‘compressed within a short (usually continuous) time frame and space'. Porter’s ‘The grave’ clearly breaks this 'rule'. Consider the implications of this subversion together with the story’s detailed focus on the psychology of the protagonist.

Week 9

1. In Cheever’s ‘A country husband’, the suburb of Shady Hill and its characters are described in affectionate detail. But as the setting's name implies, the story is a critique of American society. After a brush with death, middle class protagonist Francis Weed exploits a working class girl and assaults his wife. In the light of his misadventures, what is the significance of the enigmatic last sentence: ‘Then it is dark; it is a night where kings in golden suits ride elephants over the mountains’?

2. Jean Baudrillard describes postmodernism as ‘playing with the pieces’; J.F. Lyotard speaks of ‘incredulity towards meta-narratives’; while for Jameson pastiche is its key attribute. How are these theories exemplified in Barthelme’s ‘At the end of the mechanical age’? Develop an argument focusing on the tone of the narrative and the characters’ use of language.

Week 10

1. Alain Robbe-Grillet's story 'The shore' has a camera-like direct observer point of view, and there is little action or character development. But it can be said to conform to the typical short story plot structure. Explain what effect this creates on the story's significance, its meanings and effects.

2. 'Gogol's wife' is clearly absurd but its dark satire conceals a serious agenda relating to the treatment of women in "reality" and literature. Assuming that 'Caracas' is a pun on characters, what does this suggest about characterization general? What techniques does Landolfi use to trick the reader into believing the story about Gogol?

Week 11

1. Explore the implications of Borges’ blurring of first and third person narrative modes in ‘Borges and I’ in terms of Barthes’ concept of “the death of the author”. Alternatively, consider ‘Everything and Nothing’ as a debate between essentialist and constructivist notions of identity. Consider the implications of the short, plot-less and essay-like form of both stories in relation to the idea that reality is a linguistic construct.

2. ‘Axolotl’ plays with the idea that identity is not fixed, that we can think ourselves into another state of being. Imagine this radical scenario were true (virtual reality suggests that it may soon be possible). What would we learn form the experience of becoming “other”, and what would it mean for society and the world? Consider too, how easily readers can be tricked into suspending disbelief by good writing.

1. Establish a clear argument in response to the topic based on textual analysis and recommended critical concepts;
2. Express yourself clearly (including spelling and grammar); and,
3. Acknowledge all your sources using the Harvard (author-date) referencing style.

Answer one of the the following questions 

• Rohrberger (1979, p. 14) argues that ‘The short story writer makes symbols of objects, characters, events, settings, plots in an effort to move beyond surface levels and to suggest complex meanings.' Discuss this statement using textual analysis of two or three set short stories to support your case.

• Terry Eagleton (2007, p. 50) says: ‘The meaning of a narrative is not just the “end” of it, but the process of narration itself.’ In other words, for the literary critic, the formal structures and devices of a text are just as important as what happens to the characters. Discuss this in relation to a small selection of set short stories.

• Trace the evolution of views on personal identity (considering aspects such as class, gender, race, and sexuality) through analysis of a selection of set short stories from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 
• Choose at least three set short stories and show how they exemplify literary aspects of traditional realism, modernism or postmodernism.

• According to literary critic, Terry Eagleton (2007, p. 14), 'the mark of modernist thought is the belief that human existence is contingent – that it has no ground, goal, direction or necessity ... no unimpeachable foundation for what we are and what we do’. This may be seen as liberating or threatening (or both). He goes on to say that: ‘This may make our finest moments even more precious or it may serve to drastically devalue them.’ Discuss these issues with reference to several set short stories.  

  Length: 1000-1200 words

  Note: You must not choose a story that you have already written on for Assessment 2 (although you can refer to it in passing).

This assignment will be evaluated on your ability to:

1. Establish a clear argument which is supported with relevant textual analysis and critical comment (minimum 3 scholarly sources);
2. Express yourself clearly (including spelling and grammar); and,
3. Acknowledge all your sources using the Harvard (author-date) referencing style.