ENG 102: Writing Through Literature
T 8:00-9:00am, Th 8:00-10:15am, E265
Professor Jay Polish
https://tinyurl.com/fanficasgmt
Assignment # 1 — Fan Fiction/Poetry Analysis
So far this term, we have explored spoken word poems and experimented with creating some of our own. We have read, too, about another genre of literature: fan fiction. We’ve read and discussed how fan fiction can be a profound, creative, and insightful way to analyse literature, television, movies, etc. For this assignment, we are going to create a work of fan fiction that expands on the experiences of the narrator in Nikki Giovanni’s “Poem for a Lady Whose Voice I Like.” In other words: how can you flesh out the story told in Giovanni’s poem? Do you want to write a story about what the “she” in the poem is thinking, or her backstory? Do you want to write a story about why the “he” in the poem is saying what he’s saying, or about his past relationships? Do you want to write a story about their relationship history? Have they dated? Were they childhood best friends? Did they just meet? Where are they when this conversation takes place? Why are they both there? Exploring any of these questions — or some of your own — is fair game. The only criteria is that you write a short story (3-4 pages double-spaced) — a piece of fan fiction — that expands on Nikki Giovanni’s poem somehow.
Due Dates:
Tuesday, March 27th — Please post to the blog and bring a hard copy of your fan fic rough draft (you will be peer reviewing them with your classmates). Include not only your fan fic draft, but also please answer each of the following: What three things do you want to ask your peers about your work? What three things are your favorite about your fan fic? What three things are you unsure of?
Thursday, March 29th —Leave comments for two of your classmates on their blog post draft: in these comments, please address the questions your classmates included about what they want to ask their peers, as well as addressing three things your peers are unsure of.
Tuesday, April 10th — NOTE: We do not meet on this day, but please post your final draft and reflection on the blog. In addition to the final draft of your fic, please write and post a brief reflective artists’ statement that addresses each of the following questions: What did you learn writing this fan fic? What you didn’t learn? How you can use what you learned in the future? Did writing a fan fic (as opposed to an essay) help you understand the place of fiction as analysis? If yes, how? If no, why not? How you think you could have pushed your writing even further? What rhetorical choices did you make in your fic, and how did these choices advance the depth of your work? How did the process of peer review push your analysis forward? If it didn’t, why not? How can you and your partners conduct your peer reviews differently next time? What fresh rhetorical insights might you bring from this assignment into future assignments?