Posted: January 17th, 2023

Literature-Revenge: Medea’s Heirs

Literature-Revenge: Medea’s Heirs

Proposal and Annotated Bibliography You are required to write a research topic proposal and compile an annotated bibliographycorresponding to the topic proposal. Your research topic should indicate the questions you are interested in pursuing, the methods you will employ in research, and the anticipated contribution your topic makes in the field.The annotated bibliography will contain a minimum of 5 entries. Presuming that many of your entries will be journal articles, one of the fivemust be a relevant monograph or a collection of essays treated together. All entries must provide full bibliographical informationas well as a substantial paragraph(150-250words) detailing the substance and importance of the specific work. You may use the internet to locatetextual sources, but the actual sources cannot be web-sites. Research paperThe term paper offers you the opportunity to work through some issue or question of your own choosing. The paper is an exercise in choosing an appropriate topic as well as an opportunity to demonstrate critical analysis and research skills. Constructive and critical use of secondary sources is expected. Citations should follow Research essay writing service – MLA format which includes in text citation of the literature and a works cited page at the end of the docu The difference between justice and revenge is a quandary depicted through several literary

forms, across time, and in various cultures. This course takes as its topic the social, political,

emotional, ethical, and philosophical questions implicated in narratives of revenge from

Greek tragedy to postmodern cinema. From its classical origins to its Hollywood

manifestations, revenge is central to literary representations of social justice, individual

autonomy, and culturally specific ideas about what makes a hero. Revengers not only respond

to and attempt to supersede the offenses imposed on them, but also often seek to outdo the

revenge heroes that precede them. The topic is therefore inherently intertextual, and

awareness of revenge as a genre as much as an act generates further inquiry into the ways

different representations tackle the dilemma of unmitigated social violence and the

glorification of uninhibited sovereignty.

Some questions we will consider include: What are the possibilities and the limits of revenge

as represented from the protagonists’ point of view? What other points of view allow us to

envisage and evaluate the role of the revenger in society? How do emotions (anger, jealousy,

desire, empathy) influence acts of revenge? What are the physical, emotional, economic,

social, and psychological effects of retribution on the agents of revenge and on others? How

is the reader/viewer to judge acts of retaliation? In what ways do different literary forms

influence audience evaluation? As a society, what are the ethical and social repercussions of

such a long and varied catalog of narratives of violence?

With so many revenge fictions from which to choose, the course takes as its blueprint for

jealousy, anger, carnage, and retribution the narrative of Medea. As such, we will start with

the Euripides and Seneca versions of Medea and trace their alignments and deviations from

representations of revenge figures in 16 th

-21 st century depictions. Alongside the diachronic

survey of revenge stories in which gender and genre are crucial points of inquiry, we will

discuss interpretations of revenge and justice from the lenses of classical antiquity, historical

context, and critical theory. This course is also, inevitably, about violence and the often

revolting, shocking, and at times seemingly gratuitous spectacles of destruction in the wake

of revenge. We will investigate the motives and effects of such spectacles, consider the issues

of inequality, autonomy, and forgiveness that underwrite them, and assess the toll they take

on literary characters and audiences alike.

Objectives

 Understand and analyze aspects of revenge via literary, philosophical, and social

inquiry

 Evaluate the assigned material in their social and historical contexts while improving

skills of observation, description, and analysis

 Critique the various theoretical frameworks encountered in the literature and theory

readings

 Actively participate in class discussions critically, respectfully, and ethically

English 4460 Revenge: Medea’s Heirs

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 Coherently convey understanding of justice and revenge through several literary

forms, across different historical periods, and as represented in various cultures

 Provide persuasive and effective analysis in the classroom and in written submissions

Assignments:

 Class Participation 10%

 6 Reading Assessments (quizzes, responses, active learning) 20%

 Short Paper 1: Close Reading Analysis 10%

 Homework help – Discussion Panelist (choose 2 readings to lead) 15%

 Proposal and Annotated Bibliography 15%

 Research Paper 30%

You are allowed to miss two classes in the course of the semester. On your third absence, you

will receive a grade of F in the course.

Assignment Rationale

Classroom Participation and Reading Assessments

Participation and Reading Assessments showcase how much effort you have put into

preparing for the class and enable you to be accountable for the intellectual level of the

discussion in the classroom. General components of participation to be marked are: 1)

punctuality, 2) required reading materials are brought to class, 3) readiness to discuss the

assigned play’s structural techniques, literary details, and thematic concerns, and 4)

willingness to share your observations and questions. General components of reading

assessments include 1) quizzes 2) written responses, 3) active learning activities like dramatic

readings. When relevant, your contribution to various group activities will be noted.

Short Paper Analysis

Early in the semester, you will be required to submit a close reading of a passage assigned.

Details will be discussed in class but the point is to construct a brief essay (4-6 pages) that

incorporates close reading and analyses of a passage from Seneca’s Medea.

Panel Prompter

This portion of the grade will display your ability to understand one critical voice in the field.

Please do not just regurgitate the article verbatim. Your prompts can take the following

forms:

• Provide a list of key concepts or themes central to the argument of the author and discuss

the ways these concepts are important to the article.

• Pick a specific paragraph to outline/analyze its importance to the argument.

• Articulate the merits as well as the limits of the article.

• Interrogate the article’s relevance to the class and raise issues linked to other aspects of the

course.

You will be part of a panel of students developing class discussion of the reading. As a group,

you will highlight key aspects of the article, make connections to the relevant play, and

generate discussion topics for the class to tackle. Try to be creative in conveying this

information!

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Proposal and Annotated Bibliography

You are required to write a research topic proposal and compile an annotated bibliography

corresponding to the topic proposal. Your research topic should indicate the questions you are

interested in pursuing, the methods you will employ in research, and the anticipated

contribution your topic makes in the field.

The annotated bibliography will contain a minimum of 5 entries. Presuming that many of

your entries will be journal articles, one of the five must be a relevant monograph or a

collection of essays treated together. All entries must provide full bibliographical information

as well as a substantial paragraph (150-250 words) detailing the substance and importance of

the specific work. You may use the internet to locate textual sources, but the actual sources

cannot be web-sites.

Research paper

The term paper offers you the opportunity to work through some issue or question of your

own choosing. The paper is an exercise in choosing an appropriate topic as well as an

opportunity to demonstrate critical analysis and research skills. Constructive and critical use

of secondary sources is expected. Citations should follow Research essay writing service – MLA format which includes in

text citation of the literature and a works cited page at the end of the document.

Student Conduct

There will be much discussion during class meetings and it usually proceeds smoothly, but

please remember several basic principles. 1) Our class will be composed of diverse members,

with a wide range of experiences and perspectives; it is your responsibility to use appropriate

language in class and to respect the opinions and cultures of others. 2) Although argument is

encouraged, remember that argument consists of supported assertion. Dogmatically stated,

unsupported opinions are inappropriate. Personal attacks will not be tolerated. 3) Everyone

knows that carrying on independent conversations during class discussion is rude and

disruptive, but here is a reminder.

Laptops, Tablets, Cell Phones. etc.

For your convenience, I have made required readings to be accessible electronically.

Therefore, a device from which to access your READINGS can be used during class. Please

do not use your cell phone as a way to access readings. Mine will be turned off; I expect the

same of you.

Submission Requirements

All submissions are collected at the beginning of the class in which they are due. Papers must

be typed or computer-printed and double-spaced. Use a clear font such as Times New Roman

with 12-pt. size and 1-inch margins on all sides. Make sure your name, my name, the course

title, date and title of the paper is at the top of the first page. Citations should follow Research essay writing service – MLA

format.

I will not accept any written work after the class period in which it is due, nor from someone

other than you. I will be glad to accept completed assignments before the due date.

Attendance

Because so much of what you learn in this course relies upon in-class discussion and

activities, you must attend class on a regular basis to receive credit for this course. I do not

distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused” absences. Therefore, do not miss for trivial

reasons, only to have none left when a real situation occurs. Students who miss more than

two classes, (which is a total of two weeks in this format) will fail the course. Let me be

English 4460 Revenge: Medea’s Heirs

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clear: on your third absence, an F will be recorded as your grade for the class, unless the

absences were caused by a documented medical emergency.

If I must miss a class, I will either have someone fill in or post a sign. I will also attempt to

notify you by email. However, if you come to class and I do not arrive by 15 minutes into

class, you may assume class in cancelled.

Lateness

If you are late for class, you must input the time of your arrival on the attendance sheet.

Should a student’s lateness persist, he/she will be asked to withdraw from the class, or risk

receiving an F for the final grade. Late papers or projects will receive a grade of F.

However, if at any point you are having trouble completing an assignment, make an

appointment with me or stop by during my office hours prior to the due date.

Plagiarism

Academic dishonesty will be punished. Dishonesty includes various kinds of cheating,

“plagiarism” (defined as the use of the words and ideas of others as if they were your own),

and copying the work of another student in a test. Penalties for academic dishonesty can be

severe and I will impose them. At the very least, plagiarism of all or a portion of any

assignment will be strictly penalized with a failure of the course and a mark on your

university records. Please refer to the on-line student handbook for details regarding

academic conduct: https://monkessays.com/write-my-essay/wright.edu/students/handbook

Schedule

The assigned reading is to be completed by the day that it appears on the syllabus. Please

come to class prepared to write and to discuss. I suggest you print out the schedule to have it

readily available.

DATE READINGS ASSIGNMENTS/SIGN UP

August 29 Introduction to the Course

Overview of Medea

Revenge theories and concepts

Euripides’s Medea (431 BC)

Paper 1 Instructions

Sign up for two discussion

panelists

September 5 Euripides’s Medea (431 BC)

Secondary readings on Euripedes’s

Medea

 Jeffrie Murphy’s “Two Cheers for Vindictiveness” in Getting

Even

 Foley’s Female Acts in Greek Tragedy (excerpt)

Sample discussion panelist

assignment

September 12 Seneca’s Medea (50 CE)

Secondary readings on Seneca’s

Medea:

 Benton’s “Seneca’s Medea the Anxieties of Imperialism”

 A.J. Boyle’s “Seneca Instriptvs”

Short Paper 1 due

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September 19 Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy

(1587)

ISBN-13: 978-1472528957

Reading Assessment # 1 Quiz

September 26 Secondary readings on The Spanish

Tragedy

 Ronald Broude’s “Revenge and Revenge Tragedy in

Renaissance England”

 Jonathan Bate’s “The Performance of Revenge: Titus

Andronicus and The Spanish

Tragedy”

Homework help – Discussion panelists

Broude 6:

Bate 6:

October 3 Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus

(1592) Arden Shakespeare Series

ISBN-13: 978-1903436059

Reading Assessment # 2 Active

Learning dramatic reading

October 10 Secondary readings on Titus

Andronicus

 Marguerite Tassi’s Women and Revenge in Shakespeare

(excerpt)

 Gwynne Kennedy’s Representing Women’s Anger

(excerpt)

Homework help – Discussion panelists

Tassi 6:

Kennedy 6:

October 17 NO IN-CLASS MEETING

Look up representation of Medea in

17-19 th

century paintings by

Corrado Giaquinto (1750) Charles-

Andre van Loo (1759 and 1760),

Valentine Prinsep (1880), Anselm

Feuerbach (1870 and 1871), Henri

Klagmann (1868), Eugene Delacrois

(1838), Paul Cezanne (1882),

Frederick Sandys (1868)

Reading Assessment # 3 Written

response to art (See Pilot for

guidelines)

Professor LaPerle will be

attending the Ohio Valley

Shakespeare Conference in

Berea, Ohio as well as take part in

the Folger Shakespeare Library

Colloquium in Washington, DC

October 24 Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone

(1868) Oxford World Classics edition

ISBN-13: 978-0199536726

Secondary reading:

 Leo Zaibert’s “Punishment and Revenge”

Reading Assessment # 4 Quiz

Homework help – Discussion panelists

Zaibert 6:

October 31 Christina Wolf’s Medea: A Modern

Retelling (1998) ISBN-13: 978-

0385518574

Secondary reading:

 Peter Arnds’s “Translating Greek Myth

Reading Assessment # 5 Active

Learning dramatic reading

Homework help – Discussion panelists

Arnds 6:

November 7 Margaret Atwood’s The Robber Bride

(1993)

ISBN-13: 978-0385491037

Homework help – Discussion panelists

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Secondary reading:

 Gabriel and Monaco’s “Clinical Considerations of

adaptive and maladaptive

vengeance”

Gabriel/Monaco 6:

November 14 Natsuo Kirino’s Out (2003)

ISBN-13: 978-1400078370

Secondary reading:

 Amanda Seaman’s “Inside Out: Space, Gender and Power

in Kirino Natsuo”

Reading Assessment # 6 Written

response to prompt

Homework help – Discussion panelists

Seaman 6:

November 21 Park Chan-wook’s Lady Revenge

(2005)

Viewing

Happy Thanksgiving Holiday!

November 28 Park Chan-wook’s Lady Revenge

(2005)

Secondary reading:

 Choe’s “Revenge and Forgiveness in Films by Park

Chan-wook”

Homework help – Discussion panelists

Choe 6:

December 5 Workshop on proposals

Bring books and articles for annotated

bibliography

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