ClCv 241 – Reception of Classical Myth Papers

Purpose: Each Reception Paper engages one modern usage of a classical myth. Usage of “mythological shorthand,” like the application of metaphor, allows an artist to bring all the narrative background of a myth into a new context and thereby illuminate a new situation with that other background. Find a great usage and analyze it aggressively.

The Prompt:

Identify a modern usage of a classical myth and analyze the artist’s narrative gain in a careful two-page paper.

· Consider this: “What does the narrative gain by this specific use of mythological shorthand?”

· Spend about half of your paper showing that the artist is consciously participating in the tradition of the classical myth and about half showing what is the artist’s narrative gain — “that and why”.

· Your paper should convey the attitude that space, not time, is the limitation; that you are upset to have only two pages to put so much information into. Remove all fluff.

Select a “great usage”: Elements in films within Now Playing: studying classical mythology through film or within the ClFF (hummedia.byu.edu) are often good for starters.
For best results, do not take on the entire narrative, but only a singled specific element (i.e. a character, a scene, a twist of plot, etc.).
Make the single element speak for the whole. Look for divergence from that element’s definition in the Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts.

Thesis: Craft a compelling and tenable thesis, one you will prove with evidence in your short paper. Place the thesis early in the paper.

Audience: Your audience is an informed reader who knows the basic myth. Inform concisely. The paper should be a research paper that is limited to two pages.

Evidence: Consult at least two legitimate, scholarly sources that underpin your research and document them.

Format: NO MORE THAN TWO FULL PAGES. Use the .docx template, if you wish. Document with footnotes in correctly applied Chicago style. Consult some of the Sample Reception Papers for specific formatting instructions.

Recommended Process: Start early. Ask, when uncertain whether your topic is likely to lead to success. Draft. Share with a critical friend your draft. Leave time to revise. Consult the models. Redraft.

**Any paper submitted 7 days before deadline is promptly read and marked as draft.**

Grades are assigned according to Rubric: http://cal.byu.edu/macfarlane/MythPaperRubric.pdf

This statement of the assignment is simply pared down from the FORMER VERSION. (The “former version” is not bad. It’s just wordier. Go have a look.)

Finally: Macfarlane sees this page as a set of DO's, recommendations for better papers. For a listing of DON'Ts, look at the wordier file called "Myth Paper Don'ts" where the professor lists his pet peeves.