Reread the first sixteen pages of our translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses. Choose one element of the stories told here&emdash;either a story or a part of a story, and analyze that element applying the perspectives of any one of the schools of interpretation which we have discussed this semester (e.g., Freudian psychology, structuralism, aetiology).
Keep in mind the following guidelines:
1. Your paper should be 2-3 pages, typed, double-spaced.
2. You do not need to use any secondary works for this essay. Feel free, however, to use whatever secondary works you consider appropriate, but be sure that all such works are thoroughly cited, and that your essay reflects your own thinking.
3. Proofread carefully. Papers with egregious mistakes in grammar or spelling will receive very low grades. In particular, keep in mind the admonitions spelled out in my guidelines for writing papers.
4. If you choose to apply the theories of Jung or Propp, it will not be sufficient simply to produce a long list of "functions" or "archetypes." You must give some thought to the significance of those functions or archetypes.
5. Be sure to hand in your paper on time. Remember that papers will lose one letter grade for each week they are late.
6. Be very conscious of structure: provide a clear introduction and conclusion, and arrange your arguments logically and succinctly.
7. It is important that you show accurate knowledge of the myth or myths you choose to analyze, but by no means should you include in your paper extensive summaries of the myth or myths. You can take for granted that your reader knows the myths, and you can spend your time analyzing rather than recounting them.
8. Please come to see me at any time if I can provide advice or assistance.
You will be graded in the following way (total points: 100):
Knowledge of myth: 10 points
Understanding and application of school of interpretation: 20
points
Substance of argument: 20 points
Structure: 20 points
Clarity of argument: 20 points
Style, grammar, and spelling: 10 points