Eng 202: Writing About Literature
Winter 2011
IWA #1: Wrinkled Tropes
During a discussion this quarter, one of you pointed out that much of our
understanding and response to certain literatures emerges from their familiarity.
Some plots, character types, and situations are so much a part of our cultural
landscape that we use them as points of reference when we encounter new texts.
Just as we know something of monsters before we ever open Frankenstein, we
know something about the White Whale and Yoda even if we haven’t read Moby
Dick or seen Star Wars because these figures echo throughout our culture, finding
connection to our experiences of many different texts. I’m pretty sure A Wrinkle in
Time carries similar effects. My guess is that many of you recognize something
about the story, even if you can’t make an exact correspondence right away. Many
of the key details and themes we see in Wrinkle have effectively become literary patterns apparent in a vast range of
texts—lately I’ve referred to these archetypal patterns as “tropes” in line with contemporary usage. As to the function of
these tropes…well, this is where you come in. It’s tempting to simply identify certain generic patterns in stories and
dismiss them, but this reduces a text to a cliché rather than expands it, so we’ll try to see how Wrinkle transforms
particular tropes to illuminate new connections to our culture and experience.
Given the fairy-tale quality of A Wrinkle in Time, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find something interesting. What I would
like you to do for this assignment is identify some familiar trope in the novel, be it a character, situation, narrative
structure, metaphor, or other pattern of detail, site specific appearances of this trope in other fictional texts (including
movies, TV, shows, games, and wherever else you find characters and stories), and explain how the trope you see is
transformed in Wrinkle to make connection to something you know or have experienced yourself. In doing this, I’m
hoping that you are granted some significant insight into the literary effect of A Wrinkle in Time as it connects to you
personally.
Guidelines:
Identify a specific pattern of details in A Wrinkle in Time you see as particularly significant: cite specific
connections between passages. You’re not just looking for isolated details, but patterns of detail you can
recognize in other texts: books, comics, films, TV shows.
Trace the details you’ve identified in A Wrinkle in Time to other texts. This needn’t be an old story, and the
texts you use don’t have to be books necessarily. You will have to make some interpretive leaps here, but this
leaves a great many texts, comics, and films to draw from. Connect to detail: avoid generalities. (You might
have to do some light research.)
Discuss the specific twisty treatment A Wrinkle in Time is giving the trope you’ve observed. Again, be very
specific in the connections you make, and be sure to discuss the significance of this transformation in light of
your own knowledge and experience.
Shoot for about 1000 words, typed, 10-12 pt font/1.5 to double spacing. Don’t neglect a title. Put your name, the name of
the assignment (IWA #1), and the date at the upper left. If you’d like to include illustrations or other embellishments, go
for it.
Evaluation Sheet for IWA #1: Wrinkled Tropes
The following is an evaluation of your response to this specific assignment. The check marks indicate how effectively your paper
fulfills each requirement as per assignment guidelines. Any mark in the “Element missing” range will result in an “incomplete--no
grade” designation. One or more marks in the “Partially fulfills requirements” range will result in a “developing” designation for the
piece overall. An “effective” grade requires that all marks fall at least in the “Satisfactorily fulfills requirements” range. Your paper
must place in the “exceeds expectations” range in the third and either the first or second categories to receive a “strong” grade overall.
Note that marks move along a scale: a mark falling at the lower end of a given category indicates the need for significant revision.
1)
How effectively does the piece identify and explain a significant pattern of detail in A Wrinkle in Time?
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Missing Partially fulfills requirements
Satisfactorily fulfills requirements
Exceeds expectations!
Here I’m looking for a precisely described and cited trope. The pattern of detail you note should emerge from careful
observation. (I’m looking for clear evidence of a close reading.)
2)
How effectively does the piece trace observation of A Wrinkle in Time to other texts?
|------------|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
Missing Partially fulfills requirements
Satisfactorily fulfills requirements
Exceeds expectations!
Here I’m looking for highly specific connections text-to-text. Although I am expecting interpretive leaps, these leaps
should emerge from close consideration of detail rather than “stretch-to-fit” moves.
3)
How effectively does the piece discuss the way A Wrinkle in Time alters or transforms a trope?
|------------|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
Missing Partially fulfills requirements
Satisfactorily fulfills requirements
Exceeds expectations!
Here I’m looking for a specific explanation of how A Wrinkle in Time treats a particular trope, and how this illuminates
something in your own knowledge and experience.
4)
How effectively is the piece written in terms of its structure and style?
|------------|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
Missing Partially fulfills requirements
Satisfactorily fulfills requirements
Exceeds expectations!
Here I’m looking for writing that is clearly organized and easy to read: relatively absent of “padding,” “academese,” excessive
redundancy, vague references, or blunt inaccuracy. I’m not demanding pearls for Cleopatra, but I do expect care, clarity, and
authenticity.
Overall Designation: