A230B: Reading and Studying Literature II

A230B: Reading and Studying Literature II
In The Beach of Falesa, Robert Louis Stevenson was attempting something new in his literary career moving away from the adventure romance mode of writing towards a realistic one, inspired by his encounter with a new and developing South Pacific society after his emigration to Samoa in 1889. Writing to a friend, Stevenson describes his excitement at being able to write his story in the realistic mode: “it is the first realistic South Sea story: I mean with real South Sea character and details of life.” Discuss how the literary work is realistic in its depiction of the island life, its portrayal of religious beliefs and the supernatural, its use of language, and its representation of the ‘contact zone.’ Comment on whether the ending of the story is realistic or not.

Important guidelines:

1. Use of E-library is a credit to your essay. Make sure the sources are academic.

2. Divide your articles into 5-6 body paragraphs and discuss each question in a separate paragraph with examples and quotations from the work.

3. The word count should rage from 1500-1700 words.

4. Revise the final document before submitting your TMA to avoid typos and grammatical mistakes.

5. Use the Harvard style of documentation.

Helpful sources:

1. Stevenson, Robert Louis. Essays of Robert Louis Stevenson, edited by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Floating Press, 1906.

2. Lansdown, Richard. Strangers in the South Seas, edited by Richard Lansdown, University of Hawaii Press, 2005.

3. Jolly, Roslyn. “Stevenson's 'Sterling Domestic Fiction',: 'The Beach of Falesá'.” The Review of English Studies, vol. 50, no. 200, 1999, pp. 463–482. www.jstor.org/stable/517392.

4. Stowell, Frank S. “Notes on the Realistic Novel.” The English Journal, vol. 18, no. 7, 1929, pp. 548–552. www.jstor.org/stable/803283.

5. MOONEYHAM, LAURA. “ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON AND THE ‘HIGH...RATHER DRY LADY.’” George Eliot - George Henry Lewes Studies, no. 22/23, 1993, pp. 61–68. www.jstor.org/stable/42827661.




Marking Descriptor

GRADE CONTENT LANGUAGE & ORGANIZATION
A


(18-20) Excellent answers showing confident and wide-ranging knowledge of core material, good understanding of any relevant theory, and a capacity to address the question in a structural, direct and effective way, thoughtfully and with insight. Originality of thought or ideas from outside the course are an added asset. Examples are to the point. - Has an introduction defining plan of essay.
- Body divided into several paragraphs
- Conclusion which directly relates arguments to topic.
- Evidence that essay has been edited.
- Error-free grammar & register.
- Wide range of specialized terminology.
- Consistent in-text citation and form of referencing
B to B+


(16-17) Very good answers showing secure knowledge of course materials. Adopting an analytical approach and providing relevant discussion covering most of the key issues. Distinguished from A answers by being less insightful or by showing less comprehensive knowledge of the course. - First four criteria above maintained
- Demonstrates extensive grammar control.
- Terminology specialized but less varied.
- Minor Inconsistency in in-text citation and referencing
C to C+


(14-15) Competent answers reflecting adequate knowledge of the more directly relevant course material and concepts, with reasonable structure and adequate coherence related to the question set. - Introduction and/or conclusion short but still satisfactory.
- Evidence of editing.
- Less grammar control than above.
- Good range of specialized terminology.
- Inconsistent in in-text citation and referencing
D



(10-13)


Answers which omit some concepts /evidence and/or lack coherence /structure, and/or make minor errors while still demonstrating basic understanding. Or Bare pass answers which show awareness of some relevant material and attempt to relate it to the question. - Introduction and/or conclusion short but acceptable.
- no evidence of editing.
- Few grammatical errors that impede communication.
- Above average range of specialized terminology.
- Slightly confused introduction and/or conclusion, but body still fair.
- No evidence of editing.
- Some error types that impede communication.
- Fair range of specialized terminology.
- Inaccurate in-text citation and referencing
F

Below
10 Answers which attempt to draw upon relevant material but do not reflect sufficient knowledge of the course and/or neglect the focus required by the question, and/or are incomplete in some important aspects whilst being acceptable in others. - No introduction and /or no conclusion.
- Body badly organized or irrelevant.
- Poor grammar control (extremely limited range of grammar & register).
- Limited or not specialized range of terminology.
- No in-text citations and no referencing